200603 stuffed tarsier cake community adventure

june 3

indre just came in to see me - "picky", the stuffed tarsier has broken his nose. i have admitted him to my "hospital": he will need surgery. i have to find the other half of the nose inside his snout and try and snap the pieces together again. or else attach an artificial nose in wool or cotton. the dolly doctor. (doctor's report: operation successful, was able to re-attach original nose, patient discharged) 

i made a cake for robin's birthday. it shrank a LOT as it cooled. i used a cake mix, because i am not good at cakes. they require exact measuring, at which i'm not good. true, the cake is just the delivery system for the buttercream icing, but it has to be nice and moist. indre and i will make the icing and tamar will ice the cake. she is the professional in this situation. how does she do it without getting chocolate cake crumbs all over the outside of the icing?!

  today was a good day. in the morning i went to valley farms (local strip mall) to pick up my produce box. i had ordered a 25$ family box with extra avocados and asparagus (in season just now). i gave them my order number and they fetched three bags and i paid with a tap of my debit card. there was a "10tation" catering service representative shopping at valley farms, and i said to him, "i am happy to see you shopping here, locally!" (they are situated around norseman and kipling) and he replied that valley farms will do small amounts while the wholesalers require a big order. business is slower he says and he doesn't always need a lot. 

  i also stopped at the 6 points dollar where i know the owner: his children go to school with indre and robin. he stocks an amazing assortment of needed items. tape and scissors, jars and spoons, sanitizer and gloves. everything a dollarama has, all organized somehow into three aisles. he doesn't smile much, but he is helpful and professional. usually his cousin or his wife helps out in the store, but he seems to be the only one now, doing what is safest for his family. he's next door to the vegetable store, and m and m markets is on the other side, where the owner knows my name because it is his wife's name. i was able to order on-line for m and m, and just go and pick it up. very careful they are, too, with plexiglass screens all along the counter and hand sanitizer and gloves for customers.

  after an initial surge of people out and about the week before last, it seems people around here have decided to go slow again: we are back to almost no cars on the side streets and social distancing at any stores where i've seen shoppers. lots of masks too, a lot more than 3 weeks ago even.