As we got on the road leaving Louisville to go home, the highways were rather eerie in appearance.  There were very few cars on the road, but there seemed to be more trucks and that was great especially as we were listening to the news.   The trucks had to try to keep up the pent-up demand for toilet paper and hand sanitizers.  The longest stretch is crossing the State of Ohio, which is a state that is perfect for highways, as it is flat and rather barren; a long boring drive except for the construction zones.  One thing that took us for a surprise, was when we had to make a pit stop, we usually stop at a “fast food” restaurant, the only time that I really try to “indulge.”  We walked in, and all of the chairs were piled up at the entrance areas for the seating areas, as if it was a scene from “Le Mis” and then it hit me, that the restaurants were only doing carry out orders.  So, we ate in the parking lot and went back on the road. 

When we got home, there was a period when we were taking a lay of the land, to see how we were going to hold out.  Thankfully, my Bride had gone to Costco before our trip, so we had plenty of paper products and other stuff, that she normally buys there.  Many years ago, before I appeared on the horizon, my Bride had a short period of hard time, because of other forces and she has vowed never to be in that situation again.  I have occasionally teased my Scarlet O’Hara, because of all the food that she has to buy.  I guess that is a good thing, as we have two refrigerators and a chest freezer all filled with groceries, not to mention two pantries filled with canned and dry goods.   I guess I will never tease her again. 

She had made a decision that what ever dinner is made, it should be enough for at least left-overs for another day, without the need to ask for a doggie bag.  She decided that we should have filets the first evening, so that we could have steak salad the next night.  She is quite efficient, especially when she puts her mind to it.  After unpacking from our trip, I went into the garage, where we had wine chilling, either waiting to be opened, or opened bottles that had been resealed.  The garage had been a good storage area, and I decided that I had better rearrange the refrigerator in the garage, in case it starts warming up, I didn’t want any of the wine to go bad.  I was also deciding what we should have with the filets, and there was a bottle of local Michigan wine that I thought would be festive for the start of our staycation, at least for my Bride.  I decided that a bottle of Mawby Sparkling “Us” NV was the way to start and we discovered this wine on our last trip to the wine country in Michigan and the great sparkling wines from Larry Mawby, one of the elder gentlemen of wine in the Traverse City region.  Mawby Sparkling offers wines made in both forms, Traditional and the Charmat Method.  The Mawby Sparkling US NV is a classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, aged in Stainless Steel, then later blended with some reserve wine, aged and with an added dosage to maintain a certain finish and bottled.  This wine is an excellent bottle of sparkling wine that is affordable, dry and crisp, with a steady flow of small bubbles, but still offering some fruit in the finish. I am hoping that this nightmare will not last too long.