The Lock is being opened in the city where I live. It is 55 days since Lockdown was imposed.

Initially , everything to do with Health care was open ( Hospitals, Diagnostic centers, Pharmacies) , Pharma companies , all supermarkets , Milk supplies , makeshift vegetable vendors , Non-veg selling stores were permitted to be open.

A couple of weeks ago , all Wine shops were open.

A week ago , all stores related to the construction industry were opened up. All paints , Hardware, ceramic tiles, Steel, Marble , cement stores etc were also permitted to do their businesses.

And today many more businesses are being allowed to operate. All businesses except Restaurants (dine-in) , schools, Malls, Public transport , Pubs are allowed to do their business.Even Cabs and Autos are permitted with restrictions.All private companies and Factory can work.

The economy is almost opened up.

The message is clear.

We have to learn to live with the new virus.

Got to take enough precautions and go ahead with normal life. The number of cases have been rising all over India but life must go on.

Night curfew continues to be on from 7pm to 7am. I have been coming home from work just before the curfew starts. My office timing is upto 6.30 pm and I start almost immediately . Very less traffic around this time as everyone has already reached their homes. the remaining are rushing back so as to reach before 7pm and we are among them 🙂

Everyone is speeding on the roads which may be dangerous too.

It is funny how I always had this wish that the traffic would reduce some way or the other and this is how my wish materialised :).

Although it is temporary and very soon everything will get back to pre-lockdown era.

Take care folks !!

Everyone these days is talking about a haircut. Desperately looking at the alternatives. While some are feeling awkward to display their crowning glory, some are showing it off on social media 🙂 . Lots of cartoons too on social media and celebrities giving haircuts to their celebrity husband’s .

One day hubby asked me if can trim his hair. I said why not and held the trimmer for the first time. This happened 2 days ago. After learning how to use it ,I was eager to start trimming. I used a comb to help in the process. I enjoyed the process .Hubby was happy and beaming with the outcome 🙂 . Must have been a great relief. He need not take the risk of going to a barber if and when the saloons are opened. By then he would be sporting braids I guess 🙂

I selected a few mangoes from the lot that we plucked from our neighbours Mango tree to prepare ‘ Mamidikaaya orugulu’. Washed ,peeled and sliced the raw Mangoes and placed them in plates for drying. This is the best way to store Mangoes and can be used throughout the year in various recipes. Fresh amchur made at home 🙂

I got my first Soapstone vessel almost a year ago. I was not aware that before using it the vessel has to be seasoned. I quickly looked up on youtube and found a fe videos. The process was too long and confusing.O just put away the vessel and forgot about it. I rediscovered it at the back of the lowest shelf in the kitchen during the lockdown and decided to complete the task of seasoning during the lockdown. Finally, i started the process last week.

I am making a video on this whole process and will upload it on my youtube channel. Once completed I will share the link here.

It looks white before seasoning and becomes blackish during the process.

Sprayed Epsom salt mixed in water on my Money plant and few other plants. Got to see how these plants react. This is the first time I am using Epsom salt for plants. Supposed to be an organic way of growing plants. I am excited to see the difference in a few days.

Take care and stay safe !!

I had bought one Soapstone vessel almost a year ago. But before using it for cooking, the vessel has to be seasoned. I kept postponing this job till the lockdown happened and I said to myself that I will complete this activity during the lockdown. This Vessel is called as Kal chatti in Tamil and Rachippa in Telugu. A traditional utensil which has a lot of wonderful benefits.

The seasoning process is very lengthy and takes a minimum of 15 days. I am making a video on the process and will upload once completed.

Summer and Mangoes are synonymous in India. Got my hands on the first Mango of the season and enjoyed thoroughly. I like the ‘Chinni Rasalu’ variety which hubby got today.

Watched the movie ‘Parasite’ . Crazy movie which I didn’t like. But while watching the movie I realised that very recently I had come across what are called Bunkers in houses in South Korea. Wanted to know more about these and unknowingly ended up watching a movie which revolves around the Bunker in a house. Strange coincidence.

I started wearing a mask since 2 years , whenever I went out. Be it to the office, shopping malls, supermarkets or any other crowded/dusty places.

I use the standard Mask sold in a Pharmacy. I hardly saw anyone wearing a mask like mine except the Medical staff. I did stand out in the crowd and I did get some glances.

It had become a very important accessory whenever I went out. I always went out in our car and made sure that there were spare masks tucked into the seat pocket and also in my handbag.

This was the best solution that I had to keep myself safe from the dusty and polluted places. Thanks to the mask I never had any respiratory issues.

When I went out ,I would see few men and women using a handkerchief or dupatta to close their noses ,to protect themselves from pollution. Most likely they too had been suffering from respiratory issues or they may be taking precautions. I would then think of all the people living in the cities driving and working in highly polluted places and I always wanted everyone to use a mask like I do. Respiratory problems have been rising in the cities all over the world.

I knew that in Japan it is very common for people to use a proper mask , especially when they are coughing and I wanted people in India to also follow these hygienic habits. I secretly kept wishing that people who see me should get inspired by me and start wearing a good mask.

Hmmm….Little did I know that the day was not too far off when everyone in the world would be wearing a mask.

I will henceforth not be getting any more stares and my wish is fulfilled.

Hopefully the pollution too would reduce with the government and citizens efforts in the future.,

Came across an article today about how one IT company ,that employs lakhs of people, is proposing to have 75% of its workforce working from home.Surely most of the other IT companies too would follow . Working from home is definitely quite effective while carrying out administrative jobs, especially with all the collaborating tools that are now available. With more jobs being carried out from home in the future the traffic should reduce and thus the pollution.

This is my wish now. Seeing most people working from home except those who are actually into core manufacturing , transportation , Medical staff, Agriculture related activity etc. Hopefully ,everyone’s dream of a healthy ,beautiful Blue planet , our only Home , will be realized sooooooon.

The invisible creature is able to control all the unnecessary spending on luxury items, unhealthy eating habits, bad habits like smoking and drinking , on unnecessary travelling etc. We now know that we can survive without all the fancy ways of living.

Majority do realize that nothing else is more important in life than just being alive !!

Uploaded my new cooking video today. Vermicelli Vegetable pulao/upma. Here is the link-

Hope you enjoyed my recipe .

~Stay Home and Stay Safe ~

Another very hectic day. Wish I could apply leave. During normal working days I would have definitely applied leave and taken a day off. But there is no such thing as applying leave when one is working from home. No such thing yet in our office. We are doing the WFH thing for the first time.

My lunch today is composite Roti made with Beetroot and lots of curry. BTW I have been following ‘ Natural Lifestyle’ and their way of eating and living ,since last three months.

I wanted to record a video of preparing this Roti and told my son to record while I was making it. My son too is working from home. So we fixed a time for this activity and he did record the video. But I am not happy with the final outcome as the Roti stuck to the pan ;).

Will do a recording again some other day. I do upload videos once in a while on my youtube channel.

There were some showers again this evening and it was very cool outside. I suddenly remembered the summers when I was in school when Dad would place a table fan in the Balcony in the evenings and we all spent a lot of time late into the night and then went inside to sleep. When I told this to hubby ,he placed a pedestal fan in our balcony and we enjoyed the cool breeze for a while.

My son has been asking me to prepare Cauliflower Manchuria, his friend posted this dish on instagram 🙂 , and he started craving since last few days. He watched the recipe on a youtube channel named Cookingshooking and got all the required ingredients from the store. He couldn’t wait till tomorrow and he started pestering me. I was in the midst of preparing the Budget for my department and so guided him now and then. Turned out very well.

I am glad that he has some interest in cooking. Good for him.

That’s it folks !! Take care and Stay safe !!

Home delivery services have become an essential part of our daily routine during the lockdown.

I am depending on Big Basket for provisions , couple of deliveries of Organic veggies and for medicines. There was a time when I enjoyed going to the supermarket/organic store and picking stuff but now I have to accept whatever is delivered, especially the quality. Can’t be choosy during these times. The delivery/courier boys have become a lifeline of the economy.

I have been handling all the electronic gadgets in my kitchen with a lot of care, what if they fall and break , what if I overload my mixer grinder and it halts forever… my heart would break , cause there is nowhere one can go to get these repaired or even buy a new one. All such repair shops are closed.

In spite of being so careful ,my reading glasses got into trouble. The thread that holds the glass in place suddenly broke. No optical store is open in the vicinity. The optical store where I ordered these glasses is a little far away and we heard that there were several barricades between our home and this store. I called the owner of this store and asked him if he can send someone to pick up and get them repaired.He said he is helpless and wanted me to take the glasses to his shop.

After a day , I got this beautiful idea of handing over my glasses to the lady who delivers organic veggies to me once a week.Her store is just a few lanes away from the optical store. She has the permission to deliver veggies during the lockdown.

I immediately called her and requested her to help me amd she readily agreed 🙂 . That was a big relief.Currently my glasses are with the optician and I should get them back next week. Hmmm…tough times.

Coming to my gardening gossip , I sprinkled powdered egg shells around my plants this morning. Got to see how my plants are going to react. Also sprayed some insecticide all around my containers and around the little garden patch. Lots of ants sucking on the leaves, flowers and vegetables that are just starting to grow.

~ Lokaah samasthah Sukhino Bhavanthu~

Employees in one of the branches of our company have started going to work from today. This branch is located in another state. Long queues outside the main gate with everyone standing inside the white circles drawn on the floor, waiting for their turn to wash their hands at the sinks kept near the gate and then being checked with a Thermal scanner before they were actually permitted to enter the company premises. A video of the above has been circulating on whatsapp. Our premises in Hyderabad too is preparing to open the Factory by sanitizing all the buildings and marking circles near the entry gates.

Hope the hygienic environment  continues inside the premises. Will know more details soon.

Had heard about Epsom salt long ago while watching gardening videos on YouTube buy never took it seriously. However, while watching another gardening video yesterday and I observed that her plants were lush and very healthy .She went on to demonstrate the fertilizer she uses and then she mentions Epsom salt.

This morning when Hubby was about to go out to do some shopping ,I blurted out ‘can you get Epsom salt , try in the Pharmacy ‘ .

I got busy with my WFH thing and forgot about Epsom salt. Hubby comes back and he signals me with a bright face.I didn’t get him for a moment and then my face lighted up and I said ‘Epsom salt?’ and he nodded.

Yayy, I jumped out of my chair and went to have a look at it .

I was so happy. Here it is…

I then spent some time watching few more videos on how to use Epsom salt for plants.

I am yet to spray a solution of Epsom salt on my plants. Will plan tomorrow.

I also came across videos where egg shells are used as plant fertilizer. I did collect a few egg shells , washed them and dried them today. Will powder them tomorrow.

Feeling good that I will be giving these new organic fertilizers to my plants.

Here is my Amaranthus plant which is the bigger variety with big leaves and grows to almost 5 feet. This is called ‘Perugu thota koora’ in Telugu. The seeds of this plant were in the manure that I bought at a plant nursery. I always wanted to have this plant but the seeds I sowed never sprouted. So happy that they appeared through the manure. Here is the picture of this plant that I clicked this morning –

Thanks to the lockdown , I am able to spend some quality time with my plants and learning more about how to take care of them. Loving the experience. Feeling so joyful these days when I see new leaves on my greens and flowering plants blooming well.

~Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavathu~

I didn’t realise that I haven’t posted since 1 Jan 20 !! Have been totally preoccupied with following the virus.

Will give a brief as to what has been happening in my life since 1 Jan 20.

I was following the virus from the time it was first reported in Wuhan and I guess I was just carried away by all the happenings since then.

The virus moved to Italy, France, Spain, UK, USA and then to India from those who travelled from these countries to India.

I was planning my move as to how I should manage during this period and had decided to stop going to work one week before our Prime Minister declared a country wide lockdown.

It was time to start planning to stock up on groceries, medicines , sanitizer, masks etc. I did manage to buy some of this stuff but there was actually no need to to buy a lot of groceries as everything was available very soon. There were some initial hiccups because all the trucks carrying veggies and other food were stopped from entering into the cities.

For a few days I was a bit bored at home but very soon got too busy to even think of boredom 🙂 .

Life has been very hectic since then with all the Work From Home, Work For Home along with the family, catching up with friends and spending some alone time , six days a week.

Will do my best to post everyday :).

Sarveshaam svastir bhavathu !!