Saturday, June 13, 2020

No good deed goes unpunished

Yesterday was as nice an anniversary as we've had yet, even though we just stayed at home. The weather was good (a cool breeze was blowing, a rarity in June) and we sat on the back porch in the afternoon reminiscing about our wedding day and honeymoon. We saw the pair of Painted Buntings at the feeder, too, after several days of not seeing them at all. I had begun to suspect that they had moved on, but nope, there they were! That was like a gift!

Our dinner was nice. The Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake turned out great! I was a little sad that the glaze/icing on top didn't look as pretty as the picture on the recipe, but I'll correct that the next time I make one of these cakes. And I will make it again--it really is delicious.

The icing was too thin but it still tasted good!

Here's a link to the recipe if you're interested: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/lemon-buttermilk-pound-cake.html

For our main meal I made Chicken Fettucine Alfredo and bruschetta with heirloom tomato topping. It was also delicious! This was my first time making real alfredo sauce with heavy cream, and it was so much more flavorful than stuff bought in a jar! Easier than I expected, too. I'll definitely be making this again.


After dinner and dessert, I had champagne. I talked to a guy at the liquor store and asked him for a recommendation for the best bottle in my price range (in fairness, pretty low). He suggested this, which I was kind of disappointed in...oh well.


After the first glass or two it went down just fine! :)

After dinner, sitting on the porch again watching the sun go down. 
*Side note: you know you're in the firm grip of middle age when simply removing the stubborn cork on a champagne bottle makes you pull a muscle in your side! I had to laugh at myself over that one!

In other news, I had a frantic voicemail this afternoon from my 81 year old next door neighbor, Miss Luella. She said "Call me back right away, please!" What the what?!?     It scared me, so of course I called her back as soon as I got the message.

She's tested positive for Covid-19. The reason for her calling me was that I knocked on her door two days ago and gave her half a watermelon. Gregg won't eat them, and I can't finish a whole one, so I often will give half to friendly neighbors like her. Since I didn't go in her house (just knocked on the door and handed her the melon) and we talked for less than a minute (with me standing outside) she said she didn't give my name to DHEC for contact tracing since it didn't meet their criteria for it. She says she's run a low grade fever twice but now she feels fine except for a slight cough. She said she was shocked that she tested positive because she's "been so careful!" and despite saying over and over again that she didn't know how she caught it, she finally admitted that one of her grandsons and his wife and kids tested positive, too. They had a cookout for her oldest son's birthday at her house last week. WHAT THE HELL! When will people understand that gatherings of family that you don't live with are dangerous right now?! Covid-19 cases in South Carolina are skyrocketing. We're having 25% increases in the positive cases every single day for two weeks now. My husband's return to work is going to be short lived, I'm afraid.

I'm sure we're not in any danger from my neighbor given how limited our contact was, but it still serves a warning that now's not the time to get complacent. Next time, I'll just keep the whole damn watermelon and throw away what I don't eat! (Or else avoid buying them altogether this summer). And I was just trying to be a good neighbor! Just my luck.

31 comments:

  1. Oh, Jennifer, I do hope this bullet has sailed right over your shoulder. I think about you when I read how much trouble South Carolina is in.
    As for your cake, don't fret. You will be hard pressed to get frosting that flows like the sample, as it probably is fast drying Elmer's Glue. Maybe a little more powdered sugar, but don't fret. It sure tasted good and that's the real test.

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  2. What a shock. I'm sure you'll be OK, but even knowing you've been within a few feet of someone who has the vitus must be very upsetting. I hope both you and your neighbour will be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was going to ask for the pound cake and alfredo recipes; I got one but not the other. I am fussy about the taste of alfredo sauce.

    instead of champagne, try "verdi" an italian sparking wine that is not as dry. spouse and I like it better.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your dinner looks wonderful.
    As for your neighbour I wish she would have just talked to you on the phone.
    I love watermelon and would love to share it with you. With the extra watermelon make a Watermelon Agua Fresca or what we called it Watermelon drink or Watermelon Lemonade. so good on a hot summer day.
    Take care, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm sorry to hear about your neighbor and I sure hope you did not have enough contact with her to get it. That is frightening. Your dinner looks absolutely perfect! You must be an excellent cook! It does sound like your anniversary was wonderful. I have trouble picking out some wines and the last time I asked the clerk for advice I hated the one he suggested!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Eveything about your anniversary sounds lovely - with the exception of your neighbour's news. Like eveyone else here has said, of course I hope the contact you had was too short and the distance too great for the virus to reach you. Maybe next time you want to share a watermelon or anything else with a neighbour, you could simply leave it on their porch for them to collect it after you've left.
    My preferred brand of champagne is Monsigny, sold at a very reasonable price at Aldi's, or Kessler, which is relatively local, coming from Esslingen near Stuttgart.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, man, that IS scary. But I think you're right -- your risk of exposure sounds pretty slim. Fingers crossed! I think your cake looks fabulous. Far better than anything I could make.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great meal you prepared! A lot of work but your time together sounds lovely. Like Joanne, thought of you and Gregg with news of the SC covid stats rising so quickly. Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The cake looks great! Not a champagne drinker here, I think a nice bottle of Louis Jadot Sauvignon Blanc ($15) goes down much better.

    I hope your neighbor gets better. The increased infection rates are being seen in every state that opened early. At last your state is not as bad as Arizona, Florida, or Texas. This is the price they pay fro being Conservative.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well, you've just reminded me why it is still a very bad idea to get too close to my beloveds.
    Dammit, dammit, dammit.
    I sure hope Miss Luella has the lightest case possible and doesn't get any sicker. Poor thing.
    Your anniversary sounds perfect! Aren't we lucky to have sweethearts to quarantine with? And that cake- dang it. Now you've got me thinking about that huge bag of lemons I have...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, belated happy anniversary and I'm not going to comment on your idiot neighbor and her even more idiot extended family for putting an 81-year-old at risk. Oops. I commented.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I too thought it all looks splendid including the cake.

    ReplyDelete
  13. COVID is not the most desirable anniversary gift you could ask for. The meal looked great and I bet it all tasted great too. Well done for going to all that extra trouble. What did Gregg do? I am guessing he arranged that lovely vase of flowers while you were busy in the kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  14. i think it's lovely that you share your watermelon, don't let the virus stop that. Like Meike said, just leave it on the porch

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh what a party pooper Miss Luella is. I do hope she recovers well and that you two stay healthy. We are having an upswing of new cases so the
    Governor has put a hold on opening things up.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Why say it twice? It's annoying enough just once you numbskull! You may not be stupid but your English grammar sucks!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey, you can leave the watermelon on the porch, wouldn't want you to have to eat the whole watermelon :) I hope you are not infected, it sounds like a light contact only. Foolish neighbor to have the family gathering. My champagne tip is one I buy at Trader Joe's if you like a dry champagne, Freixenet, Cordon Negro, Brut, only about $8. Be well!

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