If this time of year is for rebirth and new starts (although, really, how does that narrative play in the Southern Hemisphere?) there’s something powerful at play with this virus shutting down life as we’ve been used to it.

Although for nature, there’s no shutting down.

This is a bit of a rambling blog post. It seems to mimic life right now, which feels rambling and disjointed and lovely and hard and grounding and also surreal.

We’re alternating cooking duties, with each of us taking 2 nights a week (Jeremy gets 1). It’s fun seeing what each of us chooses to make. I added a twist a couple of days ago, asking that one of our meals not be meat-centric. Part of this is to up the creative ante; a larger part is to spread out the reliance on our meat. The provisioning was done with an eye to eating meat 3 meals a week and the bulk of protein coming from eggs and beans. Plus, I’m hoping to get some awesome ideas to take with us on the boat!

Jeremy’s been playing with building the electrical system for the boat. He’s enamored with a website that allows him to put in circuits and components and it shows what it does to the system as a whole. He’s charged the new lithium batteries fully and is waiting on the BMS (battery management system) to put them through a discharge run. He wants to cycle them fully a couple of times. Ebay has been his best friend in this whole exercise, although we are extra careful with packages that are coming from hot spots like California and New York City.

Mail has a whole system to it. Gloves and baskets are involved, along with post-its reminding us of what is the newest mail. It’s exciting when mail graduates to being able to be opened.

When packages arrive, they’re either in quarantine for a week or (more likely) it’s a 2-person operation where one of us is gloved and the other reaches in and pulls out the present inside.

We’re working hard on cushion components. My friend Amanda Warren at Yacht Canvas is doing our cushions; we measured with excruciating detail the last time we were on the boat. Now it comes to ordering fabric, foam, and the mattress topper. We’ve done some weird things to figure out what foam combination we want. As the labor is the most expensive part of this entire project (which is mind-boggling, given how expensive the fabric we’re choosing is) we don’t want to screw this up. Plus, hello. We’re living on a small boat. Yes, please I want my bed to be comfy. It will be tiny but exactly soft. (The bed size? 5” wider than a twin. For the 2 of us. Tiny works as an adjective.)

Every other Saturday is for a deep clean of the house. We’ve been incredibly fortunate (spoiled?) to have a house cleaner for the last (holy crap) 18 years. (She’s not coming right now as it’s too dangerous for both her and for us. We are still paying her. FYI - if you similarly have had a house cleaner and don’t think it’s safe to have them come right now but are able to keep paying them? It’s awesome to do so. This inability to work is completely NOT of their choosing. You continuing to pay them might make the difference to their being able to buy groceries. Or pay rent or a mortgage. Or the electric bill. Suggestion over.) I’ve learned a few things. One is that I am really NOT good at cleaning large spaces. Two is that this house is too big. Decide on the size boat you want after you do a bottom job on it; decide on the size house you need after you clean it thoroughly. Oh my. (Yes, the family helps. Still.) Three? I will be incredibly grateful and excited when Gisela can come back and work her cleaning magic. I hope the work we’ve done is at least keeping pace.

Google Fi with an iPhone is not something I recommend.

Sesame oil when heated smells amazing.

Drop dead “must go shopping” items are onion, garlic, and creamer for coffee. Grocery haul included 15 lbs of onions and 12 heads of garlic. Since I’ve just ordered Nido (full fat powdered milk) to make yogurt, and this can double as coffee creamer, plus I got an additional 10 cans of evaporated milk when I was at the store last week (each can lasts 3-4 days) AND we got 2 quarts of half and half . . . Let’s see how we go. I think we’re good at least until late May - and maybe even through the Virginia shut down date of June 10. Any guesses?

I feel like we’re stocked for a passage. A passage with a freezer. Sigh. Things I wish for, in 2 sentences.

The ABC (state-run liquor store in Virginia) is considered an essential business. We caved and bought tequila and grand marnier last week (along with a couple of different rums); our stash of such essentials went up to Averill last summer and we were REALLY hoping to not restock. Desperate times and all that.

Watching my children play frisbee each day. Watching an episode of a TV show together each night. Eating dinner in the dining room, laughing and sharing and teasing each other.

Tasty Thursday has made a reappearance - with a twist. I’m doing Facebook lives (on my personal page, Nica Waters) every Thursday at least through the end of April. Answering questions about food, provisioning, what to do with that weird ingredient you just unearthed from the back of your pantry but don’t want to throw away. And any questions about cruising! Join me there, noon eastern.

I could ramble on but will spare you.

May you and yours be safe, healthy, and as sane as possible. I’m still looking forward to sharing an anchorage with you, somewhere, when social distancing is not required and yes, I can give you a big hug.