How Are You Social Distancing?

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Kaneohegirlinaz

Wannabe TV Chef
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
8,260
Location
Central/Northern AZ, gateway to The Grand Canyon
Most of the folks in our community have already been practicing
Social Distancing for 3 weeks or more.

Our State Governor has declared the month of April
Stay At Home with some exceptions.
He does encourage being out of doors and keeping your distance
from others while doing so.

I got a text from Mrs. Neighbor-Next-Door asking if
I wanted to come over and chat outside.

So, myself and Mrs. Neighbor had a Social Distance Cocktail hour yesterday.

They just finished a beautiful front patio area with all the comfy outdoor furniture and such.

She sat on one side and I on the other with a table in the middle.
There was well over six feet distance.
She had set everything up so nicely prior to my arrival.

IMG_5722.jpg

This is what I brought, MMM!
I'm calling this Meatballs Parmesan.
It was BYOB, so I had my non-breakable wine glass and my own bottle.

It was such a gorgeous day out (finally!) and it was nice to sit and chat for awhile with someone other than DH :LOL:
 
We've been doing SD since the beginning of March. We grocery shop when we need to including picking up some items for our 88 YO neighbor.

Last week we drove to my daughter's home and visited her and my grandson at a distance. Then we drove to my 85 YO sister's condo and visited her. She was on her balcony (ground floor apartment), and we stood on the sidewalk.

Today we visited our Indian neighbors from the backyard.

Aside from that we've been eating, reading, watching TV and cooking/baking.

While social distancing is an emergency measure for many, it's been a lifestyle choice for me so I'm adapting pretty well. SO on the other hand, can't sit still. She gets a little stir-crazy from time to time. Fortunately, the weather is decent and she can go out and putter around in her garden.
 
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We haven't been anywhere beyond the curb since 13 March. There has been a lot of disinfectant wiping of stuff that comes into the house from various deliveries. Wiping of handles and stuff when our hands might be contaminated from stuff that came into the house. I really don't mind staying in the house. I do look forward to sitting in the backyard (the only yard I have) when the weather gets a little warmer. I'm hoping a friend will be able to pick up a tank of propane for our grill. It would be easy enough for him to drop it off in our backyard.
 
I have only been out once since leap day Feb. 29. I dropped DD's off at work at 6:00am the morning Daylight saving time started. Didn't talk to anyone or stop anywhere else.
 
Work is easy, we all stand apart from each other, gloves, gowns and masks for direct contact with residents. Talked to Mom out on her patio yesterday. Only direct contact with another being has been dogs and cats. I am a hermit anyway, so I don't really have a problem. Problem is, when I do get emotional I am a hugger, happy or sad. And I don't like it when the Internet goes down.
 
I've been trying to go out once a week to run errands buy food etc...

I try to maintain the six-foot social distance when I'm out.

Yesterday I made a makeshift mask for this week's outing. It consists of a paper towel a piece of computer paper and some kitchen twine. No sewing just some folding and a couple of knots.

I filled the gas tank on March 16th and have only traveled 38 miles since then.

I think that by the time this is over I will have adapted to a new phase of old age in a deeper more comfortable rut.
 

My daughter and grand daughter-in-law made a bunch of those today.. D will leave a package of them outside our door tomorrow..

Sheltering in place has not been too difficult for us.. We only go out for groceries, banking and pharmacy.. We do take out once or twice a week.. Missouri just went state wide yesterday but our family has been doing so for a month..

I miss hugging but, will catch up when this is over..

Ross
 
Being immunocompromised, social distancing for me means no contact with anyone except DH, for the most part. I've spoken to a few neighbors from the porch, which is about 15 feet from the sidewalk, gone to a doctor's appointment, picked up DH at the (empty) airport, and that's it since March 3.

Last weekend, our neighborhood organized a sort of walking tour where people who wanted to could provide music or display art or chalk messages on their sidewalks. I drew a hopscotch game on the sidewalk and sat on the porch talking to people. Unfortunately, I think the organizer jumped the gun and didn't give enough notice. Some people forgot or thought it was another afternoon, etc. Maybe another time.

I'm just not up for taking chances with this. I'm happy to be safe at home, cooking and baking and reading, watching TV in the evenings. With the weather warming, we did yard work yesterday and DH cleaned off the patio today. Soon we'll be able to sit on the porch or in the backyard in the evening. I miss my master gardener group, but there are a lot of elderly people, so this is best for now. We're managing [emoji2]
 
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We live in a very rural area. Our closest grocery store is about 18 miles away and I only visit there once a week, fully suited up. I don't exchange cash, only use my credit card.

As for fueling up our vehicles, we always wear gloves an only use our credit cards, which are wiped down.

Some of Glenn's children live nearby, 'bout the same as the grocery store. The only exception is his one daughter who lives in Lexington, which is a number of hours away. We've been communicating via phone to determine how everyone is doing.

My children are all over the map, so no chance of any dangerous virus exchange.

For the most part, both of us don't move too far away from home usually, so we don't seem to be too impacted about the quarantine.

I've been keeping myself busy by sewing, baking bread and planning some projects.

Of course, now that our yard has become a giant chia pet, Glenn has plenty to do with mowing 11 acres.
 
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We are staying home. While we go for walks with our dog, we always maintain the 6 feet or more from others. I do go to the grocery store every couple weeks to replenish produce. We are keeping busy by cooking, baking, painting, swimming, playing basketball, reading and watching Netflix and Hulu. Just finished the Tiger King, that temporarily takes your mind off everything that is going on. It is just nutty.

Stay healthy everybody!
 

I saw the same kind made on a different site. They said that if you don't have any hair ties of an appropriate size, but you do have pantyhose or stockings that you are willing to sacrifice, you can cut the legs horizontally to make rings. Those work too and are apparently more comfortable Don't worry about the pantyhose rings looking too weird. They will curl at the edges and it won't be obvious what they are.
 
Being a homebody married to a near-hermit, we're pretty much doing what we do all the time. The biggest adjustment is not making my one or two trips to a supermarket or three each week. The last time I went shopping was two weeks ago this past Wednesday, March 18th. Not used to seeing so much empty space in my fridge. :LOL: I'm getting low on fresh produce, running down my stock of dairy items. At least the freezer and supply of dry goods is still healthy.

My plan is to shop next week Tuesday, running my I-395 route from Market Basket to Price Chopper to Aldi, all just a hop off the interstate. After that, I should be good till the end of April.
 
I often go a few weeks at a time, without going anywhere, but at least then I have the option of leaving! I know some friends that it's driving crazy.

It's been almost 3 weeks since I last went to Aldi's, when I loaded up on fruits and other perishables. I got several pineapples - my favorite fruit, if I had to pick one - and I cleaned them, and froze them. I also loaded up on cremini mushrooms, which I haven't seen that cheap ($1.18/lb), since I used to buy them at the factories in Kennett Square! I sliced them, steamed them briefly in 2 batches in a wok, then browned them in a small amount of oil (the ATK method), then I froze those, in 1 lb batches (or rather, 1 lb equivalent, since they shrunk considerably). I also stocked up on cilantro, of which I made a bunch into a green adobo, from one of Bayless's books, which keeps for months in the fridge. I have large amounts of legumes, grains, flours, and a lot of frozen foods, so it's only the perishables that need replacing here.

This is the time of year that I spend a lot of time in the garden, and with related tasks. Lately, I have also been spending a lot of time in my workshop, so I've been eating a lot of leftovers from the freezer, which I have to do, to make room, come summer harvest. Occasionally I'll find something that I need, but instead of running up to HD or Lowe's, I'll order some from Amazon or ebay, set that project aside, and when the item shows up, I'll start up again. Sometimes I can't do this, of course, and I have some wood I need to get from Lowe's - it wasn't crowded at all, the one time I went there, so next week, I'll head over there. I have some gardening things to pick up from the local hydroponics store, who has switched over to online ordering, and rear door pick-up. I guess he will set it out back, and I'll get it, after he is back inside.

I have a bunch of masks, down in my workshop, as well as out in my shed, for when I'm blowing leaves, mowing, and the like. Unfortunately, a good number of them are old - old enough that the rubber straps break on them! So I got some elastic, which I will sew on them with some kevlar thread, which will last longer than the elastic or the masks! I also have two 28 oz pump bottles of hand disinfectant - almost full, from back when I had to use it around my Mom, and it turned out, I didn't need it for long. I just put them away, and forgot about them...until now. When I do go out, I have a Ziploc bag with a few PTs, soaked with this, to wipe things with.

Amazingly, I have actually lost a few pounds - something that I was not expecting, but then, I've been keeping busy, and I have my exercise bike in my living room, to do some exercising on, while doing things like this, and watching TV. I have been resisting making myself sweet treets, but I might have to give in...:rolleyes:
 
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...I took it one step farther and folded in a straightened paper clip where
the bridge of nose would go and molded it to myself.
I could feel a little better fabric to skin contact this way...
Do you drink coffee? If yes, do you buy bags that have a flat, wired strip for reclosing the bag? If yes, you can use that wired strip for the nose bridge contour. Dean's Beans, the coffee roaster we buy our bags of coffee from, is sending out wire ties to anyone making masks for healthcare workers. Just one more reason I love Dean's Beans.
 
Do you drink coffee? If yes, do you buy bags that have a flat, wired strip for reclosing the bag? If yes, you can use that wired strip for the nose bridge contour. Dean's Beans, the coffee roaster we buy our bags of coffee from, is sending out wire ties to anyone making masks for healthcare workers. Just one more reason I love Dean's Beans.

We switched over to Keurig, for both home and road trips,
a number of years ago
but that's wonderful what they're doing!!! :clap:
 
We switched over to Keurig, for both home and road trips,
a number of years ago
but that's wonderful what they're doing!!! :clap:


Guess Glenn and I are not coffee aficionadoes. We make a pot of coffee on Sunday morning and drink a cup each. The rest is saved for Monday's breakfast. Yes, I know, it's sacrilege. We're just not the most avid coffee drinkers.
 
Mom and I go out once a week. Unless she has a Dr appointment, she stays in the car while I do the running in and out of stores and such. We pay a lot of our bills online or mail out checks.



My sister was in a wreck the week all this mess started, and she's waiting to be told she can drive and to get her rental car (wreck totaled her car) so she's stuck on the OBX - working om home because of accident and also my BIL had open heart surgery years ago and is diabetic, so her boss says better safe than sorry.



My DD lives about 2 hours away from us, and DS lives almost cross-country (Sioux City, Iowa). So we do OK.
 
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