At Home (Continued)

We understand that the Stay at Home order will last at least until the end of the month, perhaps much longer, but we feel fortunate that we can get out of the house for necessities - the Police recognize us as local residents and wave us through the roadblocks - and can still get some outdoor exercise.  Thankfully, some of the supplies have begun to re-appear in our local grocery store; I was surprised yesterday to turn the corner and find the shelves in the bread aisle completely filled up.  Perhaps the bread hoarders are discovering that it is all going stale or have run out of room in their freezers.

We understand, too, that the Mayor is now encouraging residents to wear face masks when they go out in public, such as to the grocery store.  "Our Mayor has asked us to wear masks when we are out in public," one of my worried Facebook friends said. "Does anyone know where we can buy them in Highlands?"  I do not.  But I have seen some news articles and Facebook posts giving instructions on how to make a mask out of various materials, including scarves and kerchiefs.  All of the employees in Reeves Hardware were wearing masks today (I guess they had a supply of those masks worn by construction workers in the back room, but none were out on the shelves), and there was a sign posted on the door today limiting occupancy to only ten people.  "Am I under the number permitted?" I asked the female employee near the front door - honestly, I did not know who she was, and I know all of the employees in Reeves, but she was wearing a large, bandit-style mask covering half her face. "You're OK," she said, and waved me inside.

Yesterday, Lisa and Dapper, the owners of August Produce, were also wearing masks and latex gloves, where we had stopped to take advantage of a special that Martha had found out about on Facebook, a large box of pre-ordered mixed fruits and vegetables available for pickup on Fridays for only $20.00.  What a treat!  They loaded the box in the back of our car, and we opened it later as if it was a very special Christmas present.

Martha immediately used the fresh tomatoes, likely from south Georgia, and the head of lettuce to make BLT's for lunch.  It tasted like summer!  Then, for dinner, she made a casserole out of the yellow squash and one of the onions, and took some flounder out of the freezer, pan-sauteed with blackening spices that we had brought back with us from Blue Ocean Seafood in Morehead City.

Now I am looking forward to seeing what Martha can do with that cabbage.  One of the benefits of Staying at Home is that we have been Cooking at Home, and that has included some healthy and creative new dishes.

We can still run, thank God, and don't have to wear masks while doing so.  This morning I found one runner at Founders Park when I arrived, where by the way the public restrooms had been closed and Police Tape applied across the doors, and we had a pleasant run, careful to maintain the required six feet of separation.  Then I ran into another runner.  And that's how it went, singly or in pairs, keeping an awkward distance from one another in the parking lot when we finished.  At one point I was running down empty Main Street by myself and spied this latex glove discarded in the gutter - its wearer had apparently stripped it off and dropped it on the ground in proximity to the trash can, afraid to touch its handle - and it seemed somehow a poignant portrait of this new world we now find ourselves inhabiting.