My house is getting really organized. I bought two drawer organizers for my kitchen drawers and organized my kitchen “junk drawer”. All my drawers had kind of turned into “junk” drawers, now they are neat and tidy. I ordered some grey velvet hangers from Amazon and am slowly phasing out the ugly plastic white ones, for the skinnier, more elegant grey ones in my bedroom closet.

I’ve begun weeding and pruning around the yard, a little bit every day. We had a gentleman named Peter come by yesterday and repair our coral rock wall, that had been damaged by a gumbo limbo tree. He also repaired another part of the wall that had started crumbling. Zeke’s been raking leaves every morning, after he comes home (earlier and earlier it seems) from work.

“Look how great our yard looks!” he proclaimed proudly, one day last week.

“But there’s no one here to see it,” I said, sadly.

It’s kind of ironic when our house and yard look so good that we can’t have anyone over, but as a friend pointed out, we are here to see it and enjoy it. And when would we ever have the kind of time for all these cleaning and organizing projects? I still have many more things to do on my to-do list, so much I think I would panic if the stay-at-home orders are relaxed. Of course, that would be a good problem to have.

The highlight of my week was definitely getting to see and babysit my grandson Wyatt. His Dad got food poisoning and was unable to watch him Tuesday, so Gigi stepped in to babysit so his Mom could work. He rode his bike and I walked beside him, as we went to see the stuffed animals on 76 street.

My daughter A.J. was organizing an event for Women Who Rock, benefitting Lotus Children, children with Autism who are staying at Lotus House. The event, Denim and Diamonds, was Friday night and the rehearsal was Wednesday night, which is why I was baby-sitting.

Another milestone, I finally got out of my yoga clothes and wore a dress twice this week. The first was for a Zoom meeting for the Coral Gables Community Foundation. We discussed what the foundation is doing to help the community- distributing meals with Threefold Cafe to workers and their families in the Gables who have lost their jobs- and other topics. It was nice to see everyone (even through the computer), but I have to say there was a weird vibe to the meeting. Serious and the unpredictablity and uncertainty of the future weighed heavily on all of us.

The chair of the Gala, which was to be “La Vie en Rose”, a Paris-themed gala at the Biltmore Hotel, poo-pooed the idea that the gala would not go on in October. But the rest of us were silent, because really, who knows?

Things that we’ve lost.

And it dawned on me around the same time, that there will more than likely be no UM football games to attend this Fall. My husband and I are season ticket holders and really look forward to going to the games and tailgating with friends and family. Now, that doesn’t seem likely; and that makes me really sad. Going to UM football games and supporting the ‘Canes is part of what makes us, us.

Also, my Pinecrest Garden Club, which meets the second Tuesday of the month in the Hibiscus Room of Pinecrest Gardens, doesn’t seem likely to reconvene in September. Many of our members are elderly and we normally have around seventy people crammed into the room, eating, drinking and chatting in close knit groups, all things that don’t seem advisable until a vaccine is available. I’ve been sending photo cards to the members with a quote from Emily Dickinson, as a way to keep in touch.

So, the second time I donned a dress was Friday night for the Denim and Diamonds fundraiser my daughter was the event planner for. I put on a denim dress and my diamond earrings for the occasion. No one saw me but my familia, but that’s ok. The event was held on Facebook Live and many people joined in the fun, via Zoom. My nephews, Mike and James Gerrard, played their guitars from their living room and sang two songs; I was also able to see my sister Elise watching with her boyfriend. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, check out TheLotusChildren.org.

Dinners this week consisted of a Vegetable Lasagna on Sunday (with bread, roasted garlic and salad). The inspiration came from a lasagna I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was made with one layer red sauce, then lasagna noodles, one layer of ricotta and spinach, then noodles, one layer of pureed sweet potatoes, then noodles and another layer of ricotta and spinach, and topped with mozzarella and parmesan. Since it made a lot, I shared some with my sisters Kelley and Elise and my neighbor Maggie.

One day, we just ate leftovers, Thursday we had Chicken and Vegetable Tikka Masala my sister Elise made, which I served with white rice. Friday, I had Wyatt, so we just had pasta. My enthusiasm for cooking interesting meals is waning. I made two pizzas on Saturday, made with a two-ingredient Pizza Dough that doesn’t require any yeast. Yeast has been a hot commodity in the pandemic.

Our take-out this week was from Root and Bone in South Miami. The Family Supper consisted of one fried chicken, biscuits, Mac and Cheese, coleslaw and corn for $40. It was all delicious and pick-up was curbside and easy. I also ordered Ribs, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato croquettes and a watermelon salad, all yummy, although the salad was a little wilted. I highly recommend Root and Bone‘s Family Supper. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

You know how they always ask chefs what their last meal would be? I asked Lauren and Zeke last night, where the first place they would want to eat when restaurants open again. Lauren said Hillstone, where she likes to meet a friend to get the Spinach Artichoke Dip and get a glass of wine. Zeke said Capital Grille to get a dry aged steak, with sides and a nice bottle of wine. He really is a meat and potatoes guy. I think I would like a nice seafood dinner, somewhere in the Keys, on the water. With music and the perfect margarita.

We finished two puzzles this week (well, it was really Zeke) and watching McMillions. We liked McMillions, but it’s no Tiger King. We also started watching a corny show- Listen to Your Heart on ABC, part of the Bachelor franchise, to sate our Monday night Bachelor withdrawals. I finished reading the book for my Book Club, Blood, Bones & Butter. It’s written by Gabrielle Hamilton, the chef and owner of a popular Soho restaurant named Prune. She wrote an article about closing her restaurant in the pandemic and what the future holds for Prune. Read about it (or listen to it on the Daily) at www.nytimes.com>closing-prune-restaurant-covid.

Emma just took her last exam and is set to graduate from F.S.U. this Saturday; Lauren’s in the middle of finals online at UM Law School. Other good news: our tenants in our Keys condo are finally leaving! They stayed an extra month, due to the pandemic and we’ve been dying to go down to our “little slice” of paradise.

Zeke and I are doing well. We’ve gotten into a pretty good system. He cleans the kitchen, I do the laundry. He cooks one night a week, we get take-out one night and I cook the other five. It’s starting to get a little dangerous though, because he’s getting used to this situation (me as hausfrau) and likes the fact we’re saving money by eating in and not having a housekeeper. He said:

“I like the way you fold the laundry. I don’t think we even need Isa anymore.”

Ugh, yes we do! My housekeeper texted me last week. I was hoping it was to tell me she was coming back, but she was just checking in. Hopefully, when restrictions loosen up, she will back at our house.

When Zeke and I first started walking together, we talked about which of the kids we thought would disregard the social distancing rules, and come home and give us the dreaded coronavirus. We had different theories of who the most likely suspect would be. Living in the pandemic is like being in an Agatha Christie murder mystery, where we sit around the living room and look at each other suspiciously. Emma has even turned the tables on us and said: “How do we know where you guys have been? You’re probably going to give it to us.” And every time someone goes to the grocery store (I’m still Instacarting), my heart drops. Twenty-four Publix grocery stores have employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

One thing about being in such close quarters with your spouse are the smells. Normally, we aren’t together 24/7, but now that we are… I had a friend who insisted separate bathrooms were the key to a happy marriage; I now know what’s she’s talking about. I now also know one month is the amount of time it takes for a toilet ring to develop. And Zeke has this habit of taking his socks off, and leaving them wherever he happens to be that is really starting to get on my nerves.

I saw a meme with a husband and wife on the couch where she says: “You’re breathing too hard” and I get it. It especially bothers me when he comes into the family room after dinner, with a glass full of ice cream and I hear the clink, clink, clink of the spoon hitting the glass. For some reason, it reminds me of my ex-husband and really bugs the s**t out of me. He knows this and persists on doing it. I just have to leave the room. Deep breaths.

And, even with all the ice-cream eating and wine drinking, Zeke’s lost seven pounds. Another reason to want to kill him.

On the day we had Wyatt, he biked, swam, took a bath, ate dinner and was still up around 9, with no nap. He was exhausted, but refused to sleep. I gave him apple juice and milk (his drink of choice) in his sippy cup, let him watch one of “his shows”,(which are inane) but then turned on ours (McMillions) and he was furious. He started crying. I told him he could either watch our show or go to bed.

“I don’t ever want to be in this family ever again!” he said.

I feel you baby, but our family is all we’ve got right now. We may even eye each other suspiciously, but at the end of the day, we all go to bed under one roof. Luckily, after his outburst, he promptly went to sleep.

So, here’s the Two Ingredient Pizza Dough from the Food Network. One of the ingredients is Greek Yogurt. The recipe called for full fat, but I only had 2% and it turned out fine. I made one with Fig Jam, carmelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese, the other with marinara sauce, mozzarella, basil and parmesan cheese. These were all things I had in the fridge. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use an upside down cookie sheet. The hardest part of this recipe, is you have to knead the dough for eight minutes, but I find it’s good therapy and we can all use some therapy right now.

Two-Ingredient Pizza Dough Food Network Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• Pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella, for topping

Directions:

• 1 Put a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• 2 Put the flour and yogurt in a large bowl and mix with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. (The dough may appear dry and crumbly at first, but it will come together as you mix it.) Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic, about 8 minutes, dusting with more flour if neccessary. If the dough feels too dry, add water, a tablespoon at a time and continue kneading until it is soft and pliable. Divide the dough in half, roll into balls and then use a rolling pin to roll out into two 10-inch pizzas. Dust the back of another inverted baking sheet or pizza stone with more flour and place a circle of dough on top.
• 3 Top the dough round with sauce and shredded cheese as desired, leaving a half-inch bare border around the edge. Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet, top as desired and put the sheet in the oven to bake. Cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a large spatula, transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let sit 5 minutes.

We are all human beings. We all have a role to play and together is the only way we will make it out the other side. Be kind, be present, be well.

Micheal Beltrane, chef at Ariete, Taurus. Chugs

Up next: Fun Kitchen projects and How to Shop Safely at the Grocery Store

I consider the beginning of this strange, trapped-at-home situation to be the Monday before the state of Florida shut down all the restaurants (March 16th), because that’s when s**t really started hitting the fan. This week has been called the “Pearl Harbor” of our generation by the U.S. surgeon general, for the escalating amounts of coronavirus deaths anticipated and the lack of critical equipment available to some states.

Sobering news, for sure. It’s such a strange and unprecedented time, I have decided to give myself some kind of structure in my life as a way to not go crazy. So, besides the different themes for dinner each night, I will do laundry on Monday, clean the bathrooms on Tuesday, InstaCart shop on Wednesday, etc… The more structure I can self-impose on myself, the more in control and less helpless I feel. When I wake up in the morning, I make my bed and get dressed; these simple tasks make life seem more normal.

I always thought it would have been interesting to have lived during World War II. Besides the fact that I love the clothes, music, movies and cars of the era, it must have been an empowering and communal experience to rally round the flag to defeat a common enemy.

But this pandemic is different. The enemy is invisible, for one thing. Facts we always considered true, like: “get some fresh air” are now false. More like don’t breathe in while passing another human being. And even the ultimate comfort of gathering together to talk, hold hands, listen to music, eat dinner, hug or just hang out, is forbidden, and deemed dangerous. The danger isn’t a mustached Hitler hiling, the enemy is us, our fellow man- friends and family included.

So, I don’t imagine it feels the same dealing with this pandemic as it did living through World War II. There are shortages, like there were then, so home cooks are starting to get creative. Gardens, especially those bearing food to eat, are popular, like the Victory gardens of the forties. But I haven’t experienced that feeling of goodwill and “were all in this together” as I imagine would’ve been prevalent back then. Besides the fact the bear I put out for a kid’s Bear Hunt got stolen, when I pass people in the street (6 feet apart) the most palpable emotion I feel is fear. It’s hard to be magnanimous when you’re afraid for your life, when you look at each person you pass with suspicion. “Do you have it?” I wonder.

Women also pitched it during WWII and made a real effort to support our troops and take over in factories for the men serving in the armed forces. I’ve been wanting to help, but mostly what seems to be needed is people sewing fabric masks and I don’t sew.

I did volunteer to help serve meals to unemployed workers and the their children at a restaurant called Someone’s Son, through the Coral Gables Community Foundation, but my sister Kelley read me the riot act and begged me not to do it.

“Even with a mask?” I asked.

“Yes, even with a mask,” she said. “You’re going to be around a lot of people.”

Since she used to run a nursing home and now owns a pharmacy, I figure she knows what she’s talking about. We now have masks stationed by the front door, to go along with the gloves and hand sanitizer that was already there.

Now, in a total reversal of the original advice, the CDC does recommend wearing a mask while out in public. This is not so much to prevent you from getting sick from others, but to prevent spreading the virus if YOU are sick. Many people with coronavirus are asymptomatic and can spread the virus unwittingly. Others who get it can be contagious up to 14 days before coming down with it. I got a video today on a group chat about how the Czech Republic significantly slowed down the spread of the coronavirus, as compared to other countries. The one thing they did differently? Wore masks when they left the house.

So everything is changing on a daily basis, which inflicts panic and fear. I’m writing, reading and cooking a lot, lifting free weights, gardening and saying Novenas for my family. A journalism student from UF is coming tomorrow to interview me about my garden, after seeing photos I posted on Facebook. Zeke and I are still taking walks, but trying to vary our routes to change it up and stay away from crowded streets. And we’ve been noticing a lot of piles of junk in the swale in front of houses. Apparently, people are taking this unintended break as an opportunity to Spring clean their houses and garage.

My themed dinners this week went well.

Zeke and I were the only ones who showed up for Meatless Monday. The Curried Lentils with Kale (a Linda Gassenheimer recipe) http://www.dinnerinminutes.com was served over jasmine rice with an avocado salad. It was delicious- even Zeke liked it (I did give him some chicken to go with it). I put a homemade Middle Eastern hot sauce on it that gave it I nice kick. I love the one at Daily Bread, so made my own with jalapeño peppers I’d frozen, garlic, cilantro and olive oil. I’m on a bit of a homemade kick and also made homemade ricotta (an Ina recipe) that was SO easy and much more delicious than store bought. I spread it into my baked Ziti last Sunday and on the Date Nut Bread I made last week.

Since the chef needed a break, we ordered Flannigan’s take-out on Tuesday. The week before it was buy one, get one free rack of ribs, but this Tuesday it was buy one, get one free chicken wings. Zeke picked them up curbside, but being pandemic paranoid (aren’t we all?) didn’t check it. They messed up the order- fries instead of dirty rice and no coleslaw. Verdict: the ribs were good but the wings smallish and kind of dried out. I won’t be racing back to Flannigan’s for take-out.

Thursday the mystery meal was Chicken Quesadillas made by Emma and Lauren. They were served with yellow rice and refried beans; it was nice to not have to cook! For Fishy Friday I marinated shrimp in a delicious cilantro lime dressing, that also served as the dressing for my romaine, grilled corn and cherry tomato salad. The recipe came for the Serve it Up! cookbook I helped work on as an Autism fundraiser for the tennis community. Zeke grilled the shrimp and some cherry tomatoes on a skewer, as we sat outside, drank wine and listened to Bob Marley tunes. It almost seemed normal!

I had a Virtual Happy Hour with my Corona Virus Go Away text group on Friday at 5:30 pm on Zoom. It was great to see and hear everyone, although we did have some technical difficulties. Two of our six participants were away from Miami, so we got a peek into the landscape where they’re bunkered down for the pandemic. We cheered with our individual drinks and talked about how it’s been going. When the talk turned to toilet paper- favorite kinds, where to get it, how much we had- someone noted “This is a sad happy hour.” Sort of a contradiction, but a sad Happy Hour is better than no Happy Hour at all.

The winner of best dinner this week goes to the grilled TriTip steak we ate Saturday night. If you’ve never tried TriTip, it’s an economical and delicious cut, kind of like a brisket (according to Zeke), so it tends to be a little chewy but has a lot of flavor. We rubbed it with Santa Maria Seasoning, grilled it, let it rest and served it with mushrooms sautéed in red wine, boiled potatoes with dill, truffled green beans and grilled Italian rustic bread. It was so tasty and even better the next day, on a TriTip sandwich.

Now that we finished Tiger King, we’re on to McMillions (about the McDonald’s Monopoly scandal). We watched Screwball (funny!), so I guess we’re on a bit of a documentary kick. We also watched The Talented Mr. Ripley, one of my favorite creepy movies, last night. If I was home alone (a girl can dream!) I would be watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger musicals (Swing Time), romantic comedies like The Philadelphia Story, It Happened One Night and The Thin Man series. These movies were made during the depression, when people needed an escape from reality and I can’t think of a time I’ve ever needed an escape from reality more than now.

I started the new book for my book club, Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. I’ve only just begun it, but like it. It’s a food memoir. Zeke just finished The Boys on the Boat and gave it a thumbs up. My Book Club meeting was supposed to be at my house this month. Obviously, that’s not happening now. I suggested a Zoom meeting, but didn’t get a lot of positive feedback, so we may just postpone it until we can actually get together in person. We will have all forgotten the book by then.

The 1500 piece puzzle’s done and we picked up more from a friend’s mother. Emma and Lauren have been attending classes online, so they stay busy during the day. I read an article about people going back to hobbies they loved as a child or adult, but had neglected. I bought a calligraphy tablet awhile ago I’ve finally gotten around to practicing on. It’s relaxing. I’m ordering photos I’ve taken to make into photo cards (another hobby of mine). I thought I could send them to people who need cheering up.

Zeke and I have been getting along well. I think it helps he goes to work in the morning- makes it all seem more normal. But sometimes, when he’s crunching on something while he eats, it really gets on my nerves. I just have to walk out of the room and breathe. He comes home for lunch, which he used to before, but now he’s home all day after that. I would normally have those hours between 1 and 6 to do what I wanted. Now, it’s different. We’re adjusting.

I got to see my grandson Wyatt a couple times this week. He was sitting in his Dad’s pickup truck in the driveway as we spoke from six feet away.

“When are we going to go to Disney World?” he asked. We were supposed to go two weeks ago.

“I’m not sure,” I said.

“Maybe when the virus goes away?” he asked.

“Yes, we will go when the virus goes away,” I said.

“When will that be?” he asked.

“Well, that’s the million dollar question baby,” I said. “Nobody knows.”

This week was Palm Sunday and I noticed a lot of people with palms on their doors. Has this pandemic ushered in a wave of faith? Maybe- kind of like finding religion in a foxhole. On the plus side, someone dropped off a container of purple flowers by my front door. I still don’t know who it was, but it was appreciated and I was thrilled to spot my first mango of the season on my tree. I can’t wait to taste it!

Easter is next Sunday. I asked A.J. if I could do an Easter egg hunt in the backyard and watch Wyatt through the sliding glass doors. She agreed.

“That’s so sad,” said Lauren.

It is sad, but right now, it’s better than nothing.

I haven’t decorated for Easter, really don’t feel in the mood for celebrating anything, especially since Wyatt won’t be here. But I will dye some eggs (blue for Wyatt, pink and purple for his Mom) and for the rest of the family with our names on them. I will hide them around the backyard, within sight of my deck upstairs. I will sit on the deck, watch Wyatt find them, squealing with delight and that will have to be enough for this year.

“Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing gonna be alright.”

Bob Marley