D Is For Distancing

This guy gets bonus points for creativity!

Today marks our 15th "official" day of the world's new normal. At this point our state is under a shelter at home order and a strong "suggestion" to wear a mask when leaving the house. Good plan. If you can find a mask. I have spent a lot of time searching open stores and websites during the last two weeks in the hope of purchasing face masks and latex gloves. Even at highly inflated prices, most sites don't guarantee delivery before the end of the month. Fat lot of good that will do.

Thank goodness my mom sews. I called her this morning to ask if she'd consider making some masks for us. She was already making them. Yay, Mom! She studied some videos on Facebook and figured it out. I have the first one she made with elastic

straps to hook over your ears. She wasn't thrilled with it so all the rest she makes will have ties. They are pleated and there is an opening at the bottom to slide in a dried baby wipe or paper towel to act as a filter. Since I will only be going out once a week for groceries for the foreseeable future, it will do and it's definitely better than nothing. 

Mom and John are taking the social distancing pretty seriously. I've only seen Mom from a distance since this all started. When she brought the mask down for me, she left it on the porch and went home to call me about it. She and John are in their mid and late 70's and John has some heart issues so it's a good thing.

Tim found latex gloves for me today at Lowe's. If you need any of those check the paint department. He didn't think to look, but they may have some kind of masks there, too. Also interesting, he reported that a lot of people were open carrying their weapons. It's supposed to be legal here, but virtually no one does it. (Why call attention to yourself?) It sort of lends a bit of weight to the idea that a growing number of people are beginning to think the numbers don't add up and that something bigger than this virus is going on.

For the most part we are doing fine. Our daughter is the one that worries me. She and her husband go out at least a couple of times a day and not for anything that couldn't wait. Sometimes they take the kids, but lately they've at least been taking turns staying home with them. We just can't seem to get them to stay at home, if not for their own sake, then for the kids, for Mom and John, or heck, even for ours since we are in our late 50's and Tim has high blood pressure. Tim spoke to them again today. I hope it sinks in. A lot of the younger generation seems to think they are invincible.

So, how about you? 

What are your feelings about social distancing?

Are you wearing a mask when you go out?

Do you think there's more going on than meets the eye?

Is everyone you know being compliant with the shelter at home order?