Tales of the Traveling Tote #23 - HOME SWEET HOME

Welcome to our June 2020 edition of Tales of the Traveling Tote where TEN totes were sheltered in place instead of the usual "living life" and sharing their adventures. We are in Phase 2 of reopening in our area. 

Let me tell you what I love about sisters. My sister surprised me by making me a mask by using a MacKenzie-Childs cloth napkin so I texted this photo to her and she texted back "too many checks". I told her it was Pandemic Chic. She's probably still rolling her eyes.

The tote ladies had a Zoom "meeting", and it was nice to hear everyone's voice and see their faces. I had met several of the ladies in New York City, and this gave me a chance to "meet" the rest of the group.

We finally had some fun on Saturday, May 30. It has warmed up in our area, so Joe and I took a road trip to Cherry Valley to purchase some lilac bushes. I also ordered lilac essential oil which will be ready in July. More than 30 bushels of fresh flowers go into producing 10 ml of Lilac Enfleurage extract. Most of what the owner (Charle-pan) produces is sent to the luxury European fragrance houses. I couldn't believe how many lilac varieties we saw! Our time slot was from 1:00-2:00, so I was in my glory for an hour.

We also went to Beekman 1802 Mercantile for curbside pickup since it's 10 minutes from the lilac farm.

I feel fortunate to have such beauty to enjoy during this time of social isolation. Nature is healing. When dad built our camp in the mountains, he had an idea of what it would mean to us. It’s become our place to escape to take long walks in the woods, breathe the crisp cool air and listen to the magic of Mother Nature. A place to ponder and find moments of joy.

Just to give you an idea, there are only a few year round residents on our lake so when we are there, it's like we are the only ones there. We had a warm and sunny weekend at the beginning of May so we took a ride to camp and stopped at one of the more scenic locations in Old Forge, NY near camp. Many pass by the "little red boathouse" without even seeing it along Highway 28. It is across the street from View Arts. Spring was just waking up since it is Zone 3, and I look forward to take more picturesque photos again in the fall and winter.

We took a wonderful pasta class with our family on Zoom. It was a lot of fun, and I am very impressed with my hubby's pasta making skills. For Mother's Day he offered to make pasta using the technique we learned on our trip to Italy.

We found our Quarantine date night groove on the back deck. Cantales Bistro 5 stars, and our first alfresco dinner of the season. Pasta sauce simmered all day! We shopped via Instacart for our dinner, and Miss Aurora wondered why she couldn't shop too but I explained the situation to her, and she was content to stay home and join us at the table.

The month of April was rough so I put this collage together. When we prepare for a picnic at the lake, Miss Aurora is happy to haul our goodies...a loaf of homemade bread, herb butter, grilled chicken, orzo salad, brownies, flowers and SanPellegrino Italian sparkling blood orange beverage. April was very chilly, so the sandals were wishful thinking :-) I have been sowing seeds, and this summer I am hoping for a field of flowers.

I've had plenty of time to go down memory lane, so I started organizing photos on the computer and looking at documents I saved in Word. It was interesting to read the interview we did with our grandmother at age 99. She lived through the Great Depression, and shared lessons on how to make due and get by. My grandparents were in their 20's and married two months when the Great Depression hit. Both lost their jobs.

Shelter-in-place orders have brought back once-common tasks. A generation or two ago, household skills were common, learned at home and at school. Then it became easier to toss things out rather than fix them, quicker to call the professionals. It's during these uncertain times like these when we are grateful for having learned life skills, and I plan to teach my niece and her daughter how to sew. I used to sew quite often, and made clothing and Halloween costumes for my son Bryon. My grandmother taught me how to sew, bake bread and pies, garden and knit. My parents taught us how to can, garden, woodworking and clean LOL. My sister Diane built her own fence in her backyard recently (she is very independent), my brother John can take a car apart and put it back together, and my sister Cheryl is an amazing cook and sells food for takeout. And of course my amazing husband is a jack of all trades.

Miss Aurora wanted in on the action when I took a virtual paint class on Zoom. I loved every minute of this class.

We are CSA members of a farm, so we grabbed the tote and stocked up on roasting chickens and cheese. It's about a 35 minute drive from our home, and the country side is lovely. We can also pick up at the farmers market once they open, and that is located five minutes from our home. It was just nice to get out of the house!

NOW ON TO THE GIVEAWAY!!

As a nature lover, aren't these the cutest feather canape knives ?!!!! Visit Life and Linda with Miss Lola and leave a comment to have a chance to win it. Good luck! 

I know the other "travelers" would love a visit. 
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women  

Corning Incorporated and the Corning Museum of Glass lit up one of their office buildings to say UNITY.There are definitely many silver linings in pandemic's dark clouds. It took a global catastrophe to do what politicians have been promising to do for years: ridding us of those obnoxious robocalls. The volume of such calls has plunged dramatically, mainly because the call enters are in India, the Phillipines and elsewhere there they have shut down due to the virus. 

I stand in support of racial equality, and all those who search for it.
Deb