COVID-19 Vaccine Update

A reader asked me earlier today to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccines in Crozet; coincidentally and conveniently, this was sitting in my inbox, and I’m publishing with Dr. McLaughlin’s permission. I have also found the Charlottesville Community Engagement daily newsletter and podcast informative about the pandemic (and many other things).

From Blue Ridge Family practice:

Blue Ridge Family Practice January 2021

In this issue:
-COVID-19 vaccine
-Clinic COVID-19 protocols
-Flu vaccine
-A Pandemic of Kindness

Light at the end of the (Crozet) tunnel
Continue reading “COVID-19 Vaccine Update”

Conserve Water, Please (It’s HOT)

From ASCA, via Twitter:

“A special message for our Crozet #water customers. The intense heat, combined with increased irrigation, is placing the plant close to full capacity. We ask you to reduce your outdoor use until this heat wave breaks so we can avoid restrictions. Thank you for your help.”


Back to School?

Three things

Albemarle County School’s page with information on the logistics of going back to school this fall.

At its retreat on June 26, the Albemarle County School Board voted to reopen schools on Tuesday, September 8. Details around the opening of schools, including instructional schedules and bus transportation information, will be presented to the school board on Thursday, July 9. Read the news release »



No Crozet Fireworks? Ok, Fireworks all over Crozet


The Crozet Fireworks were canceled due to COVID-19, but that didn’t stop numerous neighborhood displays all over Crozet. The fireworks we saw right next to our neighborhood, the ones we saw in the near distance, and the ones mentioned on Twitter were impressive. Sitting outside in the street with my family watching fireworks was a nice gift.

Thanks to our neighbors who paid for, and put on the shows, and thanks for stopping at a reasonable hour!

Crozet Library – Virtual Events and Services

forgive the formatting; I’m copy/pasting from an email, which looked great. The transition: notsomuch

Hey Crozet Community,


Our library crew is missing you all like crazy, and I know you might be missing us too. We’re hosting some virtual programs while we are closed, and there are a lot of other great virtual services that we are offering too. I hope you’ll take a moment to check out some of these things – and tune in tomorrow for a Parenting with Neuroscience with Erin Clabough, a Crozetian neuroscientist and mom of four who will be talking about using neuroscience in parenting, and touching on parenting in the coronavirus isolation world!

To prevent Zoom bombers, you must register online at jmrl.org to make sure you get the email with Zoom information. If you have questions about how to join an online program, let me know. And if you don’t already, we also have a tone of content on social media – boredom busters, storytime videos, and more, that can help keep you entertained during the quarantine.


Your friendly neighborhood librarian,

Hayley

Continue reading “Crozet Library – Virtual Events and Services”

Common Sense: Walking Facing Traffic

We all seem to be walking more, riding bicycles more, and driving less. That’s a good thing. Sharing roads is good.

Did you know that the law legislates common sense?

I saw this sign in a rural part of Western Albemarle the other day, when riding my bike.

§ 46.2-928 – Pedestrians not to use roadway except when necessary; keeping to left

Pedestrians shall not use the roadways for travel, except when necessary to do so because of the absence of sidewalks which are reasonably suitable and passable for their use. If they walk on the hard surface, or the main travelled portion of the roadway, they shall keep to the extreme left side or edge thereof, or where the shoulders of the highway are of sufficient width to permit, they may walk on either shoulder thereof.

Watch out for each other, folks. And for goodness sakes, don’t wear dark clothing when you’re walking on the roads.

Continue reading “Common Sense: Walking Facing Traffic”

Need Help?

I saw this post on Nextdoor, and asked permission to share.

Won’t you be my neighbor

If anyone is laid off or furloughed and starts running out of food or anything essential, please don’t go to sleep with an empty stomach or anything that you need! Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to send me a private message, I will be more than happy to share whatever I have. I will drop and go. I will never tell a soul. I will be there if you need me.

The responses were resounding echoes of offers to help others.

Know this: if you’re reading this, and need help, people will help. Please ask.

If you need help, please email Rebecca – [email protected].

Asking for help can be hard; it shouldn’t be.

This is what community taking care of each other looks like.

And now Schools’ Tracks and Stadiums are Closed #COVID-19

Distance, Socially, lest everything else will be closed.

Link to the PDF from 7 April 2020 announcing the updated closures.


From Albemarle County Schools –

This weekend we locked access to all high school tracks and stadiums across the division. This action follows continuing reports of violations of the governor’s public health order and misuse of school property.

Continue reading “And now Schools’ Tracks and Stadiums are Closed #COVID-19”

Cooking Questions Answered

I saw a post on Nextdoor, and thought more people might benefit/be interested, so I asked Mark to write something for us.* Mark is going to answer these questions is a follow-up post, but if you have questions, please comment here, or on the Facebook post, or email me.

My name is Mark Gresge and for the past 28 years my wife and I have run l’etoile restaurant and currently l’etoile catering. (Jim’s note: you know the soup on Jarmans? This is them) Over those years we have developed relationships with local farmers and purveyors of almost any imaginable product that could be used in the food service and hospitality business. 

Now we are faced with staying at home and stocking our pantry’s and freezers and refrigerators and cooking at home.

Questions may arise.

  • How long can I freeze proteins; chicken, beef, seafood?
  • What are some good substitutions for ingredients?
  • How do I make stock (bone broth) at home?
  • What do I do with all this stuff?

The questions can go on and on, but if I can help answer them, I want to try and help.


*why put this on the blog? Not everyone has or wants Nextdoor. Same with Facebook. But everyone with an account on those platforms has access to the Internet, so let’s include everybody.


Submitted Questions

I have lots of spring garlic (looks like leek, has not formed cloves) that is scattered in garden- so are weeds to me and need to be harvested.  I have lots more planted in a block, and those will make scaps and heads later in the spring and summer.  I also have bushels of cilantro, also growing like weeds. In a week or so, much will be going to seed.  Does Mark have ideas for using these  two abundant products? I also would share these if we can arrange a safe way to do so.

——–

The season of Lent and adhering to meatless Fridays is especially challenging this year.  We have a houseful of big eaters—think 6’5” and 6’7” boys—among others.  We did eat some seafood the one day I went to the grocery store this week.  I am used to going to the store every couple days since we drink 1-2 gallons of milk daily, but I am stretching out the ingredients in the pantry and leaving the house much less frequently.

So I have a big bag of lentils that I’ve never used.  Is there a way to make them tasty?  We have zero food allergies or even dislikes, but we all like meat with most meals.  Tonight we will have a salad with some canned tuna on it, but really, this is not enough food for my kids.  I still have some pasta but don’t think that really goes well atop the salad!  I do have some frozen unpeeled shrimp in the freezer.  I feel more confident preparing pork or beef, and not seafood, and certainly not just vegetarian dishes as a main dish.  

Holy Week is coming up and I would love some ideas how to cook meatless, but still not add to the misery sometimes felt during this quarantine.  Hard to fathom, but sitting down to the family meal in the evening if oft the highlight of the day!


Answers

1 – This is a tough one, because a little goes a long way.

The scapes can be used in almost any dish, meaning chop like using scallions for some color and flavoring in the dish. For a bulk amount I have made pesto, chimichurri, which can be frozen.  For the cilantro, the same pesto and chimichurri.  I would be happy to purchase some of both of these items from the person who posed the question. I can certainly showcase the scapes this week in both soup and entrée selections.

2 –

Regarding the lentils, I would suggest a curry dish that is easy to prepare and serve with the shrimp that was mentioned.   The shrimp should be allowed to thaw overnight in the refrigerator (in a separate pan, so it does not drip on to other items)  It can be peeled and deveined or steamed for a peel and eat.

When cooking 1lb of the shrimp: pot of 8 cups simmering water with 3 tablespoons vinegar, any kind except red wine, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes until the shrimp turns pink. Strain the shrimp and add to bowl of ice water for 3-5 minutes to stop the cooking process.  The vinegar in the water helps tighten the flesh of the shrimp preventing it from becoming mealy.

I hope this is helpful.  I tried to find some shell on shrimp at the kitchen to make a quick video to show how to peel and deveine but I do not have any.