Let me tell you who’s not minding the “shelter at home” order. These guys.  In spite of the fact that I live 7 feet from my parked car, and have a visitor’s pass (the story of why I don’t have a permanent sticker is for another day,) these little pesky parking dudes are still leaving the comfort of their homes to disrupt the pollen on my car long enough to add a fresh ticket to the old one I still have under my wiper. For awhile, my “trick” of leaving the last ticket in place worked, but now that it’s spring in “the city of trees” and construction is still stirring up layers of dust, the grime on top of my last ticket isn’t fooling anyone. And, I’m back to using my Georgia driver’s license because I lost my California one on my last business trip, so that complicates things…I mean, I’d go take care of these things, but we’re supposed to be sheltering, right? As I’ve mentioned before, I follow the rules.

I’m just hoping there’s going to be some “parking forgiveness” at some point, though my Google searches thus far don’t turn up any forgivable loans for the good citizens at 1700 20th street. Sigh.

Meanwhile, the 8 food magazine subscriptions around the house are finally getting some page-turning. Every time I get hit up for another school fundraiser, I opt for the magazine subscription, so while I certainly don’t have the ingredients I need for most of the recipes, I’m working through all kinds of interesting substitutions. (Don’t worry, no mystery meat has been thawed yet this weekend.)

My typical MO with a new recipe is to substitute half the ingredients for whatever I have on hand anyway, but with the current situation (and unlike the Sacramento street patrol) I AM minding the rules to stay home and feel like that gives me a pass on following a recipe properly. That said, I made this awesome goat-cheese cream sauce with truffle spaghetti this week.  I swapped the pappardelle pasta for truffle spaghetti, the peas for roasted broccoli, skipped the chives and lemon in trade for extra leeks and diced chicken from take out leftovers. Delish.

Fun fact–did you know you can regrow leeks in water with no dirt? They’re already re-sprouting in the living room window, right next to the garlic I’m attempting to grow..stay tuned.

In other breaking news, I brought back a little plant based eating yesterday, to undo other damage from the week. Nothing finer than butternut squash, halved, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, a little olive oil and a slow bake…heart happy. Meanwhile, Nicholas was making barf noises in the background, but as my dear friend Brandon would say, “Don’t Yuck My Yum!” I’ll eat both halves, thank you very much.

Today I woke up feeling a little Gatsby in my soul, so since it was shower day anyway, I put on what I’m positive would have been Daisy Buchanan’s Sunday best: a sleeveless black flapper dress, pearls, and glitter eye shadow. I’m sure she wouldn’t have sported a knee wrap and orthopedic sneakers, but my fashion has its limits.  I poured some Spumante in one of my favorite Atlanta-Map glasses, added some frozen blueberries, and felt really fancy for a Sunday in quarantine.

I got up to refill my champagne and literally thought I was about to be taken hostage by a Ninja type character in my living room; turns out it’s just Nicholas, living his best life in some sort of iridescent head wear that allows him to teleport or something. I don’t know what it’s supposed to do, but I hope it can at least kidnap an egg laying chicken.

Keep some levity, friends; have some really cold, sweet champagne.  Make cupcakes and inject frosting into the center with an icing tip. Call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile. Write a thank you note for your mailman. Buy a couple fresh daisies the next time you brave the grocery store. Plan your Easter menu.  And send as much love into the universe as you can. And pray for me and the alien in my living room.

XOXO