With few places to go as Manitoba shifts into code red, the Peg City crew brings you the staying home edition of our travel blog. We’ve all pitched in to showcase a little glimpse of something fun we are doing while we #stayhome and weather this storm. Enjoy!

As the folks behind curtain, we spend most of our waking hours obsessing over our fleet and ensuring that our members get to where they need to go. Typically the Where to go: blog would showcase the stories of our members (and staff) using our cars to travel around Manitoba, and beyond! But just as we were preparing our latest feature, cases started to climb in a big way. With the recent move to code red and people hunkering down we decided to look inward with our latest Where to go: stay home edition. Read on to learn about how the Peg City Car Co-op team is coping through our second lockdown! 

Will Belford: Fleet Manager

We started getting the Saturday newspaper again. It’s nice to read something that isn’t on a screen. Especially when it’s local news. I recommend using a nice smooth pen to fill in the crossword. I also suggest cheating as much as you need to. The satisfaction of a filled puzzle is barely diminished by googling obscure clues! There is a crossword language, you’ll need a little help to decipher it. 

We’ve also gathered a few new plant buddies. We’ve bought a couple, but we’ve also had some clippings shared by friends. Some plants are very hearty and can withstand lopping off a branch to make a little friend, but none are more prolific than the spider plant! The spider-lings can be planted directly in soil. If you have any spare shot glasses left over from your mixology degree, pop them in and watch as the roots begin to grow! It can be a lovely daily meditation to visit and inspect while you preen over the rest of your flora.

And I’ve finally had the opportunity to make soap! We already had most of the equipment needed – another offshoot of having time to organize the basement a bit- and yes, I already had the lab coat. After watching videos and finding recipes online, all that was left was to make the mold and mix up a batch. Olive oil is a great starter oil, because you can make a nice soap with only one ingredient. We opted to add some coconut oil, Vitamin E, and Bentonite clay. Scented it with peppermint essential oil, and some dried mint from this year’s garden. We have so much soap now! I’ve been giving it away at every opportunity. I can see this being a lifelong hobby.

Michelle Panting: Fleet Assistant

Hi, I’m Michelle, Peg City’s Fleet Assistant. I’ve been spending many cozy hours over the stove since the lockdown began. As one of my pandemic projects, I’ve been trying my hand at more vegan recipes. Sometimes I’ll invent vegan interpretations of traditional recipes. Last week I made a Bolognese sauce swapping out the butter and meat for vegan butter, red lentils, and jack fruit. This dish produces the deep, rich flavours my body’s been craving as the cold descends. The key to getting the flavours right is to leisurely assemble the ingredients over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet, then reduce over a long, low simmer, stirring occasionally. 

Colby Deighton: Member Services Coordinator

I’m Colby, Member Services Coordinator for Peg City. Recently, my partner and I have revamped our COVID-EOs music videos! We us our weekends to make dorky musical mashups! This project started during the OG lockdown in March. It began with us singing songs on our couch for our families, who we couldn’t gather with over Easter and Mothers Day. We took the summer off to have socially distant friend hangs and meet my 8-month-old niece, while numbers were low (she was born days after the first lockdown began!). Alas, here we are again. 

https://www.facebook.com/594491189/videos/10157607683506190/

This project is an extension of our ever-expanding musical curiosity. We started with just us signing and an acoustic guitar. In our latest piece, we’ve expanded to include drums, bass, electric guitar, dual clarinets, tambourine and some snappy harmonies. The songs featured are covers, but all the music and video are recorded and edited by the two of us! 

Enjoy! (Happy Birthday Greg.)

Philip Mikulec: Managing Director

Hello! I’m Philip, Peg City Car Co-op’s Managing Director, and fearless leader. When we first went into lockdown in March, I thought to myself, no problem I got this. As a card-carrying member of the I Don’t Need Anybody, Introverts Club, I figured I’d weather COVID with ease. To my surprise, cabin fever set in faster than COVID dies on a surface! I soon realized I’m going to need more than my introvert strengths to make it through. Learning from my hubris from round one, I’m more prepared than ever to deal with COVID round two! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, here we go! 

One of the things I started to miss quickly during round one of lockdown was my commute to the office! It was nice to get out of the house, but as an all-year-round cyclist, it was also a great way to get exercise daily. With no more biking to and from the office, I needed to find new ways to move around. Lucky for me, I’ve got a 9-year old dog who’s as fit as a fiddle, and always raring to go (usually she’s carrying me)! I now tag along with my partner to get some much needed fresh air and exercise. 

My partner and I have also taken to eating way more home-cooked meals. One of my most recent favourites is baking focaccia bread. Once baked, I cut the focaccia in half, cover it in garden-fresh pizza sauce, top it with a mound of mozzarella cheese, and then bake it a second time!

To cap off the night, I will usually cover myself in all the blankets we own, surround myself in candles, and read a book for at least an hour. It’s too easy to sink into a rhythm of binge-watching reality tv all night, but a steady diet of tv junk food can only get you so far! 

Stay home, Stay Safe, Stay sane.

Thanks for reading folks! Feel free to share your lockdown self-care project with us on Facebook and Instagram using #pegcitycarcoop!