Bits and Pieces, random observations

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Source: Bangor (Maine) Daily News

While watching all the various leaders give updates on the corona virus situation, I started to focus on the sign language interpreters standing at their side. I never realized it before but it’s not just about the hand movements. Their facial expressions said as much as their hands. Now I’m so fascinated that I don’t look at the speaker. Learn something new every day.

Shipments are wonky. I ordered some non-essential items on-line and received them in two days. Other deliveries are taking ten days to two weeks. Amazon deliveries are running long. I have an order from last week. I just got a projected date for ten days out. Odd. I saw some real gouging on Amazon from third party vendors. That should not be allowed.

There must be a prom coming. Over the weekend I developed a ginormous zit on the tip of my nose. The kind that scares babies and wild beasts. The zit itself is mostly gone but there is a red dot marking the spot. Bright red. The same color as a clown nose. I only get these when there is a prom or formal affair or anything that will require a photograph. I’m dusting off my prom gown.

We’ve been doing a grocery trip every four to five days. It’s amazing to see what is available and what isn’t. On the last trip I bought the best tasting tomatoes I’ve had in a long time. There was fresh parsley and basil and all the bananas you want. In fact there was a lot of produce. Not so much in the canned goods. You would think since the life span of canned goods is so much longer the supply would be better but that’s not so. Tuna was being rationed along with some other things. You can get all the yogurt you want but butter and eggs were in short supply. On my next trip I will need some pasta or noodles. I haven’t checked those aisles but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I should also check my chocolate supply. No chocolate makes Kate a cranky blogger.

How are you holding up? Anything bizarre or unexpected that you experienced?

94 thoughts on “Bits and Pieces, random observations”

  1. We consciously did not start hoarding, but now the restrictions have tightened and it seems to make sense to buy more in order to shop less often. Starting today, customers are given a free mask at the entrance and have to wear it while shopping. Another reason to shop less frequently.

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  2. Hi Kate, You bring up grocery shopping. The last time I went grocery shopping was over 2 weeks ago. We have basic supplies although fresh goods mostly gone and they don’t last too long. My husband and I have been in solitary confinement, oops I mean social isolating for over 2 weeks. Not a single soul except for the 2 of us. That is another story.

    I am reading these pages and pages long descriptions on how to clean/sterilize our food when we bring it home. Anxiety at the thought. I very much understand transmission of ‘germs.’ I was a dental hygienist for over 25 years and I was exceptionally aware and took Universal precautions. Yet, I don’t think I can step into a grocery store right now. Anyways, lots of canned goods. Thankful still for a great deal. Stay well. xx

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  3. We have an Amazon Warehouse here and they had to close because several workers tested positive. I wonder how many ended up closing. When you think about it – having infected workers send their virus around the globe for special delivery is defeating all the effort we are all making.

    But never fear – money wins. It’s only temporary while the disinfect the building. 🙄

    I’m going to disinfect my shipment when it finally arrives.

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    • Supposedly the virus only survives a few hours on cardboard. I’ve been either letting shipments sit in the garage for a day or using a Clorox wipe. We have mail service every day too.

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    • They do but you have to get a slot. So far I’ve preferred to select my own stuff. I go in early when it’s less crowded and wear gloves that I dispose after I get out. The store sanitizes the checkout area after every customer and we are required to stand in line 6′ apart. My needs are few so I’m in and out in less than 20 minutes. It’s a great idea for anyone at high risk but you need to plan ahead to get a slot at a time that works for you.

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  6. I was brave and went yesterday morning during senior shopping, although I am not yet quite a senior, I was shopping for my 94 year old mother so I hope that counts. I managed to spend another $150, meat has gotten very expensive, same with chicken and fish. Not many people about yet, but I needed a nap later as I’m not used to being up that early. Then later in the day when I heard that we have our first five cases here locally, I wonder if I should have gone out, but if we are in for another month of this, then I’m glad I bought more. Hard to know what to do, and no grocery store here delivers yet.

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    • Our grocery stores don’t deliver but have curbside pickup where you can order on-line ahead of time and someone puts the order together for you. There are services that will deliver. I picked up chicken thighs this morning and they were more expensive. Lots of beef but not a lot of chicken. No breasts at all. We went early (about 8). It wasn’t too crowded but more than it would be regularly at that time. I was surprised that they were as well stocked as they were (except for the chicken). I find that the stress of these trips always make me need a nap!

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  7. Kate, I’m so happy to hear I’m not the only one zeroing in on the sign language interpreters. There is a man that has been translating for the Philadelphia updates… he reminds me of a younger Santa. I’ve come to the conclusion that I listen much better when facial expressions are involved.

    Happy to see the sun today!

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  8. I went to senior shopping yesterday morning at 5:45 a.m. No pasta of any kind of be had in our stores – sold completely out along with all canned meats. I’m shocked by the people still buying the maximum amount of TP and paper towels. I’d like to follow a couple of them home and see where they’re storing it all. There were numerous couples shopping together but using separate carts so each one could get the amounts allowed. 48 rolls of TP – hmm. Strange times – stay safe.

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    • I know and I don’t get it except for the fear of running out. We are going this morning. I’m picking up stuff for my brother (who is asthmatic and should not go out). Our lists are small. I have some pasta but would like to get another box. At the end of this all, people won’t need to shop for a year!

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  9. We have noticed it’s odd what is on the shelves at the store and what isn’t. Fortunately, what one store is missing another will often have. The one thing we haven’t see at all since this situation really started gaining ground is flour. Which is fine – I have a 5 pound bag, which will normally last me a month or two. But odd. I guess a lot of people are baking while they are home? Also the total lack of traffic when we do go out is weird.

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  11. I don’t have cable TV and have not seen signers doing the news or events for years, but that is fascinating to me. That makes sense that they would help the deaf people interpret by doing facial expressions. It’s the same for me here until I venture out in two to three weeks’ time for allergy shots, maybe gasoline and maybe groceries – I’m still stocked with pantry items from Winter and grateful for that. At first glance, I thought the woman up top was Ruth Buzzi’s character on Laugh-in, Gladys Ormphby

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  13. I got my Chewy order today. Being paranoid (?) I did not bring the boxes into the house…wiped everything with a Clorox Wipe before I put into the garage for a day to detox. Boxes made into the trash before the garbage pick-up today.
    I have been VERY true to my diet. But, since chocolate is medicine…that would not be a cheat right?????
    Stay Well!

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    • You are lucky. I received a notice that my Chew delivery will take 7 to 10 days. When I go on-line I see they are sold out of what I get so I’m not sure. You are not crazy. I’m wiping too. In times like this chocolate is definitely a medicine.

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  15. Grocery shopping has become a real crapshoot lately. We try not to go to often but it’s usually not possible to buy everything you need in a single trip. Hubby came home this morning with 20 eggs from a local food stand so life is good. We just finished the batch of oatmeal cookies I baked last week so we were in desperate need of eggs (gotta keep our strength up 🙂 ). Btw, your copy layout looks different. Did you move the the new editor? I haven’t even attempted it, but maybe now is a good time.

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    • Ummm…no. I didn’t do anything different. Did you access on the button through reader? One makes the post look different and the other button takes you to the actual blog site. Yes, what you said. We could space out farther if we could get everything in a single run. As it is we are trying to work with one trip a week and tomorrow will do for my bro too. Hoping to get the essentials.

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  16. My partner speaks American Sign Language, and it is really facially-involved, to put it in a clumsy way. I lived in the Uk for some years and their sign language is different, and my partner there spoke it because the non-verbal special-needs clients whom he worked with understood it. Japanese sign language was still different than that–it had never occurred to me how different they would be, but I recall that the Japanese symbol for ‘man’ was to bend the thumb in a way that made it look like a little person bowing. That was very cool to see.

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  17. We’ve been noticing those sign-language interpreters too. You’re right, it really is their facial expressions that make it worth watching. Especially when you may not be too crazy for that public official who’s doing the speaking! – Marty

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  18. We are holding up. I guess we are kind of boring. One thing I know for sure, once the snowbirds leave grocery stores are stocked again. Nobody knows what is going to happen here with the virus. But older people have listened to the CDC restrictions in our neighborhood and in general I think. We still have people walking and riding bikes in our neighborhood and we all yell hello. We chat outside maintaining the social distancing requirements. I do worry that we may become another New York since Florida’s governor doesn’t think a stay-at-home order is appropriate. SSNS and I will continue to stay home and only go out for grocery trips.

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  19. Luckily my husband does a big Costco shopping trip every week and stocked up on toilet paper before the insane rush. Now we go out once a week, mainly for milk for spawn. But he says the same thing, that there is lots of produce. Pasta is hard to find. But he makes his own if necessary.

    And we have lots of fresh oranges from our tree.

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    • We had done a big box trip about 2 weeks before it all hit. It wasn’t planned but it just happened. Wish I would have stocked up on pasta but for now I’ll be ok. In a couple of weeks I’ll be making it with the flour I have on hand.

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  20. Best laugh of the day: medicating with chocolate quote!
    Being in hurricane country, I guess we read the warning winds early ( and had already started stocking hurricane supplies like tuna, coffee, toilet paper (on sale yet!), the water flats not really for this event… ). I think we have enough soup and stuff to last several weeks if necessary…but it might not be pretty once the chips, cookies and fresh fruits run out.
    Fed Ex-ed the Easter books and new baby gifts ahead of time in case transport got limited – which apparently it has.
    Who knew we’d get so excited about title tomatoes and apples! We’re in a lock down area – with rising cases – so we have gone to ordering on line when curbside pickup slots are available. It is so flukey: available food items and delivery/curbside time slots appear and disappear at the weirdest time so I started checking frequently. I have a big order for curbside April 3rd which was the earliest avaialble( 2 weeks worth including extra cat food – as we have the same picky problem and I will not take risks…she knows how to retaliate). Then Monday there was on slot for Tues and more thurs….so quickly made 2 small orders – while the fresh veggies and bread was there. Heaven!
    When we picked up there was a huge line of people with rope lanes and spacing enforced – there was cops and management at the door: one in, one out. We are so lucky this is one of the very big HEB stores that is getting daily supplies and is offering delivery and curbside pick up. Most stores now offer a senior hour – but it’s so crowded! Guess what in the big city, a couple of stores are doing robot vehicle deliveries to your curb.
    Life is really changing. Enjoying the new peace and quiet outside in the morning – no traffic whizzing by during dog walks.
    Take care and find reasons to smile…like Starbucks! Ours has been closed for weeks!

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  21. I’m enjoying the fresh produce as well. Guess folks are stocking up on oreos and ice cream at my grocery store. Oh, and yeast. So said the man stocking shelves. Says he can’t keep yeast and flour on the shelves since people are making bread and teaching their kids how to cook. That’s my kind of learning by doing.

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  22. We have beautiful weather here wall to wall sunshine after weeks of rain. We are in lockdown but allowed out to get groceries or exercise near home on our own once a day. Our shops are looking very empty but they have an hour reserved for the elderly where they have the basics. I have not seen any flour for a couple of weeks. I miss chatting to people. It is surprising how soon you get used to standing six feet away. It is going to have a massive effect on the economy. Stay safe I am seeing scary numbers from the U.S. I can’t see Trump having his full churches for Easter.

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  24. I have spent the last seven days working with my team to turn a language immersion K-8 school into an online version of itself. It’s kind of like transforming an accordion into a space shuttle!

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  25. I never thought to watch signers. Grandson David knows some words and phrases; he’s been fascinated with signing since he was little. He works with a deaf person and shows me the old sign for something and the new way his friend does it. I’m hopeless at remembering any of it.

    I got the last large can of the house brand tuna, but there were others to choose from. I also took the last Greek yogurt from the shelf. Missed out on the good chicken sale. All the 98 cents-per-pound chicken was gone. People left tons of packages that were $4.83 per pound. Guess who did not fall for that.

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  27. I couldn’t order my dog kennel and the chairs at amazon… it said reduce this items from your list… great I ended with a collar for 7 bucks what is not qualified for free shipping. we hold the ford but it is a challenge… one hour per day for walking the dogs is not enough… but we hope it will be better…

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  28. The facial expressions on the sign language interpreters faces are grim & dismal. I would like to see them sign ~> “Have some chocolate!” That would erase the grimaces!

    We are limiting grocery trips and making do. As a result, I am concocting in the kitchen even more than usual ~ mixing and matching recipes to use what we have on hand. Yesterday, I made a spanakopita lasagna since I had lasagna noodles, feta, kale, onions, garlic, and tomatoes (but no phyllo, ricotta or mozzarella). Delicious! With leftovers!!! That makes it a Win-Win!

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    • I made scratch pizza with what I had on hand. Oddly (for me) I had yeast that I had purchased for something that I never made before the holidays. We are limiting trips too. Tomorrow we will go for our “weekly” and pick up for my brother too. Hopefully there will be stuff to buy. If not, more creativeness to follow.

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  30. Now that you mention it, whenever there’s some event that requires photographic evidence of attendance, hormones (or the devil) manage to make sure there is some skin eruption to foul it up. We’re hanging in there as much as we can…however the dogs don’t seem to understand why strangers along our extra long walks aren’t allowed to pet them anymore. I told them ‘maybe by Easter’ like a certain president did yesterday. 😬I had to stop watching the so-called updates. I just can’t take the idiocy anymore. Where’s Dr. Fauci when you need him (and only him)? Stay safe. Try a little baking soda made into a paste to help with the redness.

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  31. I ordered some hand sanitizer from Bath and Body before I knew I’d be working from home…around 10 days ago. At first my order was accepted, money was taken from my bank account and I received a shipment confirmation. Three days later, I received an email that the order had been canceled, but I didn’t receive a refund. The emails continue, it’s shipped/it’s not shipped. Whatever…it’s not worth the hassle. Over the weekend, I ordered some cute/on sale white sandals from Belk and they were delivered Monday morning.

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    • I’ve had the same experience. I received all my pond supplies for the annual cleaning in a day. Anything I order on Amazon seems to take forever even if it’s not one of the scarce items. I hear cat food is getting scarce. Since I have so dang many cats, I buy cases. We are ok for about 2 to 3 weeks. Then there will be a mutiny.

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      • From my home office, I have a birds eye view of the neighborhood street. All day I see Amazon trucks buzzing back and forth. I think they are overwhelmed. My sandals came FedEx. It would be nice if people stopped hoarding. Have you checked Target for cat food?

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        • No. I’ve rescheduled my monthly order earlier and am picking up cat food at the grocery store when I see it. My biggest problem is that I have one cat that will only eat one flavor of one brand. The rest aren’t quite as picky. FedEx and UPS has been pretty quick but it may also be about the pick and pack location and how many people are working. I received an order from LL Bean in 2 days but Maine hasn’t (or wasn’t) hard hit and in quarantine. I tried to send something UPS. I checked on line and they said they are open as an essential business but when I went to the drop off point there was a sign. It said medications, food or life essentials only so it’s not really open to “normal” customers.

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