Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac

[Kyanight]

8 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

We keep a box of sandwich bags in the car for opening doors, pumping gas, etc.  Hubby says the bags work fine when you're punching the touch screen buttons at the gas station.

Even now, I walk into every store with a clorox wipe opened on each hand.  I touch NOTHING with my bare hands.  The employees at the entrance see me wiping down the cart handle, and they say, "We clean every one of those before we bring them into the store."  I thank them for doing that, but remind them that "I" am the person most responsible for my health.  

If I'm in a pinch and don't have a sandwich bag or clorox in my hand, I use the bottom of my t-shirt to open doors where I have to touch the handle.

I've done the same thing with my shirts a time or two.  And I also have a package of sandwich baggies in my car.  They are great for making a deposit at my bank - I don't have to touch the canister in the drive-thru.

[DakotaJustice]

2 minutes ago, Kyanight said:

Except my "Covid stylus" opens doors.  

Yeah I've seen that but all the stores I shop at now either have automatic doors or there's someone monitoring entry to make sure only a certain amount of people enter at any one time and the door is propped open. 

4 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

We may be COLs but we have some great survival instincts!  Thanks for the tips. I don't have anything to add except cutting eye holes in a grocery bag and wearing it for video conferences keeps people from shrieking in horror at my current hair "style".  PS use a paper bag, not plastic.  You don't want to look like you are on your way out to rob a 7-11.

Hee!

I just flashed on the Unknown Comic from the Gong Show. 🤔😂

[Pickleinthemiddle]

5 hours ago, Meowwww said:

I’ve wondered about that.  
Several grocery stores here have a plastic film on the pin pad where you pay with your card at the self checkout lanes. 
There’s a plastic film coating over the buttons.  But I’ve never seen it cleaned, it’s usually quite grubby because it’s nonstop person after person using them. 
Here in my little Wisconsin town, even at our Walmart, no one is wearing masks.  In my work town about 30 minutes from here, most are wearing masks, but it’s less and less people wearing them every day. 
 

Same where I live.  Less and less people wearing them.  Yes cases are going up, I'm not shocked by it, I knew it would happen.  I will continue to wear mine as I have had to work since all this started.  

[ehall1052]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

 

Even now, I walk into every store with a clorox wipe opened on each hand.  I touch NOTHING with my bare hands. 

Whenever they are available again, I’m only buying Lysol wipes. I have ruined several of my tops leaning onto grocery cart handles after using Clorox wipes. And dang it, one of them was brand new, the first time I wore it!

[laurakaye]

So this is where I wonder if I'm not being cautious enough.........

I don't do the baggies, or the Q-Tip, or the t-shirt.  I do carry hand sanitizer in my car, as well as antibacterial wipes.  My (possibly misguided) theory is that I am going to get germs on my hands no matter what I do.  The box of cereal that I put in my cart has likely been touched by at least 10 other humans before me, and I don't think anyone can say for sure if or for how long germs can stay on cardboard, glass, etc.  I err on the side of caution and assume that everything I touch is germy but as long as I sanitize and/or wash my hands whenever I can, and never touch my face unless my hands are clean (gotta get the contact lenses in and out of the eyeballs somehow, LOL) - I feel like I am being as safe as I possibly can be (I also wear a mask in public).

However, this is coming from someone who stopped watching the news a couple of months ago when literally everything I heard was contradicted depending on who you listen to, or what newschannel you get your info from, so who knows.  I don''t want to overreact, but I also don't want to underreact.  That's what I love about these threads - to each their own.  We're all figuring out our new normal within our own comfort zones.  At times I have desperately wished for someone in a position of power tell me, "THIS is what everyone should be doing!"  But I quickly realized that isn't going to happen, and the more you try and investigate, the more confusing it gets.

Ah.........2020.  Who knew.

Edited June 11, 2020 by laurakaye

[Meowwww]

5 hours ago, laurakaye said:

So this is where I wonder if I'm not being cautious enough.........

I don't do the baggies, or the Q-Tip, or the t-shirt.  I do carry hand sanitizer in my car, as well as antibacterial wipes.  My (possibly misguided) theory is that I am going to get germs on my hands no matter what I do.  The box of cereal that I put in my cart has likely been touched by at least 10 other humans before me, and I don't think anyone can say for sure if or for how long germs can stay on cardboard, glass, etc.  I err on the side of caution and assume that everything I touch is germy but as long as I sanitize and/or wash my hands whenever I can, and never touch my face unless my hands are clean (gotta get the contact lenses in and out of the eyeballs somehow, LOL) - I feel like I am being as safe as I possibly can be (I also wear a mask in public).

However, this is coming from someone who stopped watching the news a couple of months ago when literally everything I heard was contradicted depending on who you listen to, or what newschannel you get your info from, so who knows.  I don''t want to overreact, but I also don't want to underreact.  That's what I love about these threads - to each their own.  We're all figuring out our new normal within our own comfort zones.  At times I have desperately wished for someone in a position of power tell me, "THIS is what everyone should be doing!"  But I quickly realized that isn't going to happen, and the more you try and investigate, the more confusing it gets.

Ah.........2020.  Who knew.

I am the same as you. My hands are going to get germs.  I do have a problem with pushing my hair off my face.  I’ve never been so aware of it as I am now.  I guess I just sanitize and hope for the best   Working at my super busy essential job has me kind of numb to it, I guess  

My hubby is a “toucher”.  He touches all the produce, all the boxes, everything.  He isn’t allowed to go to the grocery store now.  I had a good couple of fits at him about it when we went to the store together. And I had to remind him about the 6 foot rule more than once, standing in line. So now it’s me who goes to the store. Poor guy lol, you should see me when he is driving and I’m in the passenger seat.  I may be a control freak.  

 

[deirdra]

My approach is similar to yours, Laurakaye.  I wear a mask and maintain social distancing in public, but then clean my hands & forearms scrupulously & throw my clothes in the wash when I come back from shopping. I wear my hair in a ponytail or side barrettes so it doesn't get in my face or cause me to touch my face.  I have a "landing spot" in my foyer where purchases that do not need to go into the fridge or freezer can sit for 3+ days before I put them away.

[suomi]

Pandemic sanitation hasn't been a big change for me because for as long as I can remember I haven't liked "outside" clothing in my house. I shed my outer clothing and wash my forearms when I get home and I consider my car to be a lost cause at this point.

I refuse to sit in a waiting room or restaurant or movie theater and then sit on my couches or beds with those same clothes. And crapola from those armrests being transferred to my armrests? No. Way. My car gets me from there to here so I gave up on it a long time ago. The seats and armrests smell clean and look clean but... they're not fooling me with that come-on. 

You should see my eyes dart around when someone comes over and I have to let them sit on something that isn't washable. I "get" Marie Barone's plastic-covered furniture on Everybody Loves Raymond.

I don't lose sleep over it but I don't gladly accept it. I guess it's a middle-of-the-road mania or fixation or whatever. 

I went from "aware" to "alert" about this 15 years ago when I was a CNA working in a memory care unit where about 70% of the patients were fully or partially incontinent. I picked up on that during my first shift and decided to never sit down in a patient area, and I never did. Then I saw a co-worker changing out of her scrubs every night at end of shift and thought "OK, that too." 

[CalicoKitty]

This is why I refuse to wear shoes in my house.  My shoes live in a shoe organizer in the garage and don't even make it inside.  Outside the door, shoes come off and house shoes or slippers  go on.  I have been doing this for many years.  I had a special area in the garage for my shoes from the hospital when I was still working.

[ehall1052]

6 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

This is why I refuse to wear shoes in my house.  My shoes live in a shoe organizer in the garage and don't even make it inside.  Outside the door, shoes come off and house shoes or slippers  go on.  I have been doing this for many years.  I had a special area in the garage for my shoes from the hospital when I was still working.

I have wanted to do this for a long time. How do you deal with guests coming into you house? I remember someone saying one time (on one of those doctor talk shows) that’s it’s very rude to ask a guest to remove their shoes.

[suomi]

39 minutes ago, ehall1052 said:

I have wanted to do this for a long time. How do you deal with guests coming into you house? I remember someone saying one time (on one of those doctor talk shows) that’s it’s very rude to ask a guest to remove their shoes.

I don't need to say anything.

I have a pretty little sign right inside my front door that says "Ahoha - Please Remove Your Shoes - Mahalo" and visitors see some flip flops lying right next to the door.

Those particular flip flops are my shower shoes but they don't know that so most people step out of their shoes right away and the few times it's been a repairman I have elasticized paper shoes for them to slip on over their shoes. 

Quite often people have said "Hey, I ask the same thing at my house."

If you don't have a sign and someone hesitates you could say "We just had the carpets cleaned" or "The carpet is new."

My carpet does happen to be new (and I love it!) so if I don't wear shoes indoors why should they?

However it goes down, it's your home and your rules. 

[Sandy W]

1 hour ago, ehall1052 said:

I have wanted to do this for a long time. How do you deal with guests coming into you house? I remember someone saying one time (on one of those doctor talk shows) that’s it’s very rude to ask a guest to remove their shoes.

The topic of shoes on/off can become dicey.  One friend relayed to me that she was very offended when asked to remove her shoes at someone's home.  She said that her shoes were an important part of her ensemble that she had carefully chosen to complement what she was wearing.

I lived for 5 years in a part of the country where shoes off was expected and almost mandatory.  During this time we visited an aunt and uncle on the west coast and automatically flipped off our shoes at the door.  At the second visit during our stay, my aunt drew me aside and related that it bothered both her and my uncle that we removed our shoes.  I have found it a good practice to "read the foyer" when entering someone's home for the first time, if the family shoes are arrayed there, it's safe to assume that shoes off is the policy.

What happens during sandal weather?  Would it be right to expect guests to be barefoot on carpeted areas, perhaps risking giving or receiving plantar's warts?  Removing shoes when the weather is inclement seems common sense and courteous, but I don't have a policy in my home.  Strangely, I find the younger generation almost 100% remove shoes at the door, that may stem from the fact that they have tiny tots at home, who spend a lot of time on the floor.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Sandy W
edit to remove blank space

[Kyanight]

We have removed shoes in the house for decades now.  I never once thought about the grossness of wart and toe fungus spreading though.   Ew!

We have a tray that holds shoes by the front door.

[suomi]

There's a screamin' e-book deal available today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, etc.

A set of four bios, 906 pages (!) for $2.99: Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Ingrid Bergman The author is Grace May Carter.

There goes the weekend. 

[MonicaM]

Thanks for the heads up, @suomi.  I barely finished reading your post before heading over to amazon and buying this set.  Like you, I know exactly what my main activity will be this weekend.  

(Side note/confession:  I love to read.  If Janelle would post on SM that she skipped her workout and grabbed a quick dinner from a fast food drive thru because she was reading a great book, I would completely understand.  Not only would I understand, but I'd probably applaud and defend her. 🤣)  

[CouchTater]

4 hours ago, suomi said:

There's a screamin' e-book deal available today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, etc.

A set of four bios, 906 pages (!) for $2.99: Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Ingrid Bergman The author is Grace May Carter.

There goes the weekend. 

Oh my gosh.  I love bios about Old Hollywood.  Thank you!

*Just bought it for $1.49.  I had a credit. 😀

Edited June 12, 2020 by CouchTater

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, MonicaM said:

I love to read.  If Janelle would post on SM that she skipped her workout and grabbed a quick dinner from a fast food drive thru because she was reading a great book, I would completely understand.

Ditto!  I just got some automatically generated award from Kindle for reading a ton of books in a short period.  This sheltering thing had me going through a book every couple of days, at least when it was colder outside. 

[Pickleinthemiddle]

5 hours ago, Sandy W said:

The topic of shoes on/off can become dicey.  One friend relayed to me that she was very offended when asked to remove her shoes at someone's home.  She said that her shoes were an important part of her ensemble that she had carefully chosen to complement what she was wearing.

I lived for 5 years in a part of the country where shoes off was expected and almost mandatory.  During this time we visited an aunt and uncle on the west coast and automatically flipped off our shoes at the door.  At the second visit during our stay, my aunt drew me aside and related that it bothered both her and my uncle that we removed our shoes.  I have found it a good practice to "read the foyer" when entering someone's home for the first time, if the family shoes are arrayed there, it's safe to assume that shoes off is the policy.

What happens during sandal weather?  Would it be right to expect guests to be barefoot on carpeted areas, perhaps risking giving or receiving plantar's warts?  Removing shoes when the weather is inclement seems common sense and courteous, but I don't have a policy in my home.  Strangely, I find the younger generation almost 100% remove shoes at the door, that may stem from the fact that they have tiny tots at home, who spend a lot of time on the floor.

Really depends on the type of flooring you have in your home.  Tile, linoleum, wood, carpet or engineered wood and how much it costs and how easy it is to clean.  I know people whose feet smell so bad, you would rather them keep their shoes on.  Get some of those little shoes covers for guests.  

[crazycatlady58]

About removing shoes in the house I have bad feet and cannot go barefoot more than few minutes without having foot pain. Would y'all have me remove my shoes and be in pain? I do not mean to argue just curious. I am also uncomfortable going barefoot in people's homes be6I would be afraid for passing on my athlete's foot fungus. In my house people do as they wish leave shoes on or take them off.

[Kyanight]

20 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

About removing shoes in the house I have bad feet and cannot go barefoot more than few minutes without having foot pain. Would y'all have me remove my shoes and be in pain? I do not mean to argue just curious. I am also uncomfortable going barefoot in people's homes be6I would be afraid for passing on my athlete's foot fungus. In my house people do as they wish leave shoes on or take them off.

My house, too.  I never ask people to take off their shoes.  Most people do not take off their shoes when they come over unless their shoes are wet.  My kids and I never wear shoes in our own homes, though.  But to be fair, all of my friends have died and I only have family left.

[suomi]

50 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

About removing shoes in the house I have bad feet and cannot go barefoot more than few minutes without having foot pain. Would y'all have me remove my shoes and be in pain? 

No way! I would give you paper booties to wear over your shoes. They have a non-slip tread on the soles, I made sure of that.

I bought them for those who prefer not to remove their shoes (or when going in and out while doing their job makes it impractical).

I've been in this house since November and 99% of the installers and handymen who have been here brought their own, including the carpet installer. 

I have barely dented the 60-pair package I bought for $14 from Amazon.

[crazycatlady58]

1 hour ago, suomi said:

No way! I would give you paper booties to wear over your shoes. They have a non-slip tread on the soles, I made sure of that.

I bought them for those who prefer not to remove their shoes (or when going in and out while doing their job makes it impractical).

I've been in this house since November and 99% of the installers and handymen who have been here brought their own, including the carpet installer. 

I have barely dented the 60-pair package I bought for $14 from Amazon.

Thank you.

[deirdra]

I live where it is winter half the year, so when I visit people I always bring my own slipper socks since they are warm, comfy, and no strangers have worn them.  Around here repairmen always have their own booties to fit over their shoes too.

[Meowwww]

I too always bring my own slippers to people’s houses.  I can’t walk around without support, just walking down the hall barefoot or in a sock is impossible with my plantar fasciitis.  I’m one of those weirdos who puts supportive insoles in my slippers. 
I hate shoes in my house. Everyone takes them off.  So dirty.  

[AZChristian]

10 hours ago, Meowwww said:

I too always bring my own slippers to people’s houses.  I can’t walk around without support, just walking down the hall barefoot or in a sock is impossible with my plantar fasciitis.  I’m one of those weirdos who puts supportive insoles in my slippers. 
I hate shoes in my house. Everyone takes them off.  So dirty.  

I've also dealt with plantar fasciitis a couple of times.  Last time, I found a device similar to this.  While you're sleeping, it keeps the tendon stretched out, and there's no pain when you start walking.  Have you tried anything like this?  Eventually, you can sleep without it, and the PF will be gone.

[Meowwww]

13 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I've also dealt with plantar fasciitis a couple of times.  Last time, I found a device similar to this.  While you're sleeping, it keeps the tendon stretched out, and there's no pain when you start walking.  Have you tried anything like this?  Eventually, you can sleep without it, and the PF will be gone.

I have tried this.  Many times.  I have four different versions.  They help a bit, but cause pain on their own.  

[DakotaJustice]

the only thing that's ever helped me with plantar F is a lacrosse ball and one of those nubbly rollers you can put in the freezer. Also, I take vitamin D3 and magnesium for foot cramps. It really does seem to help! 

ETA - also went to a running shoes store and was fitted for really good shoes and insoles. I'm not a runner but they are so comfy when walking.

Edited June 14, 2020 by DakotaJustice

[Rabbit Hutch]

On 6/10/2020 at 5:22 PM, Teafortwo said:

Thank you for the update, Rabbit Hutch - really informative! Look forward to future reports from the road. It must be beautiful "Y"oming and Montana. You stay safe and well too! Glad you're enjoying, but I totally understand the impulse to retire. Do you think you'd get an RV so you could keep doing road trips after?

Sorry, TeaforTwo, for my late response, but I was getting reacquainted with life on the road.  ⛟  

Yes, Montana and Wyoming are beautiful states and we'd retire here in a heartbeat if it didn't get so cold. We do plan on RVing when we retire!  We both love the open road so much that it would be hard to give it up completely, so that is definitely part of the plan.  😁

[Yeah No]

On 6/11/2020 at 11:15 AM, AZChristian said:

We keep a box of sandwich bags in the car for opening doors, pumping gas, etc.  Hubby says the bags work fine when you're punching the touch screen buttons at the gas station.

Even now, I walk into every store with a clorox wipe opened on each hand.  I touch NOTHING with my bare hands.  The employees at the entrance see me wiping down the cart handle, and they say, "We clean every one of those before we bring them into the store."  I thank them for doing that, but remind them that "I" am the person most responsible for my health.  

If I'm in a pinch and don't have a sandwich bag or clorox in my hand, I use the bottom of my t-shirt to open doors where I have to touch the handle.

Haha, we've done all those things.  Hubbie uses sandwich bags tor a lot of things, like getting the mail from the box while sitting in the car, because they're easy-on-easy-off.

I'm hardcore because I wear nitrile exam gloves when I go into a store or other establishment.  I don't care what people think, I've obviously achieved COL status so they're going to think what they want anyway, LOL.

When I get back to the car I remove them according to the sanitary instructions posted on YouTube for removing exam gloves.  I keep them in the console of my car and rotate them.  Germs are only supposed to live on those for about 4 days max so I "quarantine" them for that amount of time before reusing.

I was lucky enough to get some Target Up&Up brand nitrile exam gloves online and even though they are one size fits all they are great on my small female hands, so I highly recommend them.

Even after taking off the gloves in the car I use a sanitizing wipe to wipe down all frequently touched surfaces like the steering wheel, etc.

Speaking of sanitary wipes, they've made a reappearance in my area and I've been lucky enough to stock up on both Lysol and Clorox wipes, yay!

Hand sanitizer is around in unknown brands and frightfully expensive.  Fortunately I still have a couple of refill sized bottles of Purell in the house.  Hubbie spent $13.99 on one refill sized bottle for his car but that's actually cheap compared to some we've seen.

We have this great store chain here in New England called "Ocean State Job Lot" that marches to a different drum than other stores in that it gets its products from different sources than the usual supply chain of other stores.  It's similar to "Big Lots" but much better, IMO.  Hubbie and I went to our local one for the first time in months and found those big plastic face visors that you see on caregivers and online for sale.  I am not above wearing one of those depending on the situation, LOL.  I know, I am going to EARN my COL status if I go out in that, gloves, and surgical mask, but I really don't care, LOL.

[Yeah No]

On 6/11/2020 at 9:28 AM, Kyanight said:

Yeah... it seems like the herd mentality has said that the pandemic is over.  "MOOOoOoove along folks!"   Meanwhile I am watching the numbers and keeping my fingers crossed that they will be HONEST and report ALL of the cases and deaths.   Last night on CNN I heard Fauci say he feels there might be 100,000 more deaths by August which makes sense as there is around 1000 deaths a day in the U.S. right now, which makes 30,000 a month.  And that's IF the cases don't rise because of protests and opening up.  I'm really tired of being so paranoid and cautious and I would LOVE to fling my masks aside and be able to touch ANYTHING in a store that others have man-handled, and stand next to folks without worrying, and go to some fun places that means massive crowds of people (festivals and fairs).  Unfortunately that's not my reality right now.  I want to die of old age in my sleep, please.  (Pops a prayer into Robyn's vending machine God.  She ended up with a million dollar home!!)

*Sigh*, I hear you.  I get that feeling around here too.  Now that our state is in the process of a slow reopening and cases are going down people are getting lulled into a false sense of security and some of them are getting careless.  Thankfully, though, we still have a mandatory mask rule in stores and I have not seen any violations.  But I am SHOCKED at what's going on in other parts of the country - especially in states that have opened up too quickly with numbers going sharply up for many reasons including protests, etc.  I look at the NY Times daily updates for all states and NYC a few times a week and it breaks down all sorts of statistics like new cases per day, deaths per day, hospitalizations per day, month, entire pandemic, etc. into line graphs that are easy to understand.  It is truly shocking how many people in the country are still dying per day - I don't take anything for granted.  I tell my husband all these statistics so he too doesn't get lulled into any false sense of security.  Now we're seeing spikes in very local areas in some states - who knows why?  But it can happen anywhere.  We're not out of the woods yet by any means so I'm not taking any chances.

I do have to stop reading those click bait/fear mongering articles online, though.  Like the ones written just to get you riled up and worried claiming that it's still possible that the virus will be around forever and that before herd immunity is reached 90% of the population will have had it and zillions will have died.  I can't buy into that stuff because I first of all don't believe it will be that bad - I do think we are getting better at dealing with the virus and preventing getting it but I also think that there WILL be a vaccine that will also help.  Just as with AIDS and other diseases, the addition of more preventions and treatments will eventually keep deaths at a very minimum.  The real problem is keeping myself and hubbie safe until we get to that point, which is going to be a challenge as more of the world keeps opening up.

You're all still in my prayers!💗

[AZChristian]

Here in Arizona, a couple of stores/restaurants/bars that opened up ASAP are now closing down again, as "people close to the business" and/or employees are testing positive.

Hubby and I are still not eating anything that wasn't prepared in our own kitchen, we're wearing masks when we're out, and we're still wiping down anything that comes into the house.

Our son was here to help with a project yesterday.  We didn't wipe him down, but we all wore masks while he was here.

[Meowwww]

Here in Wisconsin, hubby and I went to Walmart today.  I also ran to get wine and stopped to get gas. 
I think I saw only 2 non-employees in Walmart wearing masks.  That’s it.  And it was busy. 
Wisconsin threw the shutdown out the window as unconstitutional so all bars and restaurants and gyms and salons are open as normal.  And they are packed.  Plus we have a ton of Minnesota residents driving over here as Minnesota is still closed down other than allowing outdoor dining with 6’ restrictions.   Wisconsin has no restrictions.  

Also, personally, I’m having a hard time with travel restrictions.  Hubby and I are normal working class, but we love to go to London.  We scrimp and save to do so every time, and I am so jonesing to go back to my favorite city on earth. Won’t be this year, but I think it’s harder on me due to the virus shutdown than it normally would be. I realize this is superfluous but it’s getting me down. I think it’s just a craving for normalcy. Anyone else have something like this?  A place they can’t go?

[LilWharveyGal]

I'm with you, @Meowwww. I love travel, everything from international jaunts to day trips, and London is my favorite place so far. It feels so abnormal to not have any trips to look forward to on the calendar.

[Twopper]

I am southwest of Hotlanta. 

We have been staying home as much as possible.  For the first 2 months or so we did not go out except to walk in the neighborhood.  Our lovely neighbors did all of our grocery shopping for us, and we were able to "attend" Mass online.  We have still not resumed going to the parish for Mass since it is still also online.  I have resumed grocery shopping, although instead of every week I am going about other week for my main shopping, and every other week to the farmers' market or the neighborhood grocery stores to pick up a few things, and, if I just need bananas or milk, I can text the neighbors and someone will bring it within a day or two.   It was going back to shopping on my own that made me realize what the neighbors were going thru doing their  own shopping and shopping for us too as it took trips to several different stores to locate everything on my list.   I am still shocked by what I cannot find.  Grapenuts are non-existent so I ended up ordering GrapeNut flakes from Amazon.  Our fav summer breakfast is peaches with vanilla yogurt served over Grapenuts.   I wanted to make popovers and French toast, but the confectioners sugar was out.  Prices have definitely gone up. 

I have gone with Mr Twopper twice to the barber shop.  Not sure why since we really aren't going anywhere else except I am going to the grocery store.  I quit wearing makeup since no one can see much of my face except my eyes, and I have gotten out of the habit of eye make up.   And I went to have my brows waxed.   Vanity, I guess, but since my eyes are the only part of me that shows I didn't want to look like a wild woman.   

I thought I might share this article.  I am not its author, but from 1928 thru 1939 my mother attended this camp for girls for 8 weeks every summer.  (the last  few years she was a counselor).       https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-02-10-0202100067-story.html              

[galaxychaser]

I automatically take off my shoes when I go to other people houses. 

[DakotaJustice]

3 hours ago, LilWharveyGal said:

I'm with you, @Meowwww. I love travel, everything from international jaunts to day trips, and London is my favorite place so far. It feels so abnormal to not have any trips to look forward to on the calendar.

I was supposed to be going to Puerto Vallarta this Wednesday but why go when the beaches are still closed? 

[Gramto6]

I was supposed to go to CA at the end of the month for my yearly visit to my kids and grands. Not happening, CA is not safe yet. I was pissed at the airline that they didn't refund my fare but left me with a credit. I really don't know when I will feel safe on an airplane again.

[Teafortwo]

I've gone to Las Vegas every summer since 2005. I have many friends there (3 of them have pools!) as I used to work there in the summers, prior to my sales job in NY that I worked at from 2015 until Covid closed the business in April. I have a special fondness for July 4th in Las Vegas. If you go to the higher elevations you can see the whole valley: the Strip, Downtown, and everything else. There are fireworks everywhere - the casinos' big displays, local parks' displays, plus everyone who sets them off in their backyards. Fireworks are legal to purchase there and the kiosks pop up in late June where you can buy them. I am deathly afraid of them so I prefer not to be too close, but I love seeing the whole valley celebrating, near and far.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

It was going back to shopping on my own that made me realize what the neighbors were going thru doing their  own shopping and shopping for us too as it took trips to several different stores to locate everything on my list.   I am still shocked by what I cannot find.  Grapenuts are non-existent so I ended up ordering GrapeNut flakes from Amazon.  Our fav summer breakfast is peaches with vanilla yogurt served over Grapenuts.   I wanted to make popovers and French toast, but the confectioners sugar was out.  Prices have definitely gone up.         

For half of March through the end of May we were getting our groceries delivered by Instacart and the amount of things they couldn't find was staggering for a while but it has gotten better.  Although there are still weird things like the other day when I went to look for pork chops and the store had no pork products AT ALL except for frozen sausage.  Mr. Yeah No loves Grape Nuts and we couldn't find it anywhere for a while but recently it's reappeared at one of our local supermarkets, so it's just the luck of the draw.  Thanks for the breakfast/dessert idea - that sounds yummy!  I usually do something like that with Great Grains with fruit and nuts, but no peaches.  I too have noticed the increase in prices.  At first I wondered if it wasn't just on Instacart but now I see it's in the store too.  We're going to continue with Instacart for Costco and Aldi shopping as both are on the other side of town, but I think I can handle the local supermarkets myself.  My strategy is to wait until the middle of the afternoon when it's a slow time and go in for very targeted purchases.  I run in and out in record time.  I use the self checkout and wear gloves.  I call it "surgical stealth shopping", LOL.

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

I have gone with Mr Twopper twice to the barber shop.  Not sure why since we really aren't going anywhere else except I am going to the grocery store.  I quit wearing makeup since no one can see much of my face except my eyes, and I have gotten out of the habit of eye make up.   And I went to have my brows waxed.   Vanity, I guess, but since my eyes are the only part of me that shows I didn't want to look like a wild woman. 

I don't wear eyeliner or mascara, just shadow and brow corrector.  But I have stopped wearing lipstick altogether, which is very unlike me but with the mask on it would be hard to wear lipstick plus no one would see it anyway.  I actually wear lightly tinted sunglasses into the stores because it helps keep the mask in place plus I've read that the eyes are a way for the virus to get into the body so eye protection is a good idea.  

Speaking of the barber shop, today I went to the supermarket in the same shopping center with my hair salon.  I decided to walk past the window just to see if they changed anything and noticed some movement toward the back even though the store lights were off and the shop was closed since it was Sunday.  Before I could turn around I saw my stylist coming toward me.  She opened the front door wearing a mask and gloves and after we said our hello's and how have you been's she told me she was just cutting her daughter's hair and asked me if I wanted a haircut.  I told her I wanted to come when I could go there with wet hair and no one else was around.  She said she could give me the first appointment next Saturday, and I took it.  She told me it would just be me and her in the shop and that I could come with wet hair and that she isn't blow drying anyway.  Even though the governor allowed it the shop owner didn't feel comfortable allowing it.  So I'm just going to have to buck up and be brave!  If I didn't know that it only takes her 5 minutes to cut my hair I might be more worried.  If we're both masked the contact will be minimal.

I've had longer gaps between haircuts before.  When I lost my job during the recession a decade ago I let my hair grow for 4 months before cutting it.  She understood, bless her.  I gave her a nice tip when I did see her again.  I also went about 4 months between cuts after I broke my arm 4 years ago.  I just looked at my records and the last time I had it cut was on January 31, so this might just be a record for me.  Fortunately the last time she cut it she took more off than usual which was actually unusual for her.  So while it's long, it's not crazy long.  Plus my hair grows more slowly now.  Thank goodness for that!

BTW, today would have been my mother's 96th birthday.  My father used to say she was born on Flag Day, married on May Day and died on D-Day.

[Teafortwo]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

today would have been my mother's 96th birthday.  My father used to say she was born on Flag Day, married on May Day and died on D-Day.

Ah, Yeah No, this must be the most difficult year for this anniversary. My heart goes out to you. May they be reunited and smiling down from heaven upon you.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Teafortwo said:

Ah, Yeah No, this must be the most difficult year for this anniversary. My heart goes out to you. May they be reunited and smiling down from heaven upon you.

Awww, thanks, Tea, you're right, it is a very difficult year for this, plus this coming Sunday will be our 40th wedding anniversary.  We're going to order dinner from a fine local restaurant that's doing special meals that are mostly prepared but you heat up yourself at home.  The one we're choosing is the lobster roll dinner with lobster bisque, corn on the cob and brownies for dessert.  Given that Sunday is also Father's day I am actually happy that we have another big event to celebrate to make it a happier occasion than it would be.  Still, we probably would have gone down to NY to celebrate with friends, my SIL and her husband and my Dad if all of this didn't happen.....But I can't dwell on that.

Other than local pizza and a roast chicken from Costco we haven't had any food that wasn't prepared in our kitchen but when I saw that this restaurant (which is one of our local favorites and very trustworthy) was doing a special where you heat the food up and assemble it yourself I felt much better about it.  We nuked the pizza and the chicken too.  We're pretty careful.  Note that CT lobster roll is warm lobster served with a butter sauce so we can reheat that.  I just don't want to overcook the lobster, though.

[Kohola3]

I remain ultra careful, sometimes I feel like am some sort of hermit venturing out of my cave and hovering around the fringes of society.  No indoors for me unless it's absolutely necessary and mostly it's not.  Still doing curbside groceries and an occasional restaurant meal but only those that still do curbside.  I have a wonderful mailman so I don't need to go to the PO for anything. I leave him money and packages in my mailbox and he mails them for me. We have a tiny PO that only accommodates one person at a time, the rest have to wait outside.

We open officially today for personal services and I have been in contact with my hairdresser.  She and her comrades have worked out extensive plans and have found masks with adhesive for the customers if they want - they just stick to your face and she won't have to mess with ties and so forth.  She is working 6 days this week and 5 days next week to catch up and sooth her Little Old Lady clients used to having their weekly "do".  While I look like I have the worlds worst Afro at this point, I am giving her a couple of weeks to work out the kinks and I have set the countdown clock on my phone for July 1.  Hoping like mad that we don't have a spike in cases before that and we go back to lock down.  This is the longest my hair has been since the 1960s.  I was encouraged to read about the 140 customers in Georgia that were exposed to Covid b two hairdressers at the same salon.  None have tested positive.

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

The one we're choosing is the lobster roll dinner with lobster bisque, corn on the cob and brownies for dessert.

Oh, man, that makes my stomach growl and my mouth water.  I adore lobster roll! Which makes me all the sadder because I was heading to eastern Canada this fall for a vacation.  Makes me stabby not to be able to plan trips.  I love to travel like so many others but just US and Canada.  I was taking a friend to the Canadian Maritimes for her first time.  Oh, well.

[laurakaye]

21 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I look at the NY Times daily updates for all states and NYC a few times a week and it breaks down all sorts of statistics like new cases per day, deaths per day, hospitalizations per day, month, entire pandemic, etc. into line graphs that are easy to understand.

I look at this daily too.  It's very unsettling to see how cases are climbing higher in states that opened earlier.  In many states, you can see that about 2-3 weeks after opening, cases started to rise.  I have a friend in Texas who lives alone and is desperate to get out of her house (she's been working from home since mid-March) but is too afraid to venture anywhere due to the consistent rise in cases since reopening, and since Texas has been under a heat advisory it's too hot for her to even go outside for a walk.  I do worry about how this is going to affect people in terms of mental health.  It's not like we're all of a sudden going to go back to being our happy, carefree selves once this is in the rear-view mirror.  Being isolated for an extended period of time takes its toll, for sure.

 

12 hours ago, Twopper said:

I am still shocked by what I cannot find.  Grapenuts are non-existent so I ended up ordering GrapeNut flakes from Amazon.              

This is so bizarre - I am having the exact same problem except I cannot find good hiking shorts anywhere in any stores - as a COL, I do NOT want a pair of shorts with a 4-inch inseam, but neither do I want them to come down to my knees.  Finding something in between has become an exercise in futility.  I have ordered online twice only to have my money refunded both times because when they said the shorts were in stock, they really weren't, or the gray was actually sold out but they'd be happy to send me a pair in hot pink as a replacement.  No, thank you.

However, we do have plenty of Grape-Nuts.  I love them topped with sliced banana. 🙂

[DakotaJustice]

I want Grapenuts now! They are so good mixed in yogurt. 

Have you tried REI for hiking shorts? Alternatively you might also check Poshmark. I've found some good deals on stuff I couldn't find elsewhere on that site.  

Edited June 15, 2020 by DakotaJustice

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I remain ultra careful, sometimes I feel like am some sort of hermit venturing out of my cave and hovering around the fringes of society.  No indoors for me unless it's absolutely necessary and mostly it's not.  Still doing curbside groceries and an occasional restaurant meal but only those that still do curbside.  I have a wonderful mailman so I don't need to go to the PO for anything. I leave him money and packages in my mailbox and he mails them for me. We have a tiny PO that only accommodates one person at a time, the rest have to wait outside.

I may have to go back to not going inside anywhere myself.  My town has seen a 24% increase in cases since June 4.  It went from 108 to 134 in just over 10 days!  This is a total number since the pandemic started.  This is in a town with about 18,500 people.  That's relatively low but there are many towns around here and many have higher numbers per capita even with the increase in my town.  I wonder what caused it because the increases in other neighboring towns have not been so high recently.  We had an issue with nursing homes for a while in this area but I thought that was under control now.  I know a significant number of the cases around here have come from nursing homes.  I had seen a running tally somewhere but have to look for it again.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Hoping like mad that we don't have a spike in cases before that and we go back to lock down.  This is the longest my hair has been since the 1960s.  I was encouraged to read about the 140 customers in Georgia that were exposed to Covid b two hairdressers at the same salon.  None have tested positive.

My hairdresser mentioned reading about that - I think both parties wearing masks really helps a lot plus keeping it brief.  Fortunately I have long layers and it's just snip, snip and she's done.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Oh, man, that makes my stomach growl and my mouth water.  I adore lobster roll! Which makes me all the sadder because I was heading to eastern Canada this fall for a vacation.  Makes me stabby not to be able to plan trips.  I love to travel like so many others but just US and Canada.  I was taking a friend to the Canadian Maritimes for her first time.  Oh, well.

Oh, that's too bad, I hear you.  I would have loved to go to Maine with Mr. Moneybags if not for this awful situation.  The lobster up there is actually no better than down here because we get a lot of lobster from up there anyway so I can at least feel like it will taste as good.  Don't tell that to Mainers though because they profit from people thinking the lobster is better in Maine, LOL.  What IS much better up there are the clams and oysters.  OMG, so fresh and amazing because of the colder waters!  We just don't get it that good down here!

What I do worry about with the restaurant food is that the meal comes with cole slaw and you can't just nuke that if you're worried about germs.  And I won't be able to resist it, because what's lobster roll without cole slaw?  So should I worry about that?

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, DakotaJustice said:

I want Grapenuts now! They are so good mixed in yogurt. 

Have you tried REI for hiking shorts? Alternatively you might also check Poshmark. I've found some good deals on stuff I couldn't find elsewhere on that site.  

I didn't realize how lucky we were to find the Grape Nuts.  I have had some trouble finding it before the pandemic too.  Stores that stock it were only stocking it once in a while.  I don't think it's as popular as it once was especially with the young'ns.  Meanwhile it's actually one of the original cereals if not THE first cereal ever.  I watched a cool documentary on one of the documentary channels about the "cereal wars" last year and it was fascinating!

Speaking of Poshmark, I've bought several things from that site going back a few years and although most sellers are OK there are a lot of unscrupulous people selling on that site and I've gotten burned.  You know, people misrepresenting the condition of their item, not photographing it adequately, being mistaken as to the dimensions and all that stuff.  And there are a significant number of deadbeat sellers there that if you buy their item never respond or send it to you.  Poshmark seems to tolerate this kind of behavior and it does turn a lot of buyers off, plus their customer service is pretty bad.  EBay would never tolerate a lot of that stuff.  There's a site that publishes customer and seller reviews of Poshmark and they are all dreadful.  I considered selling on Poshmark but given all the issues from both perspectives as seller and buyer I decided not to do it.  But I still buy stuff from there anyway and have learned better how to avoid being scammed. 

 

[Roslyn]

55 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

What I do worry about with the restaurant food is that the meal comes with cole slaw and you can't just nuke that if you're worried about germs.  And I won't be able to resist it, because what's lobster roll without cole slaw?  So should I worry about that?

What kind of cole slaw?  I wouldn't worry about a slaw with vinegar in it.  If the kitchen staff is following proper hygiene for a professional kitchen as well as face masks and limiting the handling of the food into the packaging I would say to enjoy your cole slaw.

All of my reading on the spread of the virus says that you can have more issues with the packaging that take out food comes in rather than the food itself. Use caution on the packaging and transfer the food to your own dishes and then dispose of the food containers and gloves etc from handling as if it is contaminated.  Wash your hands and counter etc and then enjoy. 🙂

[deirdra]

I remember Yule Gibbons' ads for Grape Nuts on Wild Kingdom in the 1960s.  We even made our mother buy us some, but after each of us kids had one taste, we returned to our corn flakes.

You can nuke things with mayonnaise in them.  It may separate, but I find the taste is often improved.  I like warm slaw.

Edited June 15, 2020 by deirdra

[laurakaye]

Just now, deirdra said:

I remember Yule Gibbons' ads for Grape Nuts on Wild Kingdom in the 1960s.  We even made our mother buy us some, but after each of us kids had one taste, we returned to our corn flakes.

LOL, they are certainly an aquired taste, and tricky to eat...must let the milk soak in just enough so it's not like eating the shells of actual nuts, but not so much as to turn the cereal into paste.

Honey Nut Cheerios are much more forgiving, just sayin'. 🙂

[Sandy W]

3 minutes ago, deirdra said:

I remember Yule Gibbons' ads for Grape Nuts on Wild Kingdom in the 1960s.  We even made our mother buy us some, but after each of us kids had one taste, we returned to our corn flakes.

I am LOL, recalling an incident of my tender years.  During WW2, my mother, brother and I lived above a confectionery store while my father was overseas.  Money was very tight and my brother and I spent hours wistfully looking in at the window display in the store.  Part of the display was a package of "Flaky Pilots", it must have been the name that so entranced us, but after an attempt to cajole my mother into buying them, we let it go but still gazed longingly at them several times a day. 

When my father returned home, probably in an attempt to establish rapport with 5 and 7 year old kids he really didn't know, he surprised us one day with the Flaky Pilots.  What a let down, those biscuits had no doubt sat in the merchant's window display for the full 5 years and were inedible.  It became a family joke, if we misbehaved, the verdict was "I sentence you to 1 or more Flaky Pilots", depending on the severity of the misdemeanor.  The moral of this story may be. Be Careful What You Wish For.  Thanks Deirdra for jogging this memory for me.