Does anyone else remember the images of children with umbrellas, struggling with the wind, as symbols for the month of March. My elementary school classrooms sported these images at this time of year, and it seems the weather this year is picture perfect.
Another quiet day here at Mist Cottage.
Attila’s last grocery run was Friday, and we will avoid the grocery stores as long as we can from now on. I drink lactose free milk, and there was none in the stores last week, so whatever I have in the refrigerator will have to last as long as possible. So I will stop making yogurt for now, and perhaps freeze some of the existing milk supply, two cartons, to be used sparingly in the weeks and months to come. Of course, I might be able to get some again when we start ordering groceries to be picked up, but we will wait as long as we can before trying to obtain more food. The fewer exposures to other humans in close proximity, the better.
Our current supplies allow us to eat healthy food until our attempt to order for pick up. NoFrills, our local store, is offering free orders for pick up, at store prices, which is a really smart strategy, as there are quite a few people who won’t forget how this food chain stepped up to the plate when it was needed. No seniors hours there yet. They will have our custom for as long as we shop here for groceries. The free service might attract new customers, who could get very comfortable with ordering for pick up, so that when all this has passed, the chain may have a larger customer base. Of course, not having attempted it yet, experience may relieve me of my optimism, it might not work out quite the way it is described by the company.
I’ve decided to begin making a written list of projects, large and small. Right now, with my concerns about Attila being out there every day, I find it difficult to focus on physical activities. The written to-do list will be like training wheels for keeping active. It is too easy to sink into the hole of checking the continually blasting information, and to worry. Some attention needs to be paid to how things are unfolding of course, but only in small doses.
Where Attila works there have now been two executives arriving within the last few days from traveling abroad, who have not self-isolated, and have come in to the facility to work. They have not been tested, so we don’t know if they have the virus, yet, but the next two weeks should tell all. There is no protection from these awful people, employees are stuck with this kind of endangerment. We pray Attila hasn’t been exposed. And another local case, a hospital worker, should have known better, who has tested positive, and as far as I can tell went back to work, because they are trying to contact other empolyees, so the person must of have gone back to work. There is a claim that no patients were exposed, but it seems other employees might have been.
Worldly
Weather
2°C
Date: 9:00 PM EDT Tuesday 17 March 2020
Condition: Mainly Clear
Pressure: 102.3 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 2.2°C
Dew point: -6.2°C
Humidity: 54%
Wind: W 15 gust 31 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“Our Grandparents were called to war. You’re being called to sit on your couch. You can do this.”
Michael Miller, March 17, 2020
Ugh. I do wish people would stop being special flowers and decide that the rules apply to them, too. If we all cooperate, there will be no need for Big Brother to take control for us. I fear what might happen if that becomes the case.
Maybe the reality of the crisis hasn’t hit these people yet. Such a worry…..
Wendy, I agree, humans have descended into hieirachies where a few individuals near or working for the top of the pyramid feel above it all, untouchable. Interesting, since we can ONLY communicate digitally, and that can easily be monitored, even provide smart surveillance in most homes in North America, it seems we might already be there, we just don’t know it yet.
Joan, I think you are right, they aren’t aware they risked their own lives, and therefore they are blithely unaware they have risked the lives of others.
Thought you might find this interesting, though I wonder about the aerosol statements because they’ve been saying COVID is large droplet spread, so they may habe been forcing it to aerosolize when it actually doesn’t do that. But either way the info is useful.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-new-coronavirus-can-persist-in-air-for-hours-and-on-surfaces-for-days-3/
Thanks Teri! Good article.
I am isolating things I can’t spray, like paper receipts, for a minimum of 9 days. Items like my groceries are getting misted with aqueous oxygen as they come into the house.
Since there is a local case of the virus now, and he may have been in our grocery store, this seems appropriate to me, but I have been doing this for two weeks now, before that case came to light.
Right now I am trying to figure out how to stragegize grocery ordering and pickup. The pickup is the tricky part, the area is right by the cash registers, crowded with shoppers, doesn’t seem safe to me. Maybe the store will offer carry out to seniors and vulnerable people at some point. Once the goods are in the trunk of the car I can mist them and disinfect them myself before getting in, and before touching them.
I know Zehrs/Loblaws has said they will bring orders out to your car, and you don’t have to interact with the person bringing your groceries if you don’t want to. Just open the trunk and you can sit in your car.
We went grocery shopping today at noon. The paper and cardboard items are now stored separately from items already here. They’ll stay separated for 24 hours. Plastic packaged items are separated and will remain that way for 4 days. But if we must use something, we’ll wash our hands after emptying and trashing the container. If the item is in the freezer, like meat packaged in plastic, we’ll give it an extra 2 days.
Thanks Teri, we don’t have any of those stores near us, but it is such a great idea and I’d definitely take advantage of it.
Separating the items is such a great idea, all these new habits to get into, buying things isn’t fun anymore, 🙂