Well Smile Politely readers, times are strange. Ordinarily, we’d be using this space to encourage you to get out and enjoy all the C-U has to offer. That has become a difficult task. It’s important to maintain some sort of routine, some sort of normalcy in an abnormal situation, so we are going to continue publishing The Weekender. It’ll look different. We will have to put our collective creativity to the test, but hopefully it will be a weekly reminder of ways that you can make the best of these times, and stay connected with this amazing community we call home.
— The Editors
Photo from Orphans Treasure Box Facebook page.
Buy some books from a local bookseller, your house, whenever, price vary
Orphans Treasure Box is a local bookstore that sells all donated books, and your purchases help fund jobs for local women finding their way out of poverty and homelessness. The book outlet is closed, but their online store is open (with three staff working in separate rooms) and you can purchase books that they will ship to your house. If you spend $10 or more, shipping is free. If you are culling your home collection, they are still taking donations in the shed behind their building. (JM)
Clean your baseboards and your windows, all weekend, free
This weekend will be pretty chilly, so I will be staying indoors and cleaning the places in my house I don’t regularly get to, like baseboards, windows, and blinds. They are the most annoying and tedious things to clean, in my opinion, so put on a great podcast, or some music, and see about enlisting the help of whoever is in the house with you. Perhaps you even reward yourself with some takeout or delivery after. (JH)
Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Make a meal plan using your cookbooks, your house, all weekend, free
I wrote this last weekend, but it’s worth revisiting your freezer and pantry again. There is no reason you should be going to the store more than once a week — if you can, you should shop so that you revisit the store every other week. Take an inventory of your freezer, your panty, your fridge. Check out the website SuperCook, where you can search for recipes by ingredients. Also dig out those old cookbooks you never use; find some inspiration therein. Make your list, be intentional with it and with your shopping. (JH)
Get yourself a fish sandwich, Esquire Lounge, Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., $6.50
Good Friday is a great time to enjoy a fish sandwich. After being closed for a bit, Esquire is back up and serving a limited menu of delicious options: burgers, beer battered cod, clam chowder, and french fries in addition to a fish sandwich. They even have beer and Cabernet as options to add to your order for carryout or delivery. You know you can’t cook a fish sandwich as well as Esquire, and you’ve had a long week, so go pick one up. (AB)
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Steal some candy from your kids, your house, Easter morning, prices vary
If you’ve been home with children, you definitely deserve some candy. Not everyone celebrates Easter, but if chocolate eggs show up at your house on Sunday, make sure you steal a few. When I sneak some of my kids’ treats, I call it a Mom Tax. (AB)
Image: At left, photo of Rochelle Sennet at piano. At right, photo of Igor Kalnin with violin. Image from Facebook page.
Livestream a C4A faculty music concert, your house, Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m., free
Kudos to the Community Center for the Arts (C4A) for launching a series of live streaming concerts by the talented musicians who teach there. This weekend’s concert will feature Duo MemDi (Igor Kalnin on violin and Rochelle Sennet on piano) performing work by new composers as well as works from their standard repetoire. Join by going to the C4A Facebook page. (DD)
Watch the Mark Morris Dance Group perform on YouTube, your house, anytime, free
If you’re as bummed as I am about missing MMRG’s annual visit to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, this come as some consolation. KCPA recently posted this link so we can watch one of the pieces that was to be performed this spring. Morris’ “beautifully balletic The Trout, premiered in 2018 and inspired by Franz Schubert’s the “Trout” Quintet.” (DD)
Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Do some yard work, your house, all weekend, free
Even though yard waste pick up has been suspended, you probably still need to do some yard work. The grass is starting to grow in, there are leaves and pine needles and all sorts of other things that need to be mulched or raked or otherwise maintained. If nothing else, it’s something to do. Maybe plan out your summer garden while you’re at it. (JH)
Relive That’s What She Said, your house, Sunday at 7 p.m., free
Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. you can catch past That’s What She Said performances on Facebook. This week will feature the show from 2019; you can see who the speakers were here. Whether you were there that night or you missed the live show, settle in with a beverage and hear from women that live and work here in our community. (JM)