Friday, November 27th, 2020

I finish sauteing the onions and garlic, cube the beef, put it all in the refrigerator, and head out. It’s after noon. The stew is never going to be ready for even a late dinner tonight. I need to do my Friday shopping, finish my newsletter, and then get back to it. I’ll put it in the slow cooker overnight for tomorrow’s lunch. Everything is wet outside, but it has stopped raining for now. As I understand it, an entire year’s worth of rain fell yesterday. We’re told that climate change will be giving us longer dry spells between more of these intense storms. I don’t see any snails on the pedestrian street. They were out last night but must have headed back under the shrubs. There are few cats where they usually gather. They may still be hiding out in case it rains again. The city square is crowded. Long lines stretch back outside the hummus joint and the shoe store. Across the main intersection, the street corner violinist plays a slow blues over an orchestral recording. I quickly do my shopping. As I enter the supermarket in the Heart of the City, the loudspeaker is already telling customers, once a minute, to finish up and to have a good Sabbath. I buy some fruit and vegetables, a loaf of bread, and chicken breasts to cook for dinner. I get a challah and a donut at the usual bakery, an espresso at the cheap coffee stop, and a shawarma at my favorite place, and head home. I go directly to my desk and get back to work. I’ll have to finish cooking later on.