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Prep For Quarantine / Pandemic

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On 4/14/2020 at 4:02 PM, Mrs. Peel said:

Back on the prepping topic...  

  • How are all of you holding up in these strange times? (Dare I ask? LOL).
  • What are you finding most difficult/challenging about this situation? Replenishing your stock? Dealing with the cabin fever?
  • Let us know what you're doing to stay (relatively) sane! ;)

@Mrs. Peel:

Some here would question whether or not I was sane before the COVID-19 virus pandemic hit us all.  At this point, my wife and I are holding up fine on the homefront, all things considered.  Working from home is both an inconvenience for some work-required tasks, yet has also been a keen revelation.  The time previously spent (wasted), commuting is now our added 1-2 hours, to be spent as we please, whether sleeping a bit later or doing whatever else we want with bonus time.  The new routine of always cooking all meals at home has been a true enjoyable communal time, as well as being healthier.  Once we, (meaning me), devoured all of the junk food in the house, I did not replace it.  As a result, over the past 4 weeks, I have lost 9 lbs.  If I cut out my alcohol consumption, I would definitely lose even more weight, but I enjoy my daily cocktail and wine with dinner, all in moderation, (usually…..).  While we have experienced the similar discovery of deplenished supplies of various foods and paper products at the various local grocery stores, luckily we had stocked up on most items starting is early March so we are in good shape, including our liquor supply.  The weekly purchases are primarily for dairy, produce, fruit and baked products, along with some meats.  Thankfully, I have found most of what is on our shopping list.

Since the middle of March, we have been taking all of the recommended safety precautions to avoid catching the COVID-19 virus, specifically when going out grocery and/or pharmaceutical shopping, where I am the designated shopper for us.  This includes wearing protective disposable/re-useable face masks, (3M respirators), nitrile gloves, along with using alcohol wipes to wipe down, car door handles, steering wheel, gear selector, as well as grocery cart handles, C.C. payment keypads and where necessary, door knobs/levers.  This is all followed by washing hands immediately upon returning home, as well as using a 1.5% hydrogen peroxide mouthwash for approx. 60 seconds as an added precaution to kill any lingering virus pathogens.  We also are doing more frequent loads of laundry to ensure that our clothes and jackets are disinfected regularly.  I find that I am also taking showers more frequently.  Thankfully, so far, all of this has kept us from catching the COVID-19 virus, as far as we know, since neither of us displays any of the documented symptoms.

With almost everything closed and any planned vacation trips having to be cancelled, we have more time at home than we have had in quite some time, if ever....  So aside from income-generating work from home, we are:

- Getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep.
- Using video conferencing apps weekly to communicate with family members and have a video cocktail hour with friends
- Taking long walks around the neighborhood, maintaining social distancing from neighbors.
- Exercising at home with free weights and yoga.
- Did our 2019 income taxes.
- Polished various silver and brass items throughout the house.
- Catching up on my reading of my stack of periodicals and books.
- Binge watching various television series from Season 1 / Episode 1, as well as movies.
- Cleaning out and re-organizing closets, bureau drawers, attic/basement storage and the garage.
- Tried on old clothes and took items that either no longer fit or that I do not wear, to donate to The American Red Cross.
- Washed, polished and applied protective coatings to the finishes of our automobiles.
- Performed a thorough Spring clean-up of our yard and doing some new landscaping.
- Washed windows and window Venetian blinds.
- Painting or staining exterior wood trim and stairs.
- Cleaning and lubricating all of our firearms.
- Re-arranging wall-mounted framed artwork to different rooms and walls, as a cost-free way to redecorate the interior of the house.

Another thing I am doing as well during this time of concern and uncertainty, is buying different flowers on a weekly basis to give to my wife as a gesture of my appreciation for her and to provide a refreshing dose of nature and color for the interior of our house.

AVB-AMG

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@Mrs. Peel:

and another thing......

It is a shame, but not really a surprise that the political finger-pointing has continued during this human health crisis.  While there is plenty of blame to go around at the Federal and State level for not realizing that the pandemic would dramatically spread as fast as it has and be as lethal as it is, I think we all share some of the responsibility for the late understanding and acceptance.  We have not dealt with this type of crisis domestically ever before so I think many of us were in an ignorant state of denial, until we finally realized how fast the spread was occurring.  Now, almost everyone is doing what they can, as best as they can.  My heart goes out to those who were living paycheck-to-paycheck with minimal savings and are now out of work.  I have been making $donations to the Community Food Bank of NJ, since the news reports of their being overwhelmed with recently unemployed people seeking assistance. As dysfunctional as our Federal government is right now, I do believe that they will ultimately do the right thing to help all of those folks in dire need in the most affected states.  If they don’t, then we all are going to have an even bigger problem than just dealing with COVID-19.

I am pleased and encouraged to find that most people whom I encounter have a good attitude about dealing with this pandemic, even those whose jobs/livelihood has been dramatically affected in a negative way.  Will that last…?  I guess it all depends on how long it takes for us to continue what we are doing, when a form of staggered reopening of businesses, schools, parks begins and most importantly, how long it will take for a tested and approved vaccine to be readily available to be administered to our entire population.

Every day, I pause to be grateful and appreciative of what we have, starting with our health.  I remind myself that at our socio-economic level we are able to afford to weather the equity markets downturn and do not have to worry about having food on the table, both of which many others are not able to depend on.  To keep our predicament in perspective, I also think of and remember all of the sacrifices our grandparents made to get through the Great Depression, as well as the efforts that our parents did to adjust to WWII, realizing that for the most part, my generation has had it quite good, so far.  I have said in multiple posts here on NJGF, over the past several years, that I do not subscribe to the belief that “it is every man for himself”, but rather that “we are all in this together”.  The COVID-19 virus pandemic is our nation’s test to see which approach we will choose to take.

AVB-AMG

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Quote

As Mom used to say: Don't MAKE me pull this car over!  :facepalm:

@Mrs. Peel:

Ha....   that comment brought back an old memory of when my sister and I were children riding in the back seat of our family station wagon.  We both learned from repeated experience, on calculating exactly what our posture should be and where to position ourselves on the back bench seat, along with what the approx. radius was of our parents sweeping arms and hands, as they would attempt to swing a backwards from where they were in the front seats, in order to avoid being smacked for misbehaving, etc.....

Of course this just delayed our punishment until we reached whatever our destination was....
AVB-AMG

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10 hours ago, Mrs. Peel said:

@USRifle30Cal & @PeteF - as others have pointed out, that topic has now been beaten to death... and beyond. :deadhorse:

These are stressful times. People are worried about their businesses/jobs, their loved ones... they should be able to come on here and enjoy a sense of community and a little respite from the stress... and not be subjected to verbal brawling. I'm trying to be patient, but enough is enough. The next person to fling poo - for any reason - will be placed in a "timeout". 

As Mom used to say: Don't MAKE me pull this car over!  :facepalm:

BUT MOM *HE* started it - !  :)

 

 

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Daily Mail (SHIT UK RAG AS BAD AS NYT.

Face masks DO NOT stop healthy people from catching coronavirus and should only be worn by healthcare workers and patients, says WHO

Others say surgical face masks - the most popular kind - are too thin, loose-fitting and porous, which make it easy for the tiny viral particles to pass through.

LOL,

The WHO is about as reliable as China.  In pocket.  Fuck China and the WHO that helped cover up the outbreak.

The Dr in the video clip is also from the WHO. Fuck China and Fuck the WHO for facilitating this global medical and economic disaster.

"Others say"  Who the hell are these "others".  Is that like an anonymous source with proof Trump colluded with Russia?

You need better sources that are not owned by the CCP, the WHO and China can not be trusted as reliable sources.  They have their own agenda and benevolence towards the USA is not on it.

USE YOUR BRAINS!!!!

 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

 

LOL,

The WHO is about as reliable as China.  In pocket.  Fuck China and the WHO that helped cover up the outbreak.

The Dr in the video clip is also from the WHO. Fuck China and Fuck the WHO for facilitating this global medical and economic disaster.

"Others say"  Who the hell are these "others".  Is that like an anonymous source with proof Trump colluded with Russia?

You need better sources that are not owned by the CCP, the WHO and China can not be trusted as reliable sources.  They have their own agenda and benevolence towards the USA is not on it.

USE YOUR BRAINS!!!!

 

 

 

yeah i know. but your source is of course impeccable. how dare i question it. 

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Just now, Scorpio64 said:

Pfft, noob.  I started stocking up in 2014.

I misspoke.

I have actually been stocking up since the 1970s.   We ALWAYS have at least 6 weeks of food on hand, usually a lot more than that.  I don't think I've ever hit a year, but 6 months happens when there are a lot of sales.

I started topping off the supplies in January.  Filling in some holes and adding some shelf stable stuff as shown above.  My whole goal in this thing was to be able to have the freedom to stay home when this thing is burning through hot and heavy.  It is also to avoid any temporary  outages of food.   Suppliers are broadcasting that they may not meet meat demand.  This means they don't expect to meet demand, but aren't willing to come right out and say it.

It's also why we've put in 150 square feet of garden plots plus our normal "party buckets" of tomatoes and cukes that we put on the deck.  I don't necessarily think 250,000 migrant workers won't go to California to pick veggies,  but I am behaving as if that might happen.

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Indianajonze said:

yeah i know. but your source is of course impeccable. how dare i question it. 

My most trusted source is my wife, a medical laboratory technologist with 25 years of experience dealing with all kinds of nasty.  Her area of expertise is laboratory compliance and safety.  Would you like to speak with her?  She's not impeccable though, her hair is pretty messy.  She's let herself go since telecommuting was put in place three weeks ago.

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24 minutes ago, Malsua said:

I misspoke.

I have actually been stocking up since the 1970s.   We ALWAYS have at least 6 weeks of food on hand, usually a lot more than that.  I don't think I've ever hit a year, but 6 months happens when there are a lot of sales.

I started topping off the supplies in January.  Filling in some holes and adding some shelf stable stuff as shown above.  My whole goal in this thing was to be able to have the freedom to stay home when this thing is burning through hot and heavy.  It is also to avoid any temporary  outages of food.   Suppliers are broadcasting that they may not meet meat demand.  This means they don't expect to meet demand, but aren't willing to come right out and say it.

It's also why we've put in 150 square feet of garden plots plus our normal "party buckets" of tomatoes and cukes that we put on the deck.  I don't necessarily think 250,000 migrant workers won't go to California to pick veggies,  but I am behaving as if that might happen.

 

 

 

Doesn't everyone have at least 4 to 5 - 4 X 8 beds for veggies every year?!

 

Victory garden - Wikipedia

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1 hour ago, Indianajonze said:

Yes they may not protect you but all your links say they will prevent you spreading it to some degree if you have it.  That's the issue with this.  It's one of those things you can have but never suffer symptoms.

One article said cloth face masks are only 3% effective.  I'll take any edge I cam get.

Read up about Thyphoid Mary. She was still carrying thyphoid when she died.

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tDP1TfISinONWD04impLMjIz0xRyE0sqgQAXv8IHQ&q=typhoid+mary&oq=thypoi&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0j46j0.3771j0j7&client=ms-android-att-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

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15 minutes ago, USRifle30Cal said:

Doesn't everyone have at least 4 to 5 - 4 X 8 beds for veggies every year?!

 

 

We normally have 6 large buckets(about 24 inches wide at the top) and several planters.  All on the deck.     This year, we added a bunch to our "yard".   It's not really a yard, it's an expanse of moss with a few sprigs of grass sticking up here or there that looks like a backyard only in that it's green.

One of our new plots has 15 inches of soil so carrots and beets can grow deep.  Was almost a full yard of topsoil in that one 5x8.

 

 

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46 minutes ago, Malsua said:

It's also why we've put in 150 square feet of garden plots plus our normal "party buckets" of tomatoes and cukes that we put on the deck.  I don't necessarily think 250,000 migrant workers won't go to California to pick veggies,  but I am behaving as if that might happen.

 

22 minutes ago, USRifle30Cal said:

Doesn't everyone have at least 4 to 5 - 4 X 8 beds for veggies every year?!

Gosh, I feel like such a loser... I have only (2) 4x8 beds...! :cray:.

Seriously though... you can bet your bippy I'll be growing veggies this year - in those 2 beds and then yet more in containers on my deck. For a single person like myself, it'll actually be quite abundant! 

This year in particular, I don't think anyone could do a smarter "prepper" move than the simple act of planting and tending a veggie garden!

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51 minutes ago, Malsua said:

I misspoke.

I have actually been stocking up since the 1970s.   We ALWAYS have at least 6 weeks of food on hand, usually a lot more than that.  I don't think I've ever hit a year, but 6 months happens when there are a lot of sales.

I started topping off the supplies in January.  Filling in some holes and adding some shelf stable stuff as shown above.  My whole goal in this thing was to be able to have the freedom to stay home when this thing is burning through hot and heavy.  It is also to avoid any temporary  outages of food.   Suppliers are broadcasting that they may not meet meat demand.  This means they don't expect to meet demand, but aren't willing to come right out and say it.

It's also why we've put in 150 square feet of garden plots plus our normal "party buckets" of tomatoes and cukes that we put on the deck.  I don't necessarily think 250,000 migrant workers won't go to California to pick veggies,  but I am behaving as if that might happen.

 

 

 

I expanded the garden last year, but this all got me thinking and I finally put in garden boxes to maximize output, efficiency and organization. I also picked up addition seeds for veggies I typically don't grow because i get such great produce up here locally.

 

Speaking of which i need to order topsoil to fill those beds, seeds already sprouted inside. 

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8 minutes ago, GRIZ said:

Yes they may not protect you but all your links say they will prevent you spreading it to some degree if you have it.  That's the issue with this.  It's one of those things you can have but never suffer symptoms.

One article said cloth face masks are only 3% effective.  I'll take any edge I cam get.

Read up about Thyphoid Mary. She was still carrying thyphoid when she died.

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tDP1TfISinONWD04impLMjIz0xRyE0sqgQAXv8IHQ&q=typhoid+mary&oq=thypoi&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0j46j0.3771j0j7&client=ms-android-att-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Just ignore him. He's grasping at anything he can to turn this into an argument that he shouldn't have to wear a mask. The fact of the matter is mask's work and they will help to slow the spread of this and get us back to normal. Right now I am trying to build a sterilization chamber for our masks here at home but I can't find the appropriate materials for a decent price.

https://www.frolicstudio.com/covid-19-decontamination-toolkit

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Masks are a trivial topic.. 

I wear a mask when airbrushing the nastiest shit on this planet..... you gonna tell me that it doesn't protect my respiratory system?

 

Saying they don't work because people don't use them correctly, while its not false... but its different than saying they just don't work..

 

That video was a load of shit, most professional grade N95's are to protect the person wearing them... with vents, they don't even filter the exhale. These people have been lying because if they tell people how effective they are... the already shortage becuase a disaster for hospitals and front line workers. 

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1 hour ago, Mrs. Peel said:

 

 

Gosh, I feel like such a loser... I have only (2) 4x8 beds...! :cray:.

Seriously though... you can bet your bippy I'll be growing veggies this year - in those 2 beds and then yet more in containers on my deck. For a single person like myself, it'll actually be quite abundant! 

This year in particular, I don't think anyone could do a smarter "prepper" move than the simple act of planting and tending a veggie garden!

you need to learn canning as well to keep your abundance all year long -

Here is a tip for your tomatoes -

Order or obtain the quart size chines soup containers as many quarts as you may want

take 18 - 24 or so tomatoes rough cut them into quarters

take a cookie sheet pan - lube with some good olive oil

lay tomatoes on in pain - drizzle with more olive oil, add some salt, pepper and some garlic cloves - (secret add a touch of sugar)

place tray in oven for about 40 min at 400 degrees

When done take pan out - and now take the tomatoes and place them in a food processor and rough em up to lifuify them - but keep them chunky.

Place in quart containers and freeze - if you can you can can them.

Now in the dead of winter - take one out, maybe add a lil tomatoes paste warm up and serve over your favorite pasta and feel like it is summer again with a bright fresh summer taste....

 

:)

 

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On 4/14/2020 at 4:02 PM, Mrs. Peel said:

Thank you for posting this, 10X. I was actually logging on to post something similar! (Siamese twins, separated at birth?)

I wondered how I got that long jagged scar down my side...

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