Still stuck at home? Get cooking, get creative and get outside

Finding things to do during a quarantine is much easier than you might think, especially if you have access to Richland Library.

Richland Library, like many other businesses, has shut its doors to help discourage group gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But there are numerous ways to utilize the library’s services remotely.

Laura Bliss Morris, content strategist with Richland Library, offers some ideas for things to do while everyone is “stuck at home.”

“I’m the wife of a first-responder, so I often find myself stuck at home during lengthy inclement weather events,” Bliss Morris said. “Overall, I’ve probably done about half of the items on the list. I’d like to try one of the vintage recipes next.”

Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared nine of the items on the list, and we’re sharing the rest today. For the complete list, go to www.richlandlibrary.com/blog/2020-03-16/stuck-home.

Dig up some classic Southern favorites with the library’s vintage cookbook collection. This isn’t just a list of recipes, it’s actually a virtual collection of “vintage” cookbooks from around the area. Cookbooks include:

▪ “Favorite Recipes of the Woman’s Club of Columbia, South Carolina,” by Woman’s Club of Columbia (1947)

▪ “Favorite Recipes and Directory, Waverly Methodist Church,” by Waverly Methodist Church (1926)

▪ “Trinity Bazaar Cookbook: 120 Favorite Recipes,” by Daughters of the Holy Cross Bazaar Committee (1952)

▪ “Relishing Recipes from Rural Richland,” by Home Demonstration Clubs of Richland County (1950)

▪ “Time for Action Cookbook,” by League of Women Voters of South Carolina (1970)

▪ “Jewish Twentieth Century Cook Book,” by Tree of Life Congregation Columbia Temple Sisterhood (1935)

▪ “Reformation Recipes,” by Reformation Lutheran Church (1971)

In all there are a dozen cookbooks you can delve into. In the “Favorite Recipes and Directory, Waverly Methodist Church,” you can find a recipe for “Vegetable Soup for Babies,” and how to make “Biscuits for Constipation.”

In “Favorite Recipes of the Woman’s Club of Columbia, South Carolina,” you can find a recipe for Shrimp Pie and Tomato Soup that uses a quart of tomatoes, a pint of sweet milk, “soda,” and two soda crackers “pulverized.”

There are many “vintage” recipes to choose from — and right now, a lot of time to try them out.

Activate the right side of your brain and try some new crafts with Creativebug.

Creativebug.com has thousands of arts and craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.

There are instructional videos for, among other things, drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crochet, quilting, baking.

You’re quarantined and isolated. If you don’t like what you draw, paint, sew, knit, crochet, quilt or bake, who will know? On the other hand, you could end up with a new hobby.

Start a conversation with Table Topics. Check for daily prompts on Richland Library’s Facebook page. These are prompts for conversations such as, “what was your New Year’s resolution and have you kept it?” Or for your kids, “what would be a good flavored toothpaste?” or “who is the funniest person you know?”

“Don’t tell my husband, but I’ve also been trying out the daily Table Topics prompts from our Facebook page when we finally sit down and have a few minutes together at the end of the day,” Bliss Morris said.

Her secret is safe with us, right?

The Richland Library Facebook page is a good resource for a wealth of other things such as virtual storytime (for adults and kids), information and news.

Take a quick one-, three- or five-minute break with a short story. It could be a poem, or a story, and the site also includes a brief bio on some of the authors. The stories may be funny, nostalgic, romantic, classic literature, slice of life, or fit in several other categories.

Get to know some of your favorite authors, illustrators, musicians, artists and more with Richland Library’s Off Book series. The series features quick, and often seemingly random, questions that connect us all — as people — and gets to the root of what drives some of the most creative minds that we know to keep learning, creating and sharing.

Author interviews in this series include Laurie Halse Anderson, Leonard Pitts and Vivian Howard.

Here is a bonus idea from Bliss Morris: Being quarantined doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors. Spend some time in your yard and reap the benefits of having time at home.

“Since the weather has been so nice, I’ve been outside as much as I can with the kids,” she said. “Naturally, this time has led to gardening and seed planting. The library has some great resources on native plants and some really knowledgeable staff, so watch for another blog post soon.

“Oh, and all those toilet paper roll tubes that you’re using up ... they make really great seed starters.”

If you have questions about getting a library card or downloading digital materials, you can contact Richland Library staff by calling any library location or online. Despite the libraries being closed, staff are still available via phone and online through Ask a Librarian, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mondays-Fridays. Go to www.richlandlibrary.com and click on locations for phone numbers. Click on “Ask Us” to get help online.

Lezlie Patterson, special to GoColumbia

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Still stuck at home? Get cooking, get creative and get outside."