It’s getting harder and harder to keep track of the days. One blurs into another and the only difference is whether I have meetings or not. Friends and family cycle in and out of despair. Even the most even-keeled people such as A find themselves being a bit “off”. I think we figured out that so far we both have angst but not yet full blown despair. Though it does seem relatively worse because we are normally the optimistic cheerful ones in the crowd.
I cope by doing and arranging and planning. That allows me to feel some control. I went to Costco yesterday and now my freezer is full. Costco is doing a fantastic job managing people flow. Although I think that to get TP one has to get there early because by 11 there was none to be had.
As you arrive you must take a sanitized cart. That is your social distancing measure. Then you get in line and remain properly spaced. It’s was good to see that 2 out of 3 people were wearing masks and/or gloves. As you reach the entrance there is an aisle created using stacked pallets that opens up into three aisles. It’s like you are boarding the ferry. You are told which aisle to get into. Then all three groups are read a set of instructions – keep away from people, follow the posted maximums, here’s the list of things they are out of, get your Costco card ready to show etc…. Then one aisle at a time is released to walk past the speaker while showing the card – keeping 6 feet away. At checkout, one person at a time is allowed to unload on the conveyor. There are newly installed plastic “sneeze guards” between you and the cashiers. You can’t bring your own bags. They tape the receipt to the front of the cart so you don’t have to hand it to the door checker. Overall I give them an A for making shopping logistics functional.
p.s. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of emergency prep’ing and I’m realizing that I will need to do more research and summarize it for you. In the meantime to carry you over – find an old back pack, put a change of clothes in it. Some snacks that keep for a long time, a flashlight, a pocket knife or multi tool, and a first aid kit. Keep it in your hall closet by the front door. It’s not even close to everything you need. But it’s better than nothing.