He's Starting to Pace

Day 4

He's starting to pace. Hubby is getting a fever. Cabin fever. 

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I have, however, a treatment. Not a cure, but something to stop him from peering over my shoulder as I do my income tax.
I smile up at him. "Honey, why don't you try your hand at making pasta? Like the stuff we had the first night home?"
I then frown with concern. "I wonder how you make bean pasta. Oh, nevermind. It's probably too hard."
His eyebrows shoot up. A challenge?
I hold my breath until he trots off into the office.
First some research on the internet. (one hour of peace because it's easy to get distracted) 
then finding the ingredients (ten minutes) 
then discussing with me (who wasn't really listening) the best types of flour to use (ten minutes) 
then rechecking the internet in case he can make substitutions (another hour, damn those distractions), 
then making the product (ten minutes) and finally, the end result!

For both of us!
I had two and a half hours of peace.

And thus ended Day 4 of self isolation.

It's You, Again?

Day 3

We've settled into a routine. Hubby has even called his mother every day.

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We've done our chores in the morning and exercised and napped in the afternoon. I napped on the chaise, lulled to snoozing by my Bible app. If I didn't know what happened with Joshua at Jericho, I'd have to listen to it again.
SPOILER ALERT! He wins. Jericho falls.

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But, the horrors of quarantine!  Bad news on the horizon!

Hubby has decided generic coffee whitener is unacceptable!

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To combat such a terrible affliction, we ordered some groceries. Hubby's brother delivered them, sneaking them onto our back deck before texting us to alert us to their presence. We crack open the door and snatch the bags up.

Thank God, the cream has arrived!

And life goes on. Our daily pattern of life continues and day 3 winds down.

Day 2 Does anyone really know why?

It's Day 2. So far, so good. 

Okay, the first day was busy and full and we were practically enjoying ourselves. The quiet is resounding. We looked at the freezer with satisfaction and the larder with joy. 
We're set for self-isolation. 
As a result, Day 2 was fine. We slept in, we relaxed with coffee and the news, and the paper came as expected. Self-Isolation isn't so bad.
Then came word that toilet paper was being hoarded. I'm not sure of the reason, but I can only think of one thing. 
People are mistaking it for food. 
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It has to be that, 'cus it's not that kind of bug, folks. 
But, just in case, my husband has started a list of supplies we will need when certain people I know give up on the racketeering prices they're asking for toilet paper. 
Me, I need nothing.
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DAY 1 OF SELF ISOLATION

Day 1

(Some of the links below may earn me revenue. You may find you would like to buy them. Click on them at your own peril!!)

My traveling companions, who love social interaction of all kinds, think it's Day 2. They are including the day we landed. I'm not. I'm going to milk this for all it's worth.
Today, we unpacked only to discover that we had so much laundry, I didn't have enough laundry detergent.
I can't get out to the stores! 

No problem for this isolationist. She's going to make her own detergent. 

Wait!  Aren't we suppose to have fun with this self-isolation? Isn't this blog supposed to be uplifting? Isn't this supposed to be amusing?

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Doing laundry isn't uplifting, nor is it amusing, but hey, it does add steps to my Fitbit.

So, to that end, we're gonna have fun. We're gonna make our own laundry detergent. Okay, yes, I realize that you'll need to purchase some items, but you can either ask a friend to deliver them, and e-transfer the money, or you can order online.

You'll need a bar of cheap laundry soap like this:

(the US link.)
https://amzn.to/38VL6Cv

or this:
(the UK link)
https://amzn.to/38VL6Cv

Preferably it should be blue glycerine, like this,

https://amzn.to/2IP4c2r

 

Blue soap is preferable because the slight blue tint helps to keep whites looking whiter. But you may want to search around for a good price. Even though the bar will last you ages and ages, and you're only doing this to alleviate boredom, you will still want to save as much money as you can.
You'll need washing soda, which I have discovered is only available around here at a hardware store.  

Stuff like this:
https://amzn.to/3a9Movb

 

 

















 (the UK link) https://amzn.to/3b0J4SX

 Here's what we have to start with.

Grate out one-half cup of the blue soap. You don't need anything special. Your cheese grater is fine. Just wash it before and after, please! No soapy lasagna!
Then measure out one-half cup of washing soda. Mix them into a litre of warm water. This is what it will look like.

 
 Pour into an empty laundry detergent jug, and you're set. Just use the same about of this mixture as you would the store-bought variety. One small warning. It's messy to pour out with the dispensing lid and leaves a dried powdery spot on the floor, but it's super easy to wipe up and won't hurt anything. I measure it out over the laundry sink. But it works out to be about 5 cents per load, and that works for me!
There! We have helped take another dozen plastic bottles out of the environment, and we saved money. All that's left is to do the laundry. Are we having fun yet?
 
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Just as an aside, you may want to try soap nuts. A friend of mine has been using them for six months and loves them, even with three kids and a busy husband. But if I just focused on them, (which is fine) I wouldn't have the fun of telling you all about making your own detergent, would I?

(the UK link)
https://amzn.to/2QiEhV9

(the US link)
https://amzn.to/2Wkfgwq

 

Our local bulk food store stocks them, and I hear they are much cheaper. 

Well, that filled Day 1. Time to relax and get caught up with my Netflix streaming.

Self Isolation? Bring it on!

Okay, in the coming days I am going to discuss my self-isolation. You see, we went on a cruise and returned to a Canada that was asking us to self-isolate.
My friends' reaction? 
Oh no!
My reaction?

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Okay, first up, I want you to know that I am NOT making light of the seriousness of this situation, but rather, lightening the attitude. We have all seen the local and national news, we all know that our friends like Poppy Harlow are very serious, but we need to counter the dread and smile on. 

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These next few posts are my attempts to show you that we can still smile. 
Enjoy them!