Easter is over and hopefully, all traveling is over for me for a while. This is kind of sacrilegious for me to utter, but between all the places I visited in March and April, I’m exhausted.

We went to San Francisco for Lauren’s birthday in March; I’d barely come home when it was time to head to Saint Augustine, to watch Phoenix while A.J. and Justin checked out neighborhoods and schools with Wyatt.

And then, I caught my breathe for a moment before we headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to visit Doug and Heidi- friends who moved there over a year ago. We bookended that trip with stops in Tallahassee, to see Chris, Courtney and Liam and The Villages, where Zeke played golf with Brooks and I caught up with Sharon.

And, we finally got our condo back in Key Largo last weekend. The three months went by quickly and our tenants left the unit in good shape. A glitch occurred with the housekeepers, so I spent the weekend cleaning tubs, toilets and doing laundry. We did get a chance to go out on ‘Bout Time and even saw some (lucky) dolphins. I’m ready to be at home, eating healthy food, getting back into an exercise regime and some kind of a normal schedule.

We came home from San Francisco to find our new neighbor had removed all the landscaping that was on her property. This was expected, but to see the reality of our cleared-out yard was a major jolt. No privacy and, worse, when she pulled up the fence she cut our AT&T cable. So we returned on a Monday to find NO TV, NO INTERNET, NO LAND LINE. A real nice welcome home gift, indeed. And worse yet, it was The Bachelor’s Fantasy Suite night on TV, which I had to miss, and went to bed grumbling and cursing my new neighbor.

Zeke called AT&T and they said they’d be out Thursday (this was Tuesday), so he waited around all morning only to find out they’d meant the FOLLOWING Thursday, which would have left us without cable, TV and Internet for TWO WEEKS!!! Luckily they came and fixed it the next day. The AT&T guy said it looked like someone mutilated the cable- that it was in a thousand shreds.

From my bedroom window one morning, I spotted a guy in the neighbor’s yard, dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks. I ran outside to confront him. I told him how hard it had been as a writer who values peace and quiet, to be living by a noisy construction site for a year and a half. I told him when I first met the owner she told me, our property was on HER property, with no apology for the construction and chaos. I told him our cable had been cut and babbled on in outrage for about five minutes when it occurred to me to ask this guy who he was. He was the landscaper and a very nice guy. He said he’d told his client if they pulled out the fence it would cut our cable, as well as another neighbor’s.

What did she say?

I asked.

Apparently, she didn’t care. What a way to make an entry into a neighborhood! Needless to say, I won’t be dropping off any welcome-to-the-neighborhood Banana Bread to her in the near future.

Upon my return from Alabama, I found little black grasshoppers had decimated the Milkweed plants I’d just planted, leaving limp, bare stumps. Roaming peacocks also made a dent in my herb and vegetable garden and lastly, I discovered weevils had infested my pantry. This led to a major Spring Cleaning Event, tossing rice, pasta and crackers along the way. There isn’t much left.

I then noticed they’d migrated to my Spice Drawer, but honestly it’s hard to tell a weevil from a black sesame seed until they move. Then you know. So now my spice drawer is cleaned out. The culprit there were some spices I’d brought from Bulgaria years ago, so they got pitched. Spices don’t really last over a year. They won’t kill you, but the flavor will be gone, so toss, toss, toss.

It feels good to be home again, even with the grasshoppers, peacocks, weevils and soon-to-be new neighbors.

In sad news, The Last Chance Saloon may be closing as the land was purchased for affordable housing, which is desperately needed in the Keys. This is a bar located right before you get on the Overseas Highway. I always contended that if you need to get a last drink to hold you over the 20-minute stretch to the next bar in Key Largo, you may have a drinking problem, but they do have excellent Bloody Marys.

In even sadder news, iconic Biker Hangout and true Dive Bar Alabama Jacks is closing. Frequented by locals, tourists and bikers alike, this rustic spot on the water was a great place to come, have a drink and listen to some music while on your way to, or from, the Florida Keys. My Dad would bring us there and I remember one time (after my divorce) him scouring the crowd trying to pick out a guy, among the biker dudes, for me to date. This was a joke, of course, but my Dad was all about the “local color” and Alabama Jacks is full of it!

It was featured on Bloodline (for it’s rotten fish tacos that don’t exist on the menu) and Kathie Lee Gifford raved about their Conch Fritters on Regis and Kathie, but I love their Lima Bean Soup– an unexpected find in a seafood restaurant. Mostly, it was a fun atmosphere to eat and drink by the water, although they have seem understaffed lately. I’m not sure if the staffing was the problem and I’m honestly not even positive it’s closing, since I can’t find anything about it online. It was information passed along to me by a Sanctuary neighbor.

But, the point is, we do need to support these South Florida and Miami institutions while they’re still around or they won’t be anymore. On the home front, after visiting a couple houses for sale recently in Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay, we’ve gotten totally discouraged about moving. I didn’t like anything we saw as much as I like my house, and everything is (still) so expensive! So for now, it’s Home Sweet Home (but not in Alabama).

When all else fails, cleaning house is the perfect antidote to most of life’s ills.

Sue Grafton

Coming up in Foodie in Miami: Finally trying to index my recipes, Whipped Feta Dip, Grilled Lamb Chops with Gorgonzola Butter and Easy Roasted Asparagus.

Was the turkey moist? Was the stuffing delectable? Did the pies dazzle and delight?

Yes, yes and yes on my part. Although getting a hot meal out on plates for 14 people isn’t an easy task, so as people sat down, grace was said, in rounds. Two of the couples at our meal had to go to another Thanksgiving dinner, at other houses.

When Zeke and I were first married, we did the two Thanksgiving meal marathon. The problem is you’re eating the same exact meal- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pies- twice. The only variety is the question of the green side- green beans, brussel sprouts or (God forbid) salad. Salad is never a good idea at Thanksgiving as there are too many other yummy things to eat. At any rate, after that first back-to-back day of duplicate meals, I put the kabosh on two Thanksgiving meals in one day.

Zeke’s Dad used to serve champagne and heavy hors d’Oeuvres at Thanksgiving. I’m against heavy appetizers, since there’s so much food awaiting. My Mom always had a vegetable plate for Thanksgiving, with those black olives out of the can that taste like band-aids, so I asked her to bring that and her famous Deviled Eggs, which got wiped out. The pies were Pumpkin and Pecan and my sister Elise baked a Yellow Cake with chocolate frosting for my birthday.

I got my Empower Farms delivery last week. Normally I would be delighted to get a basket of unusual vegetable goodies, but on the week of Thanksgiving? It’s like those cooking shows where they throw you a curve ball at the last minute and you have to incorporate it into your game plan.

I got starfruit (which I don’t need because I have an overloaded tree), zucchini, plantains, papaya, yuca, okra and a small pumpkin. The pumpkin looked as if it needed to be used, so I took off the top, took out the seeds and sliced it into rings for later use. I don’t like papayas, so gave them away. Yuca and plantains scream Cuban Food, so Zeke picked up bone-in Pork Chops to go with my Cuban meal on Monday.

I’ve never cooked yuca before. I peeled it, chopped it, boiled it and served it with an olive oil, garlic and lemon dressing. I sauteed the plantains in oil and made black beans and rice as another side. Zeke seasoned the Pork Chops with a spicy Coffee Ancho Chile rub and grilled them. They were delicious!

It’s a pretty good Cuban meal for two gringos.

he said.

And it was, but I needed to start cooking and prepping for Turkey Day, so my next two meals may go down as the worst in my personal history. Tuesday I ate Fried Okra and Cinnamon Ice Cream for dinner. The only way I know how to make okra is by frying it and I’d made the cinnamon ice cream to go with the pies for Thanksgiving. The ice cream, from The Perfect Scoop, is made by steeping broken cinnamon sticks in the cream mixture; it was creamy, spicy and delicious.

I may have topped that meal with my meal the next night, which was Lays Potato Chips with French Onion Dip at Riviera for dinner and some pre-Thanksgiving Stuffing for dessert.

After Thanksgiving, I wanted to breathe a huge sigh of relief, but there was no time as I had to head down to the Keys with Wyatt to visit the Turtle Hospital on my birthday. After a meal of Turkey Sandwiches on Hawaiian Rolls (yum!) we headed to Marathon. The Turtle Hospital tour was very informative and we learned the many ways sea turtles can get injured out in the water. We also got to see some turtles in tanks and feed them.

After our tour, was a quick drink at the chickee hut for sunset and on to Di Giorgio‘s Cafe, an Italian restaurant in Key Largo, where I got a free Birthday Meal. Wyatt loved his Shirley Temple with extra cherries and his Spaghetti with Meatballs. The next day I was to meet A.J. at her new place of employ- Patch of Heaven Sanctuary– for lunch and a tour.

Wyatt and I crammed a day of activities into a half a day on Saturday. First, breakfast at Waffle House (Wyatt’s suggestion), a little tennis, some paddle boarding and then swimming in the pool. And then, off to Homestead to meet A.J. and Phoenix. We had lunch and a tour of Patch of Heaven, which is a lush, zen, tropical oasis. It was a lovely day. I kissed them goodbye and then drove back to the Keys, exhausted.

Sunday, Zeke and I took the boat out for a spin. We were trying to find Ocean Reef, where we got married. We didn’t find it, but did almost run aground. We ended up at Alabama Jacks for lunch. The food was good (Lima Bean Soup and Shrimp Egg Rolls) but our server had a major attitude. Good service can make mediocre food tolerable and make good food leave a bad taste in your mouth.

So, the last piece of pecan pie has been eaten, the last bit of stuffing put into my Turkey Soup. Thanksgiving is over, December is upon us and that mad dash to the finish line of the Holidays and a New Year.

This year I hope to remember to do things that keep me sane; things I often get too busy to do during the Holidays. These are activities Steven Covey labeled: “Important but not Urgent” in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. These things don’t necessarily keep your little world spinning, but if you don’t do them, you might stop spinning yourself.

For me these are: getting a good night’s sleep, exercising, meditating, eating healthy foods and journaling. I’m sure you have your own list. You do you and whatever keeps you sane this Holiday Season. Ho ho ho!

Up Next: My Mom’s Famous Deviled Eggs

My friend Katy texted me last week: “Is this the end of civilization? 2020 is the worst.” But she actually has enjoyed being able to spend time with her only daughter Chelsea, who works at a ritzy hotel in Manhattan. She’s been home in Orlando for a while since her hotel’s not re-opening until September; I can’t imagine another scenario where that would happen. Katy works at Disney, which is re-opening July 11th. I asked A.J. if she wanted to take Wyatt to Disney (we were supposed to go in April) but she said no, she wants to wait. I get it. Universal and Sea World are opening next month as well.

While my sister Elise, who’s a nurse for an OB doctor, said to her practice, which has cut back hours: “Don’t worry, in nine months we’ll be overrun with new patients!”, expecting a baby boom from people sheltering at home, this may not be true. Studies show 60% of people aren’t having sex on a weekly basis in lockdown. While, this is understandable, (especially if you’re home alone) even masturbation is down. Apparently the stress, anxiety and instability of this current situation is not sexy. I have to say that the plague, impending sickness and possible death surrounding the coronavirus, certainly doesn’t put me “in the mood”.

In other news: I got a new laptop. Not that I was planning on it, but that “liquid” I spilled on it late one night essentially destroyed it. My old one, a MacBook Pro, is nowhere to be found in the Pandemic (with everyone needing one for work/school etc..) so I switched to a MacBook Air. I’m still figuring out how to use it, including uploading photos, etc… There is a learning curve. I would go the Apple store for guidance, but of course they are closed.

On the Homefront: Zeke’s gone back to work full time (yippee!) and has graduated from Virtual Zoom Happy Hours, to regular Happy Hour at Riviera, which is now re-opened. Emma and Lauren took Eloise to the vet and discovered she actually had a medical condition, which may have caused the uncontrolled peeing. A roofer is supposed to fix one part of our leaking roof this week, if it ever stops raining. In rodent news, the rat has not been spotted lately, as far as I know. I’m not completely sure as I escaped to hunker down in the Keys. Can you blame me?

Emma (youngest) is getting her own apartment this month and is going to take on-line classes this summer at Miami-Dade before she goes to nursing school. Lauren, who also got into NYU Law School last week (#1 Tax Law in the US) finally decided on Georgetown in D.C. to attend in the Fall. Hurray! She left to visit her boyfriend in California for a month. So we almost have an empty nest. Not including the peeing cat, rogue rat and middle child.

Wyatt graduated from his three year old class last week. They had a drive-by ceremony at one of the parent’s house, with kids in cars, teachers attending, and there were little gifts for the graduates. Wyatt took a photo with one of his buddies, six feet apart. I guess 2020 is a year all graduates will remember, for better or worse. He is now bugging me for a mini-trampoline as a graduation gift. Since when did we get gifts for a three-year-old class graduation? Of course, I probably will break down and get it.

I had Wyatt Tuesday night and made pasta (his favorite meal), a green salad and focaccia. Zeke and I had watched Fat, Salt, Acid, Heat on Netflix and the author made focaccia in Italy. It looked delicious, so I gave it a try from a Frugal Gourmet recipe I made years ago. It’s pretty easy, essentially a pizza dough you spread flat and add toppings to. It’s made with yeast, which is about a hundred times easier than sour dough starter; I now know why yeast has been flying off the shelves and is impossible to find. I found a whole box of yeast at the Kmart in Key Largo and felt like I’d hit the lotto!

We had Emma’s birthday dinner at Riviera Country Club, her choice. It was a positive experience and felt very safe, especially since the dining room was basically empty. We wore masks to our table, the servers wore masks. I’m not sure how restaurants are doing now that they’re reopened in Miami, but when I walked through South Miami last week, the restaurants looked dead. Zeke and I went out for meals twice in the Keys this weekend. Saturday we went to Lorelie for drinks and an appetizer. They make a decent margarita and we had seared tuna and fish dip. We sat at a table outside on the deck, by the water.

On Sunday, some friends at the Sanctuary invited us out on their boat. What a treat to be out on the bay on a beautiful day! It re-lit Zeke’s desire to get a boat.(Not that it ever really went away.) We motored to local institution Alabama Jacks, docked and stepped out onto the wood deck. An older lady with a black mask greeted us saying,:

There’s a line out front you folks need to wait in. It’s probably an hour wait and once you get seated, we only have three waitresses, so who knows when you’ll get any food.

Our Welcoming Alabama Jacks Hostess

As she left, a guy sitting at the bar said: “And That’s the Hostess.” We accessed the situation- Alabama Jacks was packed with bikers and apparently, people who hadn’t been out of the house in ages and were desperate for a drink and some greasy conch fritters. We grabbed some beers to go and hightailed it to Gilberts. I think the reason it’s so crowded at Alabama Jacks is that you don’t need to go through the Key’s checkpoint to go there. The checkpoint ended last Monday, June 1st.

Miami Spice is starting two months early! Miami Spice began June 1st, instead of the normal August 1st, as an incentive to get diners into local restaurants. Eighty-eight restaurants are participating, down from the 200+ who normally participate. Since restaurants are only allowed 50% capacity, their margins of profit are already very low, so many restaurants don’t feel able to participate and make any money. Ironically, Miami Spice started as a way to get diners out to Miami restaurants after 9/11. I will definitely be checking out some restaurants for Miami Spice. Lunch is $25, Dinner is $39.

Another positive that’s come from the Coronavirus Pandemic, is the way people have met the challenge of working from home with creativity and enthusiasm. From parents thinking up fun ways to Homeschool, to teachers having to educate via Zoom (Quaranteachers), to the beautiful designs mask makers have come up with, I’m wowed by people’s imaginations. And Zoom has been invaluable for just about everything that used to be face-to-face: Court sessions, Therapy sessions, Happy Hours, Board Meetings, Presentations and Education of all sorts.

My daughter A.J. was going to do a succulent workshop for Mother’s Day in person, but revised it to a Zoom workshop. Participants got a beautiful box containing all the materials needed and the log in information to the Zoom workshop on the Monday after Mother’s Day. It was so much fun making the succulent terrarium, with the step by step instructions Ashley gave and seeing the fellow workshoppers (including my Mom and sister Kelley) on Zoom. Like many businesses, I think it’s something Ashley Jordan Events will incorporate into future endeavors.

Zeke and I like to watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri (Triple D to those in the know), but lately he’s been getting take-out meal kits from different restaurants he visited in past shows and making their dishes on air. It’s not the same as his regular show, but it’s cool, different and fun. Musicians (like Bon Jovi) have been performing songs, sometimes alone, sometimes with others, actors, like Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame have been reading chapters from books, O Miami Poetry went virtual this year and there have been virtual tours of parks, beaches and museums (like Viscaya). While I can’t travel, I’m certainly getting ideas for traveling, which will make it all the more enjoyable when I can finally hit the road.

As far as restaurants around the country go, according to an article in Bon Appetit, if only the deep-pocketed restaurants reopen, this may reshape the country’s dining scene, in “devastating and homogenizing ways.” One of my Book Club ladies owns a couple chain restaurants and the PPP has become a problem for her, as well as many restaurant owners. According to the PPP, you need to re-hire back your full staff by the end of June. How is this possible when the restaurant can only open at 50% capacity? Adding to this problem, is most restaurant workers are paid low wages, so many people are better off taking unemployment and the $600 a week offered by the government until the end of July. Why would they want to show up at work, only to get paid less and possibly be risking their health and well being?

The restaurant my friend owns are located in Malls. And the last time we met and talked about it, she was unsure if she would re-open.

How do we know what dining is going to look like after this is over? Will people still be even going to Malls anymore?

she asked.

Of course, no one knows the answer. Most doctors are recommending not going to restaurants at this time, especially if you linger there for hours or can’t social distance. As for me, I will assess the risk, support restaurants that feel safe to me and tip well, because these servers are putting their lives on the line for us diners.

Another article I read is about how Canada is reopening, with “double bubbles”, a technique of social distancing that they borrowed from New Zealand, which has virtually eliminated coronavirus cases there. They’ve been experimenting with this practice for more than two weeks (the amount of time it takes coronavirus to appear) and the cases of COVID-19 have gone down. The double-bubble approach should only be tried in cities where community transmission is low and cases are decreasing.

The theory is that one family picks two other families that you feel safe with and socialize only with them. That way if someone (God forbid) comes down with coronavirus, the exposure is low. Of course, you should pick families that are wearing masks when out, practicing good hygiene (wash your hands) and limiting their outside exposure.

“The hope is that doubling the family bubble will reduce isolation and it’s toll on mental health. This is meant to be an intermediate step before opening up further.”

Vox, Sigal Samuel, June 2, 2020

So, if you’re not ready to jump into the coronavirus-filled pool that is Miami right now, you might try “double bubbling”. I realize we’ve already done it with a few couples we feel safe with and, so far, so good. Like Babs sang, “People who need people.” Apparently, we’re the luckiest people in the world. And so, fellow hunker downers, welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.

“Time is on my side, yes it is.”

Rolling Stones