Things to do to keep yourself safe from COVID-19 coronavirus

Limited access, social distancing lines in parking lot.

Trader Joe's in Charlottesville, Virginia is doing it right. Limiting the number of customers in the store at one time, social distancing the wait lines outside the store and limiting like item purchases to two. Staff even wipes down your cart before you enter and there is a buzz of constant cleaning inside. I was glad to see staff wearing protective gloves.

Of course I would get Typhoid Mary immediately behind me who coughed, sneezed, and kept creeping up closer and closer to me in line. You are not going to get in the store any faster by crowding me! I do not want whatever you have, STAY AT HOME! NO ONE is wearing masks.

I'm a bit disgusted today by the lack of seriousness converning coronavirus in the United States. I called the home health care agency in Tennessee that my in-laws hire for what is deemed "non-medical" support (no medicine is dispensed, no diagnosis, no monitoring, etc.) They responded to my questioning with mixed information. First I was told they didn't send anyone out that was sick, then I was told they didn't send anyone out without a mask that is sick. I was later told they were not required to make their staff wear a mask because they were "non-medical".  I could only demand that they not send anyone to my in-laws that was sick!

We're fortunate to have fresh eggs!

Concerning online information, it's a mixed bag. There is a 19 hour lag time before the Virginia Department of Health reports numbers. We know there are four reported cases in Charlottesville and the current "health department" chart only reports one. There is a EPA published list of disinfectants that can be used to kill COVID-19. It's a bit technical but it looks like Ammonia, Bleach, and Hydrogen Peroxide all kill the virus on surfaces. We always used bleach at the animal shelter to kill canine parvovirus and other nasty germs. Mix chemicals according to the directions, making bleach "stronger" is not going to kill anything more. It is only going to irritate your nose!  Also let the counters, surfaces and dishes air dry because the chemicals do take time to "work". Drying plates with a rag only covers it with more contaminants!

Weekend project, ripping out carpet, installing LVP flooring.

Please also be careful what you click when online. As with any crisis, there are always those trying to make a buck from a bad situation. Stay at home if you can, go out only if you must. Over and over I also see everyone looking at their phone when out and while shopping. Do not use your phone when you are out, it is a major source of contaminant.  Enjoy your time at home and employ a few of my tips to keep yourself occupied. Be well, be safe.

~Rebecca




 

Keeping busy, How to not go crazy staying inside while Coronavirus COVID-19 is here

Birdhouse parts handmade by Anthony

When inside the house there is a constant barrage of coronavirus and stock market news of which none is good. I would rather be informed than uninformed but I can see how people can get depressed without any break in the constant flow of doom and gloom. It's important mentally to unplug and clear your mind. Read a riveting book (Keep the kids busy reading Nancy Drew Mysteries), work a challenging puzzle, plant a garden, bake a loaf of bread, walk down the street if still permitted, play some cards (remember Solitaire) or games if you are hunkered down with others! My husband just finished rebuilding a rotted birdhouse. I really feel for people that have to be confined to apartments or housing without a yard. No wonder people are going to balconies in Italy to cheer and make some noise!

Birdhouse assembled

I have to walk outside between the house and garage to get to my office loft and when I swing open the door I get a wonderful blast of fresh air and COLOR. Blazing white, yellow, and pink blooming Spring trees and shrubs - American Pear, Bradford Pears (pretty even though terrible trees to plant), Peach blossoms, Forsythia and Daffodils. It's so mind jarring that all of the stress washes away. I intentionally designed my office space to have 2 extra large windows so I could be up close and personal with nature. We hung a bird feeder 2 stories high because a bear decided he wanted to destroy the ground level suit feeder (pole and all). Sitting in my office I'm getting quite a show this time of year.

My neighbor with his jumbo tiller

I'm hearing of more and more people planting a Victory Garden in the US. We just finished cleaning up our vegetable plot, planting lettuce, kale, and chives. We often get critters dining on our crops so it's hard to know if we'll get anything for ourselves. Corn and beans are never successful. My neighbor is preparing his electrified garden that seems to always keep out the hungry wildlife. I have gobs of old seed that I'm giving to a friend to give a friend. Happy to share! I read about a local woman picking up some bread for housebound neighbors from a local bakery. We only have one case identified so far in our area. That doesn't mean there aren't more but we can still do a few things without extreme fear.

Big trees and birds, out my home office window

I did have to make an emergency trip yesterday to pick up a jumbo bag of cat food because they have discontinued the food our cats have been eating for 15 years! Perfect timing. I would have been stocked up otherwise. I had to investigate what food to switch to so had to make the trip to the store. The Charlottesville Petsmart was well stocked, it's a big open store, and very few people were there! I didn't see one mask which is disconcerting. I did have a scarf wrapped around my neck to pull up if anyone was coughing or sneezing or the clerks looked ill. I probably should have worn it regardless due to the fact that the droplets can stay in the air for 3 hours! 

Gus is glad Anthony is home 24 x 7 - FEED ME!

Anthony has not left the house for nearly a week. All families are undergoing some serious adjustments. Rules need to be set, that's for sure! In 12 hours I've encountered a sticky kitchen floor and crumbs all over the stove. My husband was kindly taking out the laundry and he smashed into me and I spilled my coffee and we don't even have what I would call close quarters! I turned around and nearly fell over a big box my husband had thrown in the floor. My friends with kids call it chaos! Life has changed but in the end hopefully we'll be saying that something IS worse than coronavirus --- going back to work!

~Rebecca

Brilliant ideas or flops to help you get through the Coronavirus COV-19 outbreak

I've run across some brilliant ideas during the coronavirus outbreak but several seem to be sketchy at best. Do homemade masks and hand sanitizers really work?

Please, no blowing of bubbles in crowed spaces.

Due to the shortage of COVID-19 protection gear, there are a series of homemade DIY mask projects online. Most do not screen the ultra teeny particles or allow side and top seepage. Genius Asian explains the defects in most masks and in a pinch how to improve upon masks. The best "mask" that I've seen is a motorcycle helmet! Lucky for all the cyclists. I also thought this simple idea of altering a binder sleeve was brilliant but you would also have to wear a mask as the virus can stay in the air for hours after someone sneezes.

Even better, take a bubble bath!

There are hundreds of recipes online for DIY hand sanitizers. The ratio has to be just right (over 60% alcohol) in order to even be effective. The best idea I've come across online is to forget the hand sanitizer and wash your dam hands or use a tissue when touching things and carefully fold it and toss it!

Pills anyone? A great disguise is a roll top butter dish

I was very curious as to why one of my customers would buy an ornate 1940s roll top butter dish. Who in their right mind would be hosting a formal dinner during the coronavirus outbreak? Their novel answer would be explained in their review, "Lovely and unique addition to our master bathroom, we are actually using it to hold our night pills...aesthetically much better and easier to use then a old prescription bottle."

A little dancing couldn't hurt strengthen lungs.

The personal journey documented by UK tourists that were aboard the Princess Cruise Ship has been logged by David Abel. In great detail he describes his symptoms and praises the overwhelming kindness shown by the Japanese hospital staff during their (his wife is also infected) months of quarantine! He believes that the simple breathing technique explained by EFT kept him off a ventilator and saved his life.

This garden beauty made me smile!

Of course the key to minimizing your contact with the virus is to do what the World Health Organization recommends. If you are sick in any manner, absolutely STAY THE F**K AT HOME. Yesterday I mentioned that I felt like I was coming down with something. I will NOT be making in trips out until my symptoms disappear (unless they carry me out on a stretcher). I am quite shocked that I caught something given how ridiculous I am about hand washing and not touching anything when I go out. It just goes to show how virulent coronavirus is.

United States primary voting, even by ballot, is risky for those on the receiving line!  

The good news is that I appear to have a sinus infection and no symptoms match the coronavirus symptoms. This is not an uncommon thing for me to get late Winter early Spring. It's a good day to stay inside by the wood stove as it is cold and damp. But I did poke around the yard a bit to see what popped up overnight.

~Rebecca