March 2021: Month in Review
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| Painting above: Vanquished (c.1930) by Emily Carr |
March Excursion: Twilight Drive-In Theatre
Over the course of the pandemic, my risk-tolerance has been quite low. For me this has meant no going to bars, restaurants, the mall, movie theatres, etc. When we heard the Twilight Drive-In in Langley* was opening up for Spring break, we were so there. Despite having lived in the lower mainland and metro Vancouver my entire life, I had never been! It was a great experience, and honestly the perfect pandemic outing.
We could literally watch a movie on the big screen, all from the socially-distanced safety of our own car. No one else's talking, cell phone use, etc, distracted us. We had bags full of snacks that we didn't have to sneak in. It rained while we were there, so we simply turned on the wipers a few times.
My suggestions - make sure you bring a blanket - you don't want to idle your car and it can get cold in the evening. Also, consider bringing a towel to wipe down foggy windows if you go during a rainy night (leaving windows open might not be as much of an option on such nights, etc).
We saw Clueless, and I can't believe I didn't know this all this time that it was made by women! Writing, Directing, Editing, music supervision, and costume design credits all go to women, woohoo!
Most-liked Chore: Discovery of Foreign Thong In the Laundry Room
Okay, technically the most-liked chore was getting the dryer vents cleaned because of a small scandal it caused in our household.
At the beginning of the month we were notified that there would be a dryer vent-cleaning service coming around to all the suites. I was quite relieved, we were warned this was a good fire-prevention chore one Must Do at least once annually. I had been watching videos online of how to do it and fretting, and then lo and behold the strata arranged it.
We prepared by cleaning our laundry room and moving everything out of the way for the technician to access the vent.
On the day of he was in and out, quick as a flash, leaving us with one newly-cleaned dryer vent. Phil put the dryer fully back where it was, and I didn't go into laundry room til later that evening. Upon entering, I noticed a bright turquoise ball of fabric on the floor, covered in a dust bunny.
I leaned down, frowning, here is what my thought process was.
Weird, what is that.
Is that a THONG? That's not my thong...
(yelling) PHIL THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE'S THONG IN OUR HOUSE
(Phil comes running) What??
OMG, it must have been the previous owner's...came out of the dryer all balled up and got lost under the dryer and remained undiscovered til the dryer was moved today.
We both giggled wildly about this. Like everyone else, we are pretty bored and minor things like finding a stranger's (clean) underwear in your house is extremely entertaining.
We safely disposed of it after grabbing with a paper towel.
And that is the tale of how we discovered a random thong in the house.
Least-liked Chore: Unclogging Drains filled with my hair
TMI? Yea probably. I'll keep it brief - long hair don't care everywhere. Every 3 months or so somehow all of our drains (even the sinks and kithcen sink) slow way down and inevitable it's my hair clogging them.
Even though I carefully brush my hair and immediately dispose of the fallen ones into the garbage.
Even though my hair is up for a decent portion of every day. It never ends.
Yes I know I could cut my hair. But I don't want to, and choose instead to go through a gross unclogging routine every quarter or so.
March Recipes
March sees the start of my seasonal allergies! I manage mine with stuff from the drugstore, and in recent years I have also found nettle leaf tea (stinging nettle leaf tea, that is) soothing on days when taking an allergy pill isn't enough. You can get nettle leaf and tea from Finlandia in Vancouver, and in New West I know they have it at City Market. I'm pretty sure Donald's markets in Vancouver have it as well for a reasonable price, and I would hazard a guess that most health food stores have it. As for flavour - it's neither good nor bad, I think it's kinda grassy or bland.
Other than that, I confess that I've been feeling rather uninspired for recipes this month. For ease, I have been turning to recipes I can nearly make in my sleep. This includes Schwarties Hash Browns and Broccoli and Cauliflower casserole, which rely on ye old can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
When ordering in (we're still not going to restaurants or bars), we have been trying to go for restaurants that are part of the Rediscover New West campaign. This has been quite fun, and we've enjoyed trying new restaurants while supporting local businesses.
March Quote
There is a wild and piercing sweetness in celebrating life after a long sorrow; all of us felt it that night. Spring is ever a time of renewal, and it seemed to fit, after so long, to rediscover pure, unalloyed happiness.
from Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
*Langley is the unceded traditional territories of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations.
