Share Your Current Situation

Ken. I live in MA...in the county with the least number of cases.....but the state mandate for stores is to allow 40% of normal capacity in the store at one time, so one person out, one person in after the 40% is attained. Hence, the lines. All kinds of tape demarcations for 6 feet are on the floor so check out is very slow since you can't put your groceries on the belt until the other person is totally finished so the belt can be cleaned. All the aisles are one way so there is a lot of extra walking to get to the aisle you want. The supplies have been fine for the most part, but the mask and gloves have been "suggested strongly" by the state .Thanks for asking.

 

Wow on that belt thing. Most everything else sounds like here but I avoid crush hours. One thing our grocer has done is upping staff. One dedicated employee outside cleaning carts. Way more lanes open than usual. Easing back on aisle-end merchandising to clear walkways. Couple employees always walking around cleaning handles and doors. Most folks give a courteous passing space but I can't say everything is six feet until you get to the lines.

 

Grocery shopping in the Chicago area has changed too. The local Jewel store also has a person with a counter checking off how many go in and out. Welcome to the new normal.
We'll all get used to it in time, just like all the airport processes we have follow after 9/11, or the hotel checks in Vegas after that scumbag had to shoot innocent people having fun.
Get used to wearing masks and buy stock in Medline.

 

The state will go to mandatory masks in public places on Saturday. It was mandatory in 3 counties (including mine) for the past week or so. Much easier when it's the whole state since DC was already mandatory and it's all the DMV anyway. I just went ahead and got cute masks. If you gotta wear them might as well make it work. I rarely leave the house - groceries get delivered. They always got delivered even before this because I hate shopping. My favorite store around here has long done the stand in line outside, get a sanitized cart, go to the hand sanitizer, move about the store, stand 6 feet apart in checking out, etc. The other stores are finally catching up with that.

 

Feeling very blessed as our counties and 2 adjoining us have no cases diagnosed yet. My boss at the Pharmacy is pretty firm that we all wear our masks all the time, even tho we have great cough guards in place. We joke when we misfile something that "we can't get enough oxygen" with the masks. The older customers really want to stay and talk, but we barricaded all but a small counter space so have to move them on to get the next customer in.
IF YOU HAVE ELDERLY RELATIVES PLEASE CALL AND CHAT WITH THEM! They are even more lonely now!

 

Slow slow slow week at work. I am taking my next three shifts off and give them to other nurses that need to work. Usually I can't find people to cover because they hate doing my job. Now they are willing to do it. I am literally bored out of my mind. I told the director I am calling in bored. I plan to tackle my back porch laundry room. It is terrible.

I fear when we get the green light to start booking elective cases we are going to be super super busy. I was told they may run the ORs seven days a week to catch up. I know we will be glad to get back to work. So many of my nursing friends are not working at all.

 

Very grateful to be working from home. And still working. My daughter who is in college had to resort to all online. And just making sure we only go out once or twice a week.

 

I went to the grocery store for the first time this morning in about 6 weeks. I went at 7 am, senior time. It was busier than I thought it would be. Everyone kept telling me that the stores are almost empty, no problem, go. Well, not really. I think everyone I encountered had a mask. One door is for in traffic only, the other side is out, aisles are one way traffic, prices have all increased, there was toilet paper, I bought the only package of hamburger to be found (80/20 blech), an employee disinfects and gives you a cart at the door, can't use your own tote bags anymore and almost everyone observed distancing. The only thing I noticed was some people do not have understanding of DO NOT ENTER or a big arrow that says ONE WAY ONLY.

If you do find what you want, it's going to cost you.

@Sonya, DH has been begging me to trim his hair, but so far I'm resisting. Maybe he will hold still and won't end up with that occasional bald spot that the dog gets.

 

State has been on shelter in place since late March. Currently scheduled to end on April 26th. Masks are encouraged outside the home, but not required. Grocery stores have been pretty well stocked except for about a 10 day period from March 15-25th. I’ve been home since late March and won’t be going back until late May. Glad we paid off all of our debt minus the mortgage several years ago. Stimulus $ went into savings until things open up. Been supporting the mom & pop restaurants at least weekly. Current mood: grateful.

 

Been reading everyone’s comments and of course getting more and more tired of the phrase “Covid-19” with each post. Such a disruptive evil plague, so much heartbreak and disappointment everywhere you look, including in the eyes of strangers peering over a mask.

Around here we have a teenage grandson banned from high school, a friendly, customer oriented hair stylist separated from her flock, my mother confused and worried constantly reminding us all of what she has lived through in her ninety-three years, world wars, depression, social upheavals etc. and “never having seen anything like this before”…and me…just hanging out fearing that 2020 will be the year of “the Summer of No Memories”…at least not any good ones.

This week we have been standing by …helpless… as a close friend prepares to say goodbye to her Mother, a process that been coming for the last month or so as her condition worsened, from natural causes in the nursing home, not Covid-19 related…or so everyone thought…after being permitted a final personal farewell, the passing came less than 48 hours ago. The following day our friend was informed that the corpse tested “positive”…really? Now the daughter is quarantined, suddenly out of work, and any type of services are put on hold, for now…still more …the undertaker called to inform her that they will be dropping off the “urn” in the next day or so…”Just leave the ashes on the step and ring the bell…I’ll get them when its safe”.

Who else hates the phrase “Covid-19?”

And on a personal note, even though there is plenty of real troubles around, thanks to our invading virus, I still find myself feeling disappointed for me ,or more like ,”me and Vegas”.

Five years ago this July my wife and I were married at the Flamingo and had a super pool party with a group of friends who made the trip to Vegas for the event. Late last year we began planning an anniversary party/ reunion back at the Flamingo with the same group and a few others. Much effort has gone into the plans not only here at home but with a host at the Flamingo. Just when things were starting to move along with folks getting their room reservations and flights arranged, this happens! Now, everything is muted, no one talks of the Vegas trip anymore…life is on hold.

”Pity the fool …”who ever came between me and LV, but this virus defies my anger!

Well, hope everyone on VMB stays safe and your life returns to normal soon. May the “summer of 2020” bring you good and lasting memories! May we someday all says Covid-what?

 

I got laid off during the financial meltdown in 2008. I never worked after that because I never got any decent interviews because my resume was a tipoff to my age. I decided to just call it quits looking for work. I had various positions in the Technology Division with several years as Technical Manager position. While I was working I socked away the maximum in my 401K from what now is the largest US bank plus a short stint at IBM. I also invested in some stock. I'm single for a long time now and as someone earlier said I'm taking home more money now than when I was working because that was my play - to have plenty to live on. My IRA is a consolidation of 401K and pension plan, and Social Security plus occasion dividends and capital gains from a stock account I own. I general my health is OK, not perfect but well enough.

 

Unfortunately all the beaches are all closed. You can go into the water but no loitering on the sand. But the parking lots for the beaches are all closed so you have to park far away just to get to the beach. Some neighborhoods such as Lanikai they even prohibited parking in the neighborhood so you would have to walk a mile or more just to get to the beach. Parks are basically closed, no walking or loitering in the parks so if you want to go walking you have to do it on the sidewalk along the main streets. I usually walk around Ala Moana park but I can't do that anymore, guess I could just walk around the shopping center since most of the stores are all closed.

Basically the leaders are saying that we should just stay home unless we are going to the market or exercising. That's about it. They even put us on curfew for the easter weekend. No cars on the road from 11 pm to 5 am from Friday night to Monday morning for easter weekend. Didn't bother me as I was at home late at night.

I'm hoping with this "phased" relaxing of restrictions they will open up the golf courses so I can get some exercise and sun within the next 30 days. My calf strain seems to be getting better, I'm walking without any pain (put on those athletic KT tape and it seems to have help my strain)although I can't go up and down the stairway so I will probably have to get my exercise by walking the sidewalks.

Unfortunately the storage places are non essential so they are all closed so I can't really reorganize the mess in my house (although I can go though some stuff and dump them but not the bulk of my mess).

Wow, I went to Safeway and Sam's club early this morning. I went in early due to the senior hours. I didn't know, since they restock the store late at night they have a lot of stuff early in the morning so I was able to pick up some stuff that are normally sold out.

 

Nothings changed much as far as myself goes. Basically just staying home, watching tv or hanging out here on VMB or surfing other places. Tired of the Covid-19 websites that dominate the internet.

My wife is still working at her Electrical Contractor company. She does the accounts receiving, accounts payable, and the payroll so as long as the boys are out in the field working she's required to come in. I'm retired from electrical work thank goodness. Glad I got out last year in May.

My youngest daughter is still living with us so everyday I need to be quiet most times of the day because she holds her teaching conferences.

I do the cooking now most of the time. I spend a lot of time on the webs learning how to make dishes with the Instant Pot. It was gifted to us and I like using it. It cuts the cooking time in half which I like because I love comfort foods like soups, roasts, and stews.

I am super bored. I don't like to go shopping very often now for groceries because I fall under the "at risk" category for covid-19 so I run out of fresh vegetables all the time. Prior to this crisis I used to go shopping every other day to make sure I have fresh vegetables and meat, fish, and dairy.

I refrain from walking the neighborhood and just do my daily walk routine on the treadmill in the garage.

 

I'm gonna be #7 soon!

 

I’m gonna be #7 soon too! Hahahaha!

 

Dropping a #2 staring at 70 rolls of toilet paper with none of it having been bought since January. When we buy TP, we got HAF