Basic rations to survive a pandemic

@laura-f

Great idea.  We are getting out to walk on the island, but plan to do some hiking and exploring as the weather improves.  We can pack a lunch, take the dogs and soak up some vitamin D.  Good for the body and mind!

In addition to all the excellent advice, I'd also suggest a videoconference platform for staying in touch with family/friends you may not be able to visit with in the next few weeks.  

I use Zoom for work which is quite good and easy to use.  It offers a free account option which lets you video conference for up to 40 minutes at a time for free, I think.

@bluebelle

We're planning some desert hikes too.

Future Learn, one of the many online multi-university type free course learning platforms  is offering a COVID-19 course. These NOT CANCELLED courses, might be a good way to spend some time learning or broadening your horizons.  There are many interesting subjects to choose from not virus related too.

So apparently everyone in the area I live tried to buy food today without much success.

I haven't been on FB much lately.  But I saw local people post lots of pictures of empty shelved in many different stores.  

One store was limiting canned foods to 5 per person and most were out.

I went to our local Von's today at around 10am. It was more crowded than usual, kind of similar to day before Thanksgiving, but not any worse than that. There was no TP and water bottles were being limited to 5 gallons per customer. I needed neither, was just there to replenish fresh foods. I will say, though, that everyone was polite, cordial, low key.  People were clearly socking up on stuff, but no one was taking all of any one thing.

I think we rural people tend to be better stocked all the time just because we know the pure joy of waking up in the middle of the night only to realize we've used the last roll of squeezably-soft Charmin.

"EARL!! I asked you to stop for toilet paper on your way home from the bait shop!"

"Not now, Martha! Me and Rufus is about to set fire to this wasp's nest's above his workbench! Use a magazine!"

So I finally made it to the store yesterday to get some basics we are running low on-almost the entire store, decimated. Pasta aisle, soup aisle, good luck in the cleaning supplies aisle. I did get some Jell-o cups and oatmeal pies so we're golden.

I was standing and looking at the remaining soups, and a guy rudely stepped in front of me without saying excuse me, stood there blocking me, and my husband coughed, not on purpose, he has seasonal allergies, and that guy got out of my way faster than a mosquito at a spider convention. Wrong, I know, but it made me chuckle. I know I would have had the same reaction. Gotta find humor where you can, these days. People are jumpy.

I am ever so thankful that I listened to my Intuition and prepared for this 3 weeks ago!!!! I actually had enough to make a care kit for my son who stopped by on his way home from the hospital to self quarantine for the next two weeks...I gave him a box of Mullein Tea and some fresh thyme, lemons, and raw local honey and some boxes of jello and a few jars of Better than Bouillon and some Simply Nature bone broths. He was headed home after being given IV fluids to hydrate,morphine for pain and Tylenol for the fever.  I did not open the door...we talked through the glass... he looked like shit... he didn't touch anything but the bag as he lifted it from the shelf on the porch...still... I sprayed disinfectant around after he left. I use what we use at work - it kills parvo,MRSA and so much more... the way this stuff spreads actually reminded me of the parvo outbreak in canines years back before many survived it or had vaccines for...highly contagious and swift onset and deadly. I am set to handle my "staycation" for the next two weeks.

Praying for a swift recovery for your son, Journey.

You're exactly right.  It's like human Parvo.

We have plenty of food and supplies, it was more a trip to stock up on fresh stuff, but the dry good aisles-holy cow.

@polarberry

Thank you for your prayers..... I planted early lettuces, spinach and sugar snap peas this weekend, a few carrots still producing.... still getting mustard green and kale from my garden. I also have a yard full of dandelion greens, wild violets, chickweed,  dead nettle, curly dock ,sorrel and some oyster mushrooms in the wood behind my yard... and .. I have about 3 dozen eggs from a coworkers hens so they will keep longer than store bought eggs. I am okay on fresh stuff...really no need to go anywhere. Many of us have fresh wild greens coming out now.. search online to find ways to identify and use them. Grow Forage Cook Ferment is a great Facebook page and website to get recipes and ideas of how to use these foraged Spring foods. Cooking with foraged foods can be quite fun and educational...and.. nutritious.. just be sure to 100% identify all foods you harvest.

@journeywithme2, God bless and protect your son.  Was he able to get the coronavirus test?  

@deetoo

thank you deetoo!

No... not enough tests...drs treating him like it is COvid-19..they gave him a ECG because of the chest pains, chest rads (thankfully clear) swabbed for flu (tested negative) gave him IV fluids to hydrate,morphine injection for the pain (he has coughed so much he has pulled chest muscles)  tylenol for the fever and sent him home to self-quarantine for two weeks. He is to go back for a check-up in a week at which time they will test him and he is to represent if he worsens or fails to improve. Dr said he is young (32) and healthy that he should recover without too much trouble.. and.. to not break his quarantine... I think this not testing  and shortage of tests.....is crazy...and comes from the Orange Foolius...who wants to "keep the numbers down".

@journeywithme2,

I'm happy to hear that your son's chest rads are clear.  I'm sure he is miserable.  How is his partner doing?  Didn't you say that she wasn't feeling well?  

I meant to ask you about mullein tea.  Didn't you once post about it?  If so, I can't find the post.  Are there particular things you add to the tea?   Years ago I considered trying mullein tea, based on some readings from Edgar Cayce.  I had some bad eczema, and drinking the tea was supposed to help with that.  I never did try it.  It's my understanding that in Chinese medicine, the skin and the lungs are connected.   

As far as the Orange Foolius is concerned ... karma is coming.

@deetoo

Yes... no.. the only thing I add to mine is a bit raw honey to sweeten the taste.. I use the Alvita Organic Mullein tea bags.... hard to find in stock right now :-(   it's something I keep on hand year round.. like elderberry syrup because it eases chest congestion and coughing. Vitacost and Swanson Vitamins show it out of stock.. Amazon.com still has some Thyme tea in stock.. with lemon juice and raw honey it's good for URI's.  I just had a really ghastly thought!!!! What if the reason they are not testing everyone is so that the hospital's can still charge the under-insured and the uninsured as they wish without having to take in to account its the COvid-19 virus?

Update from the front line of grocery shopping:
Yesterday I went to go to our local Lazy Acres (kind of a gourmet-natural foods market, not the cheapest but they have good organic foods), again to replenish some fresh food items. Well, it was kinda scary, but also kinda funny. I live in a hyper-gentrified part of town.  I couldn't even get lettuce... yes, all the dry goods were completely gone, but so were all the onions, garlic, potatoes, greens, carrots, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, etc. Even the meat aisle was decimated. So all the local yuppy types decided to panic buy all the fresh foods. *sigh*  I consoled myself in the chip aisle - lots of potato chips so I bought a few bags of flavored ones (we love the Korean BBQ flavor!), and some tortilla chips. 

This was the most crowded I have ever seen that store, and I was not thrilled to have to wait in long lines, but it is what it is. Today I have a medical appointment I can't skip (eye infection), after that I'm planning to hunker down more.

@journeywithme2

Love the wild greens suggestion but my family casts a suspicious eye on broccoli, lol.

We are buried under snow right now. I can't wait for true spring so I can get my tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers going. 

An unusual suggestion for body aches-if you have a weighted blanket, or can get one, it really helps.  I love mine. Just make sure to get one that has a washable cover.

@deetoo

thank you for asking about her...actually she was sick first - she is 25 and recovered fairly quickly...then..he caught it ..much harder.

@laura-f

I had non stop eye infections all last winter - lasted 6-7 mos, along with a weird virus that lasted 3 mos.  Nothing helped but using this stuff I got on Amazon that I wash my eyes with every day - twice per day (closed of course) and massage them on the lid and the lower lid by massaging up toward my eye then rise for a long time with very warm water. It's Tea tree gentle foaming face wash from Thursday plantation:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WK2G84P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and then I use 3 drops in each eye of this: similisan complete eye relief

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0B8G8O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sending light to you and your family!

@journeywithme2

Sending healing light and love to your family! 

Thank you all for the prayers and healing energy and Light. For those who work with Solfeggio frequency music.. check this one out.  

https://youtu.be/eLrJUdBHiXA

741Hz Solfeggio Frequency Music to Cleanse Infections, Dissolve Toxins, Boost Immune System Naturally. It is also the frequency which resonates with throat chakra and helps in unblocking and clearing energy blockages in this chakra.