The Joy of Leaving the House

Russ and I are now at the point that we fight over going to the grocery store just for bananas. Each of us is wanting the excuse to leave the house. Russ works more than 12 hours a day so when he asks if he can go, I just let him. How can I say, “Stay in Carter’s old nursery turned home office another hour.” ?

After Christmas Russ joined the Loaf bread club. Loaf is our bread bakery downtown. It is the only place we get bread from. When Russ used to go to the office it was easy, since it is three blocks from his office. Now one of has to make a trip on purpose. No one is complaining.

I am not sure how many weeks this bread club is lasting, but so far it has been great. We get an email on Monday night telling us what the loaf will be and the treat that goes with it. Last week if was a marbled rye that was more rye than marbles, but truly fantastic. This week it is a special Italian bread called Pane Altamura, fashioned after one from the Italian city of Bari on the Adriatic coast.

I drove downtown late morning and the sun was shining. It was such a treat to be out and for it not to be raining. I didn’t even have a coat on and I was perfectly happy.

This warm and sunny day and a place to go seems like such a gift. I was practically giddy getting to talk through my double masks to the baker, telling her how much we liked the rye loaf.

As I think forward a few months to a time when we, and therefore most people around us, have received the vaccine I hope that I can remember these days when just a trip to the bakery makes me so happy. I hope that I will appreciate all that I have learned by being mostly home non-stop. I know that having Russ home all the time is the only way we have have a loaf of bread a week in the house. We are going to have to go back to two loaves a month when he leaves the nursery office.