Purim planning

[magid]

I started multi-grain bread dough this morning. The plan is to go home before megillah reading, and make rolls for mishloach manot. Usually I just do twists, but I'm thinking this year of trying to make triangular rolls (three circles in a triangle ought to bake into the shape I want). Though perhaps I should stick to the more challah-looking twisted rolls. I suppose it depends on time once I get home. Anyway, those will go into the oven on time bake (huzzah for time bake!).

Next, grab a copy of the megillah and a gragger or two, plus whatever last-minute prop I end up with as a costume. I used to spend a lot more time on costumes; I wish I had that enthusiasm again (or still).

Over to Tremont St. for the megillah reading. However, I'll be looking after the 3-year-old son of one of the readers, who may or may not want to be there for the noise. If he doesn't, his father will read me the whole thing afterward. Also while at shul, I will do machatzit ha-shekel, and matanot l'evyonim (over time, I've decided that it's more important to me to allocate money to this; definitely at least as much as on mishloach manot, and usually more. Most of my friends are not in dire need of the calories, thank goodness, while other people are in much more dire straits.).

When I'm home, assemble the mishloach manot. Since I'm not doing many, I'm customizing a bit, but using one basic template. They'll all have rolls, plastic knives, and napkins. They'll all have something I've canned, whether jam, applesauce, or chutney. They'll have some kind of fruit or nuts, depending on who has nut allergies, etc.

In the morning, look after the boy again; hopefully in the usually-more-subdued morning reading, he'll be fine in shul. Deliver one of the mishloach manot, with a request to deliver another one for me (to their lunch hosts).

Plan A: go to work. Deliver more mishloach manot on the way home. Have a solitary seudah before Shabbat. Cook for Shabbat.
Plan B: take the day off. Deliver more mishloach manot. Tag along to a seudah I wasn't directly invited to (though I know the hosts). Cook for Shabbat.

Neither plan is perfect :-(. Both are technically fine, though.