A Peek At My Week 7/3

This post is about another week of sheltering at home, book review, Youtube documentary review, and two amazing summer salad recipes. 

I stay home most of the time except for my morning one hour walk and grocery shopping. I do meet friends online to play Canasta and Mahjong. I planted tons of flowers to enjoy in my yard this summer.

Funeral: 
I attended a funeral this week of a neighbor and a good friend who died after a long illness (not COVID). I was shocked that there were so many people at the viewing that chose not to wear a mask, including the immediate family.

There were 85 people and it was kind of close together until the mass started and we separated throughout a large church. I wore a double mask and needless to say was not very comfortable with the situation. In addition, they had an indoor luncheon at a country club with 57 unmasked attendees. I didn't go to lunch. I was very uncomfortable and I'm now quarantining this week. We live in Pennsylvania. 

What I'm Watching: "No Place On Earth"  is an excellent documentary on Youtube.

The Trailer: 5-minute watch

The Documentary:   1 hr and half 

This was an extremely interesting documentary about a cave expert who is exploring in Ukraine, looking for his family roots and comes across evidence of people living in the caves. 

He discovers eventually that an extended family of 38 people survived the Holocaust by living in a huge gypsum cave. Only the men family members ventured out in search of food and supplies (which they stole). Not only did they live in these dark candlelit quarters with no running water or electricity, but they also did so for a year and a half. They gathered water that dripped into the cave from the ceiling and sometimes only had one glass of water a day for a family. The amazing part is that many of them survived and are alive today to tell and verify their story. It was a fascinating documentary and made me realize how good we have it despite being shut-in. 

Notes: The sound of the documentary was very low. I could hear it best watching on my Smart TV where I could turn up the volume very high.

What I'm Reading: 

I'm still reading 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

I am still in the middle of reading this book, but it grabbed me in right from the first page.  It's an intriguing story of twin sisters growing up in the segregated South in the 1950s. As teenagers, they run away and make their own lives. One of the sisters passes for white, while the other lives the life of a black woman. It explores the differences in their lives, opportunities, treatment, etc.  The characters are well developed and the author's writing style impactful. Can't put it down. I highly recommend it. 

What I'm Cooking: 

Jersey Corn and Tomato Salad 
I cut the corn off the cob and use the corn raw in this delicious summer salad. Raw corn kernels are sweet, juicy, crunchy, and delicious. (link to recipe)

Mango Peach Summer Salsa Salad 
I love this refreshing summer salad. It is my friend Vicki's recipe and it is delicious especially in hot weather. It's mango season and mangos are very reasonable right now. (link to the recipe)

Sharing on Sunday Salon