60s expression, Mending, Patio Dining ,Taxes, Whimsy

I am no longer, frequently using the 60s expression..."Life is what happens as we make other plans." Odd as it sounds, I felt I was a jinxing myself.

I was downed by a small oil slick on my morning walk a couple of weeks ago. Lucky is my best word to say here.  I am mending. This spill took me to Urgent Care for X-rays. Normally, no big deal but they are a Covid testing place. I'm going to use that word lucky again. I know the man who runs the center & I was able to go in the back door & out the back door pretty quickly. A shatter but no broken bones.

A make-shift sling. My March tax appointment was cancelled & not rescheduled so I did my own taxes online with one arm. First time ever & a new accomplishment for me. Good self esteem building for the Inner Child.

This last Tuesday (oh, 3 days ago) a friend & I went out for a nice fish lunch to a nice restaurant. Sat on a nice patio. 'Nice' stops there. No social distancing of tables. Period. This was our first dining out since March. 

Numbers, not the ones you want are going up here.  I do watch them.  The next patio dining experience will be in the City of Long Beach.

Photos: Whimsy post of a (WC Fields?) wine opener.  4" long. Lots of character in that face. Available in my Etsy shop, link up above.

Stop back between now & July 6. I'll have something fun to post.

Vintage Cookbooks, Rambling Post & Chocolate Cake

 One of my favorite cookbooks: 1960s

I like the graphics & 'made simple information'.  My brothers (and all high school boys) had to take this course at one time. One project was to make aprons. Instead of using scissors to cut off the ties, they just used their muscle. They cooked and baked.  The household management & budgeting was a useful tool for everybody.  Is any course like this offered today?

A young couple I know of wanted to save money.  They started to cook at home and stopped eating out frequently.  It went smoothly till their dishwasher broke down, and they could no longer continue to do this. Back to the restaurants. True story.

Sometimes, fast food is cheaper.  Now not everyone is comfortable with to-go orders.  During Covid more people are cooking and baking.    A local  market manager says she can't keep yeast on the shelf  (refer back to my post on baking with yeast). What I read on Nextdoor is people can't find flour, oil, baking soda etc.

During the Depression and war time people had similar challenges in finding product.  One of my favorite cakes came from this time period.  Mom made it a lot in the 1950s and 1960s.

If this is not in your recipe file or vintage cookbook, you can just Google.  It has different names: Wacky Cake, Depression Cake. Crazy Cake.  No eggs, no butter, no milk, no problem.  You just use one pan don't even have to grease it. No bowls needed.  It is a moist 8 x 8 cake, and I put a lemon frosting on it.

https://www.today.com/food/depression-cake-or-wacky-cake-making-comeback-t179436

Enjoy!

Then Pick 'n Save Now Big Lots Mind since Covid

I remember when learning to meditate there were times that my mind just wouldn't clear...pickup dry cleaning, go to ATM, errands, groceries etc.  Covid has cleared so many of those "waste thoughts" for me. I shop differently, think differently, rest differently and ironically my mind has less debris.

A thought was triggered by this nifty (old word) red tortilla holder that I used last night.  It came from either late Pick 'n Save or early Big Lots when this store truly sold buyouts, close outs, over stocks.  I remember finding my favorite perfume there, Tweed, for a stellar price.  At that time I was naive and didn't yet realize that it was being discontinued forever after launching in 1933.

Back to the tortilla warmer, it's a bright beautiful red, high quality plastic, works effectively & was sold at a cheap price.  Big Lots took over about 2002 & after a few years changed the format & prices.  Now I rarely go there sometimes only once a year.

What I noticed while writing this post is that I could look back factually without lament, or loss or judgment.  I can't help but think this is a by product of Covid.  An empty mind is a more logical mind?

Just in case you do like nostalgia and loss pulling at your heartstrings.  Check out the "History of  Southern California Retail".  Interesting easy reading chart.  Tissue, please.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pic_%27N%27_Save