November 16, 2007
Friday

Two pictures are going to have to stand in for a thousand words today. It was a busy day for the six new residents at Jentel as we settled in for our month-long sojourn here. We had a house meeting to go over policies, expectations, and quirky things we should know about the facility and the four-legged residents who will want some attention. Then we were driven the thirty miles into town for grocery shopping. Six women who don’t know each other and who will set their own schedules and prepare their own meals wandered through Albertsons trying to find the foods and the supplies that will give us sustenance and at least a little taste of home.

The result:

My shelf is in the picture on the left, beside the water pitcher. (We have two large refrigerators and a big pantry. I did not photograph the freezer sections.) The water pitcher belongs to the house. I have the half-and-half, three bottles of caffeine free diet Coke, a box of spring mix salad (on the shelf below the water pitcher), a quart of fat-free milk, a bottle of raspberry pecan vinaigrette salad dressing, and, in the plastic container beside the half-and-half, the portion of Campbell’s tomato soup I didn’t eat at lunch. I also bought a bag of potatoes, which I plan to bake and top with frozen vegetables in cheese sauce, some of my favorite Weight Watchers entrees, and a bag of mixed whole grain cereal to prepare hot with almond milk and top with dried cherries and walnuts.

One observation: I am the least accomplished artist here. The others (all younger than I am) have books published, have been awarded multiple residencies and fellowships, can be considered “mid career,” while I am not published anywhere but on this website and am embarking on only my first residency. I am also the only one who did not make a stop at the liquor store.

I am not sure what conclusion to draw from those facts.

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