My friend was running out of TP. I dropped some off on her porch. She left me cookies. My first pandemic barter!
Pandemic Barter Achievement Unlocked!
Even though I am presently trying to do 5 jobs (dayjob, teacher/homeschooler, chef, housekeeper, author), I can’t help but feel the pressure to do activities during Shelter-in-Place to up my skill level. One thing that I have found to be the silver lining of this current situation is that my kids are riding their bikes around the neighborhood and I feel like it is so much safer given the fewer cars on the road. It also made me realize that it was a good time for me to also get on a bike. My bike experiences include riding a pink bike with tassels at age 9 and then one bike tour of the New Territories in Hong Kong for one day at age 19, before suddenly riding 15 miles during a sprint triathlon on a borrowed bike a few years back. So you could say I’ve been somewhat sporadic.
I bought a bike…a starter bike. It’s a Specialized Roll and the handlebars are little higher and the seat is supposed to be more comfy and the reviews of this bike basically say that it’s a low drama, low investment that gets people out and riding. No fancy shoes with clips, no changing into special clothes. Just put on a helmet and toodle around. Just my speed.
In addition to starter bikes, I have gotten into the Sourdough Starter movement. Pandemic baking is a real thing, people! There is the “quarantiny” movement started by the bread guy at Cook’s Illustrated. It uses less flour, which is appealing because flour is tough to come by. Behold Baby Chungus! I’m at Day 12 today and it’s still alive. It’s not as bubbly as it was at Day 3, see photo here at Day 3 when there was lots of fermentation.
It’s alive!
It’s all very homestead and prepper oriented. My friends who have chickens and goats, grow their own vegetables, etc. are all feeling grateful for this additional source of food.
Others who are not pandemic baking have turned to all kinds of creative endeavors. My favorite has to be that movement where people recreate old famous paintings at home with household objects. This one is my very favorite so far. I love Klimpt and the fact that she has draped herself entirely in carbs makes it magical. Enjoy!