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Thursday, April 2, 2020

Playing Emotional Catch Up

I guess I'll do a "trigger warning" if reading about people dealing with their new lockdown reality isn't something you want to read about right now.  You won't offend me.  I'm having to pick and choose what I read about these days too.  



I got some wood all polyed up yesterday which felt like a major win given how I've felt the past few days.

Not gonna lie, I've been a scattered mess.  The Mr and I are just starting to absorb everything y'all have had about two weeks to absorb so we're playing emotional catch up.  I'm trying to figure out if our reactions to things are overreactions or if we're about on par with how people are feeling.  I just know I can't keep breaking out into hives every day or having anxiety attacks with too much reading or I'm not going to make it mentally intact by whenever.

Last night after our walk in the hood and talking with some of our neighbors at socially acceptable distances, we saw that this is at the forefront of everyone's mind.  The one neighbor lady almost started crying and we told her where we lived if she needed anything.  She lives alone and I think the other lady does too.  The walks are the only thing that keeps us feeling normal these days.  Then the subject of the grocery store comes up and it just gets frustrating all over again.  I know they're doing the best they can but pick ups are a week out, delivery isn't even an option at some of them where I thought I was lucking out and that just leaves going into the store to expose ourselves.  I'm just going to ask...anyone else wearing a mask?  (Homemade or otherwise)  The Mr thinks we should be but I've only seen one person do that.  We hand sanitize the second we get to the car, then wash our hands when we get home.  I'm just curious what everyone is doing since no one really seems to talk about that.

We watched the 80's classic, April Fools Day because, well, you know.  We ate pizza and ice cream at my suggestion too...ask if I care right now.  I ate right the rest of the day so I'm not too worried.  During the movie, I looked up Deborah Foreman (the main actress) and saw her website and that it said "Philippians 4 6-7." 

I'm not a bible reader so I couldn't pull it up mentally so I looked it up and here it is:

(Source)

It helped me to read it and I thought I'd share it in case someone else needed to see it. 

Or if you're not down with that kind of thing, here's a puppy.

(Source)



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18 comments:

  1. For me it was just a triple whammy emotionally at the beginning because of starting a new job, the renovation and the first time in my existence of ever being told to stay home due to a global pandemic. I was just a total wreck of a human being. Renovations put me on edge enough as it is without all the extra stuff. But now that the other stuff has kind of dropped off I am with you in terms of being able to just process what is really happening now all on its own and really feeling the brunt of what is going on. It is also true that even when you look at seemingly harmless things, or even just take a walk around the neighborhood, the bad news has just infiltrated every aspect of life. Very hard to escape that and we somehow just have to find a way to stay sane and be thankful for each day we wake up without symptoms.

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    1. I've never seen you so stressed as that first week. There was no way to know when we scheduled that that all of that would hit at the same time. I felt so bad for the lady that almost cried yesterday but this morning I'm right there with her as I went through shirts I was willing to sacrifice for homemade masks. (I hope you like Labyrinth and aloha!) I suppose I should start looking for seeds online for herbs and flowers.

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  2. Hey There!
    I had a N95 mask in my woodshop. You bet your bippy I wear it in the store! I didn't give a rat's patootie what other shoppers thought of me before, so even less now. My Mumsie is 80 with compromised health and I can't gamble with this. As soon as Disney closed, I started my hibernation. I was to the store twice early in but now won't go back until May if possible. The first week was tough. I found myself apathetic. I slept alot and ate all the things. I deep cleaned and decluttered. I consumed my dvr recordings. Then I kinda woke up and realized I needed a plan to keep my mind intact. I caught up with people, they were happy to chat. My cable company released a crap ton of content so I am watching Curb your enthusiasm reruns. I'm working a puzzle. I'm cooking new recipes. I developed a good routine. I limit my covid media exposure to the daily tracker of cases and deaths. I walk my doggo twice a day. I am taking time daily to write letters of appreciation to those I love. I now view this loss of freedom as temporary. It's an inconvenience, a huge one, but livable. Thank you for being here, I love your posts.
    Be well

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    1. LOL...I'm glad I'm not the only one that says bippy! People are going to get a dose of Hawaii on our homemade masks. I haven't even tried to find any because there are so many health workers that need them more than we do. Yeah, we're kind of in your first stage since this has been our first real week with nothing major to focus on. Thank you so much for your kind words, they really lifted me! <3

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  3. I just received my n95 masks in the mail and Tuesday was the first day I wore it, along with gloves, when I went to work. I'll do that again today when I'm out in the common areas, and then tomorrow when I grocery shop for them. I see a lot of people wearing masks at the grocery store now, and interestingly enough, a lot of men wearing them. It was also recommended for contact wearers to wear glasses instead if possible (less contact with the eyes) so I've been doing that. It's a little weird with the mask, but I do okay.
    I admit in the beginning I was still going to stores, and while keeping the appropriate distance and being respectful of others, I wasn't fully "getting it" about the real dangers (this was prior to mask wearing as well). I have a completely different viewpoint after reading more about what covid-19 is and isn't, and the anxiety is amped up a bit. I do love that Bible verse you posted and it's one I've kept in my purse for years for that very reason -- comfort and how to take action. The version I have says this:
    "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

    It has helped more times than I can count.

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    1. You were so lucky to get those masks when you did! I've got some shirts in the washer and a no-sew mask pattern...not how I thought I'd start my day but whatcha gonna do? We always wear our AirTamers out which have proven to keep me from getting sick in the past in situations I 100% would have and they have also been suggested as means of protection so I feel lucky to at least have been wearing those thus far. Yes, that verse does help and I especially need to focus on it.

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    2. I'm glad to have gotten the masks too because they are required for work now. I only have a small pouch of gloves left and those are very hard to find now. I have no doubt your Air Tamers have definitely helped! So glad you have those!

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  4. When my husband starts to say anything, I say - this is now the world we live in, snap out of it.

    Yes, you need to online order. Be glad it is not two weeks.

    Start your online order now, and pick it up in a week. You can modify the order as you think of things, probably up until the day before pick up.

    Get used to making do with what is in the house.

    As soon as you get home with that order, start the next order.

    Do not open your window or door at pick up. Open your trunk and have them put groceries and paperwork in trunk.

    Everything from the store needs to be disinfected. We work out of the trunk of the car. We do not carry groceries in the house.

    My husband is the dirty hands. I am the clean. He opens a box and I pull out the liner (crackers, cereal) and put the food in the house, he puts the box in recycling. He washes all Plastic/glass/waxed containers and produce/eggs in a big dishpan of soapy water in the sink. I dry and put away.

    Plastic grocery bags stay in the garage. We prop the screen door open so we are not touching it, we still wash our hands a lot. I switch drying towels a lot.

    My middle daughter and I (asthma) wear masks on a regular basis (before all this hit). Airplanes, airports, crowds. And it is not any different than wearing a hearing aide or being on crutches. When we are in smaller areas we do not see other masks, as soon as we hit a larger area we see masks. International we see lots of masks.

    My husband was still going to store two weeks ago, he wore a mask and gloves, stripped/showered as soon as he got home.

    If you go Where there are people or people have youched things, when you get home everything you had on needs to go in the washer and you need to take a shower.

    We take huge precautions in opening mail and packages. Assume the person that packed the box is sick. Assume the person that delivered the box is sick.

    Two of us have been in for three weeks. Two of us have been in for two weeks. And absolutely no one has been in our house.

    We wipe down bathrooms and kitchen every day. We wipe down handles, door knobs, phones, remotes every day too. As I put away groceries, I wipe down the inside the refrigerator.

    Even if something is coming in from a neighbor, who does not think they are sick and has been in quarantine, I wash it.

    We are very very lucky because even though the virus lives a long time on surfaces (and probably even freezing does not kill it), it is vulnerable to soap and water.

    We should have all been in masks, in public, from day one. Two weeks is a long time to be infected and not know it. 18% of infected people have such mild cases that they do not know they are sick.

    The only source I read is the CDC.

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    1. Well, wherever you are seems to have a better grocery system together than we do because what you order is NOT what you get. $80 worth of groceries ordered and $27 fulfilled full of non-essentials. That's happened 3x now so yeah...grocery store is unfortunately a non-negotiable. We just have to stick to off-peak times like we have been.

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    2. I have to order $200 to get $100.
      I mark what is and is not substitutable and write notes.
      I diversify a lot of what I order. From week to week what is available/out changes. I do pick up on Tuesday mornings and they seem to be better stocked.
      I tip my person (I put $5 in trunk)

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    3. I am using Kroger
      Word here (Indiana) is some stores are going to go to online orders only (which they should have done two weeks ago) It will protect staff and keep everything cleaner

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  5. I have two choices in town - Safeway and WalMart. Neither does delivery, and only WalMart does online order/curbside pickup. I haven't done a pick-up yet - but according to friends who have tried all the slots are filled. I think grocery shopping is non-negotiable for me too. I've been reading a lot about how gloves don't actually help and it makes sense, so I'll skip the gloves. Masks... I'm going to have to think about it some more. Can you share your no sew pattern and tell me how it goes? Otherise I'll be going all bandit like with a bandana wrapped around my nose and mouth.

    A friend told me they had eggs and flour at Safeway the other day so I ran down and picked those up as well as whatever else was on my list. For now the plan is to just go whenever we run out of milk.

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    1. Yeah we have a smaller store that seems to stay more stocked than the big boys (though Target did come through for us the other night when we went at 8pm) I refuse to go to Trader Joe's because they are doing nothing and their employees are looking at it as a reason to party and gab up front and are all apathetic because they're young and apparently told from upper mgmt to "not give the appearance anything is different." ??? It's ALL different now! *rolling eyes*

      I found this one which is what I'm going to cut two of and layer them together with Fabric Fusion (then probably whip stitch but just want something to hold them together for me first.) Then the Mr saw from this infectious disease expert he follows to put a half a paper towel in between to act as your "filter." The guy says 3 layers will act the closest to N95 as we non-health essential peeps can get.

      https://doc-08-bo-apps-viewer.googleusercontent.com/viewer/secure/pdf/j1h5re964a9i1d4qf8ftde9c9uaugb95/hdqe02570lc9rq5uqoep5m35pkq2vrqa/1585838250000/gmail/17531226358287090152/ACFrOgBKDzFqDviMH-kHtajdDnXBIviN3LNeb5YQnBZ2ebuzXQUkSaqC8Qj8u_L9A6Z9qDFrkUi7vClh2NthG6mvMKXVlUt3U2aseNnhdvLztTGMx0E0Ye2llXvXF8Q=?print=true&nonce=g92oo3g9odvja&user=17531226358287090152&hash=jlqukrilb56t6ah1suoko8u890prps33

      I will fuse together maybe 1/4 on each side on the bottom so we can slip the paper towels in and out with any outing so they don't slip out on their own. I plan to make 6 total so we can wash them after every use as recommended plus keep two in a baggie in the console in case we forget them from home.

      I also found this no sew tutorial (http://blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie?fbclid=IwAR0wEgYWHwSsovN1YfjPi4cjUR6hMA30Pid2sZ2r42-WGysggxlBZNceMnw) It basically uses an 18" square (your bandit wear should work!) and two hair ties or even old sock band tops for loops around the ears! You could slip the paper towel in that one too.

      Hope that helps!!

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  6. We haven't been wearing masks when going out, even to the grocery stores, but we have been limiting how often we go. We have been going to the store in our village. Delivery/curb side pick-up is not an option at our local store. To limit exposure only one of us goes in the store and with a list already prepared. The store is limiting the number of customers to 15 and they have marked out the wait locations to ensure social distancing on the sidewalk outside the store. The store has also made the aisles one way, are cleaning the carts/baskets themselves after each use, installed plexiglass shields at the cash to protect their staff, requested that everyone pay using credit/debit, if you want to use re-usable bags, you have to pack your groceries yourself.

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  7. http://www.fabricpatch.net/face-masks-for-covid-19-relief.htm

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  8. I live close to Rochester, MN (where Mayo Clinic is located) and I drove in to do some necessary grocery shopping today. I have only been going once a week to feed our large family. Today there were multiple people wearing masks and rubber gloves. I did not wear them, but had them in the car. I have been taking the proper precautions of washing hands and not touching face, as well as staying as far away as possible from people. After my trip today, I feel like I will be wearing a mask and gloves from now on.

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    1. I drive about an hour to get to an Aldi, Trader Joes, Target, etc and curbside pickup is booked up to two weeks out for Walmart. I do not have the option to have groceries delivered unless I do Amazon Pantry, which they are sold out of a lot of my needs, plus they will not deliver fresh foods to my address.

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