It's been a long month where the days are long but the weeks are flying by.
Over 800,000 cases in the US, over 44,000 deaths in the US. 888 cases in Maine, 5716 in Rhode Island where my parents live.
Although the stores continue to remain well-stocked there will be meat shortages as meat processing plants continue to close. I have 8 cans of chicken and 6 cans of salmon. I even picked up 3 cans of corned beef hash. I also bought a lot of beans and 3 pounds of quinoa. Cleaning supplies are hit or miss. I can't believe I found a 12 pack of Cottonelle toilet paper on Sunday afternoon at Walgreens. I haven't seen toilet paper at a store in so long I forgot that's how I used to buy it.
Starting to see some strange stuff on Amazon. Since I have two disabled children I never liked going to stores and prefer shopping online. Amazon has been my goto for years. I bought Seventh Generation free and clear dishsoap but what arrived was two open, leaking bottles filled with weird opaque liquid that had dripped all over the bottles and into the box. I am still waiting on a refund. Fearing a food supply chain disruption, I bought a canned ham from Amazon pantry. It is April 22 and the sell-by date of the date was Feb 24. The can was bulging. I did get a refund for the ham. My biggest fear today is someone will find the weird liquid and the expired ham and think they are worth using.
A few weeks ago we had a snowstorm that knocked out power. We lost power at 11:30 pm and the outside temp was in the high 20s. The next morning the house was freezing so I made the kids lay under their covers in bed, hoping to keep them warm. Thankfully, the power came on at around 8 am. We didn't have any food spoil. Some people in Maine were without power for 4.5 days. It was so cold and everyone had filled their freezers with food that was rendered inedible.
The BHPs can still come because they are essential workers. I only have a handful of bleach wipes and two bottles of 70% rubbing alcohol but I sanitize the doorknobs, light switches, commonly touched surfaces, cabinet handles, and the area that they work with the kids before they come and after they leave. I was able to buy some anti-bacterial bathroom cleanser from grove.com that I use twice or three times daily.
I still don't have a face mask because my friend who is making them doesn't have any elastic. She said she should hopefully have them soon. A lot of people are donating masks for healthcare workers and I am 100% fine with the materials for a mask for me going to a frontline worker. I did buy a dozen bandannas from Amazon along with some coffee filters so I can make no-sew masks. Today NPR released a study that nylon pantyhose slipped over homemade masks render them almost as useful as medical masks so I bought 6 pairs of Just My Size hose on Amazon that will be here early next week.
My 6 year old ASD son has been struggling. His interfering behaviors have increased to the point that he is eating his fecal matter when I leave the room. After speaking to his teacher and the BCBA of the school district, I decided to physically remove the opportunity. I bought two girl's dance leotards from Amazon for $10 each. The "special needs one piece onsie" available on Amazon sell for $30 each. Problem solved although going to the potty is now a little more difficult.
My daughter is having manic episodes which are disturbing. She has telehealth with her teacher once a day which helps a lot.
We still have it really good. There is still food in the stores, you can still find household cleansers and paper products if you look around. No one has discussed going to the zoo to harvest the animals yet. There are still stray animals in cities and towns. We are not living during the Blitz. This is not late 1930s Poland. We are not living like the Frank family in the attic forced to be quiet all day. We just have to stay home and stay safe. Yes, it is really hard with children, but it is doable. In this house we have a trampoline, two balance balls, a peanut, crayons, markers, paint, stickers, paper, dry erase markers, a white board, and paper. We have books. We have a Roku and WiFi. My family is low income so we don't have a ton of extras so I get it but we are making the best out of everyday.
If we do run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins there are alternatives. Vinegar makes a cheap all purpose cleanser. We can make it through this.
This is not a conspiracy, there is a deadly virus that is easily transmitted from person to person. Its not just about if we get it, its keeping other people safe and virus free.
