When the WHO declared the global pandemic, I knew right away that things were going to get ugly. As of March 13th 2020, I have decided that my family needs to go into a bug in situation. This was always the plan, the proverbial trigger has been pulled! Here is a daily update on what we face.
Day 7 –
Holy mother of all that is good, has it been a week already? Actually it’s more of a “it’s only been a week” kind of feeling today. The idea of bugging in may sound attractive to some. A lot of preppers out there are not so privately hoping for TEOTWAKI thinking it’s some sort of manly, sexy, fantasy world that they’ve been dreaming of all through their preparedness journy. News flash, it’s boring as all get out!
I’ve seen a lot of suggestions that people tune out the news for the sake of their sanity. Well, to be perfectly honest, there is no escaping it. It’s everywhere…radio, television, internet…everywhere. Honestly, I look forward to the daily updates from our Premier. Listening closely, you can pick up on the hits they are giving that give us a glimpse of what MAY be about to happen. As an example, we learned yesterday that if people don’t start taking self isolation and social distancing seriously, the idea of bringing in the military to keep people at home is not off the table.
That was not an idle threat either…trust me, they WILL do it, if they feel they have to. Another person to listen to is Theresa Tam. You know her from press conferences presented by the Feds. She told us weeks ago to start stocking up on food and other necessities. Failure to listen to this advice is probably a leading cause of panic buying.
In any case, more about us directly. Since we have a home based business that involves receiving and sending packages, this presents several issues that need to be addressed. Firstly, it’s about a 50 foot walk from our driveway to the front door, all uphill. This means that with the spring thaw, snow is melting and travelling down the stairs and walkway, which freezes into a nice layer of ice that needs to be dealt with on a daily basis.
On top of that, there is the issue of possibly contaminated packages arriving at the house. None of our products are manufactured or distributed out of China, so no, we’re not worried about infected air in the bubble wrap…don’t laugh, someone actually brought that question up! Probably as a joke, but that’s how a lot of absolute jibberish starts out.
All that being said, I needed to make a quick run to the local home center in town for deicing salt for the walkway. PPE in hand, out I went, trying to make it as direct and quick as possible and trying my best to avoid contamination. Want to know something from personal experience? It is NOT easy to avoid touching things that have the potential to carry the virus. For this reason, please, don’t go out unless you absolutely have to. I’m going to start using stove ashes along with the salt to cut down on my usage. We use ashes on the back entrance and it works pretty well. We’ll have to deal with the extra dirt this will cause being on the front walk, but so be it.
As for being out in public wearing gloves and a mask, it really isn’t that bad. I could see a few people trying their best not to stare, but you can see them giving you the sideways eye, giving you a second look while trying their darndest not to be obvious about it. LMAO…stare away folks, I really don’t care.
I also found that some people get it, leaving long spaces between people in checkout lines, while others don’t and will pass within inches of you to get to where they want to go. If you go out, be aware and keep your head on a swivel. Don’t be afraid to put your hand up at arms length and tell them to give you a wide berth. Do this until people understand…it is our ONLY defense against this. Carry disinfecting wipes like Lysol or Clorox in your car. You will be surprised how many things you will reach out to touch only to stop and think twice. Hand sanitizer is also a must have. Keep some in your jacket pocket or purse at all times.
On the bright side, traffic is way down. The streets are not deserted, but noticeably quieter…say 50 to 60 percent less cars out there, at least in our neck of the woods. I noticed less cars in supermarket parking lots, while at the same time, the liquor store had a line up of cars waiting for a parking spot….hmmmmmmmmm.
More news tomorrow.