Good morning! How was your weekend? It was a beautiful weekend here and I started the week refreshed and relaxed.
I don’t know about you but I am beginning to worry about COVID-9. These are uncertain times and waking each day to more and more infected people, no real consensus of how the virus spreads, seeing friends in Italy quarantined, people stranded on ships and in hotels, the market going haywire, are all causes for concern. There is so much unknown at this point.
I am I believe in good health but I have friends and family that have compromised immune systems or are older so those are the ones I worry for.
There is no hand sanitizer to be had at any store in my neighborhood, nor are there are all of the ingredients to make your own. Bottled water on any given day is in short supply. I rarely use hand sanitizer so I am not worried about that, I have lots, and lots of soap and I wash my hands all the time. I also wipe my hands with wipes every time I get back in my car from wherever I am; yoga, the gym, the store, Fed-ex, etc. I am having a problem not touching my face or tucking my hair behind my ears, I have to be more mindful about that. As for water, I drink tap water and until I am told otherwise I won’t worry about stocking up on that.
I have purchased a few things, (nothing in over the top quantities) toilet paper, kleenex, canned tomatoes, rice, beans, pasta, frozen vegetables and baking supplies.
The baking supplies are to keep me occupied in case we are at home for a few weeks. I have also stocked up on puzzles which will be an alternative to playing on the internet or working should we have to be self quarantined.
I think as we move forward, we have to be mindful, wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face. If you are feeling sick, stay home. For the foreseeable future, don’t shake hands, or hug friends, family and strangers. Think about what you touch on a daily basis that we don’t disinfect, your cell phone, your steering wheel, your glass, doorknobs and get to it. Sanitize these things.
Aside from that I am living life until we have more information. What are you doing to prepare for COVID-9? Have stocked up on anything? Are you making plans should your kids be at home? What would you do if you had to self quarantine?
I am not an expert or a doctor so I am keeping an eye on the news and will be heading any warnings in my own town.
On a totally separate note, is anyone else disgusted and disturbed by the movie The HUNT? I do not know what is more frightening the fact that someone though this up or that producers paid for it to be made, that well known actors are staring in it or that people will spend their hard earned money to go see it.
As I close this post I just heard that the ENTIRE country of Italy is on lockdown. That is amazing.
Better days are ahead, have a great one.
Monday Musings No. 38
Kitchen and Life Update
Monday Musings No.21
Lottery Fever
I stocked up on some canned goods, not ton–just enough for two weeks at home. Our pantry was bare, so it was needed regardless.
We all got flu shots, which don't protect against Covid-19 but they keep us from getting sick in general. We shouldn't catch it and even if we do, we shouldn't get sick because we are all in good health and not yet elderly. In that sense, I think the public reaction is overblown.
At the same time, so many people are piggish. My stepdaughter visited despite having the flu (the regular kind). Yes, we'd been vaccinated in November. But what about the people on the plane? She took Tylenol to be sure to pass any check for fever at the airport. She doesn't cover her mouth when she coughs and doesn't wash her hands after blowing her nose. She worries about what germs people might give her, but she doesn't care what germs she might spread to others. The kind of person who wants to game the system if infected to continue to infect others, but who, if not infected, will go out and buy up all the sanitizer and toilet paper and masks she can find.
Which brings us to the movie. It seems to be a feeble attempt to make a white version of "Get Out," maybe crossed with a dose of dystopia à la "Hunger Games." A pathetic play to be edgy. Shameful.
I have cut down on listening to the news or watching TV. It was making me overly anxiety ridden. I already have anxiety.
My mother is in her 80's and has a serious heart health issue and lung and kidney issues. She lives in her own condo with one of my brothers.
She and my brother are those I am concerned about.
Can't buy those things here either. Or the supplies. But I think soap and water are effective. What I wanted sanitized wipes for are door knobs, and stuff like that. I don't think the news is overblown; possibly the public's reaction is. Because I am a news junkie and read news outlets much of the day, I can see that this country is ill equipped to deal with this kind of thing. The administration has done away with putting money into programs to keep us safe in order to give tax breaks to the rich. Trump has no idea what he's doing. It's all politics for him. He didn't even know you could die of the regular flu and his own grandfather died of it. I'm trying to stay in as much as possible because I'm over 60. When the tests are more available there will be many, many more cases in the US. We just don't have adequate testing here and it will be weeks until we do because we're so far behind in our reaction to it.
Brenda
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51761435
Here's what we're doing: have stopped watching the news & are living normally. I'm shopping as I always do & I wash my hands not infrequently anyway.
The president is doing a fantastic job!
We are social distancing – only going out if we need to – and then keeping our distance. We are retired so this is relatively easy for us. I agree that the habit of touching your own face is a hard one to break. I am going to start cleaning keyboards, ipads, door handles… But we are not panicking – young people seem to shake it off well and it is the elderly and sick who are at most risk. Stay safe
If you want to know what could happen, read the piece on citizen free press from the Italian MD in the midst of the crisis. And please don't blame Trump. I realize that if you don't like him anyway every bad thing that happens is his fault, but try to be objective. He's using every resource available to protect the country, both medically and economically.
I'm finding I'm having problems not touching my face.