No L

At Home - Apart

A Month of Sundays

The stay-at-home order for Illinois went into effect on March 21.  It has now been extended through the end of May.  That just seems so disheartening.

I only have one library book left to read.  I don't think I can stretch it out for another 5 weeks.

Reading during the Pandemic

We’ve been reading during this stay-at-home time. An unknown reader has gathered some appropriate books.

The English patient had caught it on the beach. “I should have stayed home,” she said. Now she was in quarantine in the dark house of isolation. Still, hope springs eternal. With a little bit of luck, common sense, and personal hygiene, horror stories must end soon. Always remember, clean hands save lives. And when in doubt, don't go out.

Restaurant Food During Stay-at-Home

A couple weeks ago Jimmy John’s had a special offer: their 8” sandwiches for $2.99.  That’s a great deal, normally they run close to $6.  Amidst the stay-at-home order, I knew I could order online and they have a carry-out rack where they put the order and you just walk in the door and grab your order in a sack.  J agreed to make the pick-up.

I attempted to order online.  Got a not available response.  I tried another store a little bit further away but within a reasonable distance.  Got the same response.  I tried phoning in the order, but received a busy signal.  I pretty much figured they were receiving too many orders.  But I was not happy so I found their “feedback” button on their website, and I told them their online ordering was not working.  I was surprised to receive an email reply back fairly quickly.  It said they were overwhelmed (just as I suspected), but I could go to the store and order in-person.

J went and purchased our two sandwiches.  Even that apparently wasn’t problem-free.  They were out of the 8” sub rolls.  J could accept their sandwich bread (no!) or they could use their smaller-sized Little John roll or he could wait ‘til the rolls were baked.  He accepted option 2.  I doubt I would have noticed the difference if he had not told me.  The sandwiches were great.  I’m glad we persevered.

The following week I received a $10 gift card from Jimmy John’s.  No explanation, but it must have been because of my comment to their “feedback” option.  I consider that classy.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I received my yearly birthday reward -- a free burger -- from Red Robin.  I decided to take advantage of their “free” delivery option and order our supper from them on Friday, my actual birthday.

I stumbled through their online order process.  It was a little confusing to get the free burger processed, but I finally did and received the response that our supper should arrive about 45 minutes later.

A half-hour after the delivery time, I called to ask where it was.  The gal answering the phone said it was sitting there waiting to be picked up.  I called again 2 hours after placing the order and spoke to the manager.  He gave me two options: he could deliver it himself “but I don’t know when that would be” (sure, I want cold burgers) or he could cancel the order.  I told him to cancel it, and he assured me the amount would be deducted from my credit card AND that my free birthday burger would be added back to my rewards account.

That did not happen.  I called again Monday night and talked to a different manager.  He explained that the 3rd-party delivery company had a major computer glitch Friday evening.  He then took down my information and called me back a few minutes later to tell me my credit card had been corrected and that the free burger was back in my account.  I’ll redeem my birthday burger offer in a few days.  But this time I’ll order it for pick-up.  And maybe run by Portillo's for my free slice of birthday cake.

Alaska Bound .... Or Not

Our airplane tickets for our Alaska cruise vacation were selected March 30.

Then 2 weeks later we learned that Princess Cruises had canceled all of their Alaska land/cruise trips.

Truthfully, this was a relief.  It took the decision away from me.  I would not be comfortable traveling in September even if it is considered “safe.”

Encouraging Thoughts

Encouraging thoughts during the pandemic stay-at-home orders.

The Whiffenpoof Song

I heard The Whiffenpoof Song on my iPod while walking.

We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa

I then spent several minutes wondering “What is a whiffenpoof?” and “Why is that word part of the song’s title?”

Google and Wikipedia helped:  A whiffenpoof was a tool for training Boy Scouts in tracking skills. The whiffenpoof itself was a small log, about the size of a stick of firewood, with nails driven into it on all sides, so that it bristled with nails. This was dragged through the forest on a short leash, by the older Scouts who were training the younger. It might thus create a track that the tenderfoot must learn to trace out. Or it might, alternately, be dragged across a trail in order to confuse the trackers. The fewer nails that were driven into it, the more difficult and subtle was the effect.

That connects a whiffenpoof to lost sheep.  But why wasn’t the song called Poor Little Lambs or Lost Sheep.  That’s when I discovered there is an introductory verse which I’ve apparently never listened to.

To the tables down at Mory's
To the place where Louie dwells
To the dear old Temple bar we love so well
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts it's spell

Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest

We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa

Gentleman songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa

It’s still a pretty strange song.

My questions have now been answered, and I’ll figure out something else to think about on tomorrow’s walk.