“Remoted” – Workday Twenty-Nine – Wednesday

Today was cold out! It started in the 30s and got all the way up into the 40s. Plus it was windy. Every time Moose and Winston went out was a frosty adventure. The dogs were decked out in sweaters and I had on three layers including a skiing base layer and a cashmere sweater and was still cold. Sure, I could have controlled my environment and kicked up the thermostat a bit and/or changed the programming from the usual “drop to 60 degrees from 8am to 5pm,” but that requires pulling out the manual every single time due to my failure to study an engineering program. Besides, I’m trying to retain as much of the “at work” office feel as possible and a key component of that is freezing all day, every day, all year. The wardrobe layering strategy for winter is three to four layers, and for summer it’s two to three. Thank goodness for jackets and cardigans. And shawls and lap blankets, which, unfortunately, are back at the office in the drawer with 12 pairs of my shoes (don’t ask).

It was clearly the perfect day for a hot lunch, so the remainder of some weird soup from the other day was the star of the menu. The soup is designated as weird because I used purple cabbage, which turned the broth an odd, sort of unappetizing color, in addition to also turning the potatoes purple. Today’s serving was tweaked and color corrected with the usual enhancement to whatever soup is in play. Some sauteed fresh onions and carrots, plus frozen mixed vegetables, and some water helped a lot. If I ran out of onions, it’s possible my entire kitchen empire would collapse. Onions go into practically everything. Half the time, I’m sauteing onions and haven’t decided what the actual dinner is. Luckily, my produce box seems to always contain onions. Or maybe it’s because my produce box always contains onions. Hmmmmm.

Plotting my murder? Canine mind control?

As the work day was winding down, one of the canine overlords engaged in an activity that sent me into flashbacks of some bullying received in junior high. Moose stood like a statue near his bed and stared at me for a solid 15 minutes. It could have been longer, it just happened that I was aware of it for 15 minutes. It reminded me of seventh grade when a ninth grader spent most of the school year glaring at me in the hallway and across any open spaces, looking like she was plotting my murder. I avoided an entire block of Milk Street to not have to walk past her house. 

Grilled PB&J!

After shaking off the PTSD from the staring episode, the flashback trend continued with the resurrection of an old favorite for supper – grilled PB&J. My sister introduced me to this delicacy when I was in college, she was in high school, and we both still lived at home. I thought she was completely deranged when she told me about it, and then she made me one. Sold! It’s delicious, and there is the added potential danger of burning your face off with the hot peanut butter and scalding jelly. Adventure can take many forms. So can comfort food.