Summer 2020 is definitely come and gone. We are now in the midst of Fall 2020. COVID-19 has made quite an impression on everyone this year. When this virus hit the United States, I gave the latest stats on the number of cases and deaths in the U.S. and even the world on each post. I also labeled each post with the number of days since we had started staying at home. The doctors had predicted that by the end of 2020 we would have 200,000 death just in the United States. Little did we know that we would surpass that number before mid-October.
I went through a period earlier in the summer when I was depressed. There is no other way to describe it. I have always been a "people person" and it was difficult not seeing and doing things with my friends. I tried to stay busy with "hobbies" that always kept me busy. I have made at least ten Blankets of Hope and not sure how many face masks - I lost count. I have read a couple of books. For some reason reading was harder for me to do. I think it's because to read means just sitting a lot and I felt like I was sitting enough.
When the pandemic originally started here, I created a texting group with my canasta/quilting friends so we could stay in touch. We had been meeting twice a month to play cards. During the summer when it looked like the end was not coming anytime soon and doctors said small groups gathering outside and staying 6 feet apart while wearing masks was ok, we started meeting in a park every other week and social distancing and wearing our masks. Now that it is getting cooler, we will eventually have to stop that. Winter is going to be hard.
We haven't been able to be with our MO grandchildren as much as we normally are in the summer. They didn't play ball so there were no baseball and softball games to go to. We didn't have day trips with them because places were closed. In August as some things opened we did go to Powell Gardens and that was fun. We did travel to CO in July and stayed with our CO family for the weekend which was also good.
School was delayed in MO until the Tuesday after Labor Day and Madison and Tyler wanted to "go to school" and so far it has worked out. The CO gkids have always been homeschooled. A couple of years ago they changed to the public school's "schooled at home" program. I pray for all of them every day that they will not be infected with the virus.
Our church closed mid-March and still has not opened for in-person gatherings and meeting. Our Senior pastor and another pastor retired and we had a drive-by saying farewell to them. Our two new ministers are very nice and trying to get to meet members. Zoom has allowed the church to continue with some studies, etc and we joined a book discussion on White Fragility Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism. Our services have been streamed online and Walter our music director has live streamed his piano music every Wednesday evening for almost an hour. Our worship director Matt and his wife entertained us with their music during the summer on Monday nights. In Sept the church had a Worship on the River and members came with their chairs and masks and with social distancing, worshiped in a park on the MO River. Last Sunday we gathered at the church and watched the service as it was streamed on the TV. Yesterday the Lead Pastor Yvi preached in-person around the fire pit at the church. (The weather was in the low 40s so not as many people came as would have if it had been warmer.)
The last two weeks we have had some projects done around the house and Saturday night we got to "hang out" with Madison and Tyler while Patrick and Lori had a date night. I guess I am getting used to my slower, less involved, lifestyle. Today I will be back at Hillcrest Thrift Shop with my volunteering (cleaning) for a couple of hours and then going to the YMCA and walking against the current for 30 minutes in their Lazy River.
I am also back in my kitchen baking after a break of several months. I made this Super Apple Nut Bread from the Heartstone Inn in Eureka, AR so I could use some chunky applesauce I had opened. It didn't call for chunky applesauce but since it was called Apple Bread, I figured it deserved some chunky applesauce. I didn't realize until I was getting ready to write this post that I had not added the cinnamon sugar on top as the recipe called for. Oh well, it was still good. I will include it with the recipe, but just know if you decide to skip it, the bread will still taste great. Maybe if you are a cinnamon sugar lover, you will want to sprinkle it on top before you bake the bread. I also used pyure, an all-purpose stevia blend for the sugar to reduce the sugar. The organic stevia leaf extract is blended with organic erythritol. It is measured 1:2, pyure to sugar in a recipe. I used a little bit more of it for the sugar in this recipe. I only gave one loaf away to a neighbor and kept two of the loaves for us.
Since I was a little long winded, here is a LINK to print just the recipe.
SUPER APPLE NUT BREAD
1/2 cup packed shredded carrots
1 cup applesauce (I used Peachy Chunky Applesauce)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup pyure all-purpose stevia blend)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 - inch loaf pan or three mini-loaf pans. Sets aside.
Combine the carrots, applesauce, oil, and vanilla in a bowl.
Add eggs and sugar,
mixing well.
Mix dry ingredients and nuts together.
Stir dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture a little at a time.
Mix only until all ingredients are blended. Do not overmix.
Pour into prepared pan(s). Spread batter evenly.
TOPPING: (optional)
Combine 5 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean.
Bread should have a crack down the center. (about 40 - 45 minutes for mini loaves)
Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
Thank you foor this
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