n95 dust masks

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I wanted to buy a 50 lb bag of yellow onions yesterday at the Restaurant Supply store. But I can't lift that much and it would take me days to process. So I bought onions at WM for 48 cents per lb and will dehydrate a bunch of them. Also bought clearance yellow and red peppers for 33 cents each and will dehydrate them.

I've dehyd potatoes, but I didn't know at the time that blanching them is a good idea. So I'm trying to grow some. I bought a tub, will drill some holes, and grow some red potatoes. Did you know potatoes are either determinate or indeterminate like tomatoes?

I bought some clearance salmon and cod filets, and vac packed and froze them.

p.s. There was NO RAW meat at the restaurant supply. NONE. When they get their order in today, the cashier said they were going to limit to two per purchase. Even their large slabs of deli meats were in very short supply.
OH, and Costco is requiring masks starting Friday. This has all sorts of locals up in arms about their freedom rights. (rolls her eyes and deeply sighs...)

I dehydrated potatoes a few years ago and they lasted a long time, but I do not remember how I did it. My onions I used them up so fast that I am not sure how long they would have lasted.

 

[seedcorn]

I read shoes were really bad because the virus goes down to the ground.

Makes sense as they are leather. Never thought of shoes, surprised we aren’t being told to buy rubber boots that can be sterilized or at least washed in disinfectant.

 

[Xerocles]

Makes sense as they are leather. Never thought of shoes, surprised we aren’t being told to buy rubber boots that can be sterilized or at least washed in disinfectant.

I'm way ahead of the curve on that one. I got to the doctors office today and realized I was wearing my rubber muck boots that I put on to feed up this morning.

 

[PhilaGardener]

I prefer to wear a mask than an IV.
Mary

That makes a point!

 

[seedcorn]

I'm way ahead of the curve on that one. I got to the doctors office today and realized I was wearing my rubber muck boots that I put on to feed up this morning.

Color me impressed. Rubber boots and got to see a doctor? 2 for 2.

 

[baymule]

I read shoes were really bad because the virus goes down to the ground.

So what are we supposed to do, go barefoot? LOL sorry, I just had to.....

 

[seedcorn]

So what are we supposed to do, go barefoot? LOL sorry, I just had to.....

Rubber muck boots. Come on, keep up...... (sorry emojis don’t work for me)

 

[Zeedman]

To paraphrase someone else, sometimes the thoughts in my head get tired of confinement, and go out for a walk through my mouth (or my keyboard). More often than not, that doesn't end well... feel free to tell me so, but nicely.My apologies in advance for the length.

COVID-19 has become a complicated & multi-pronged issue.

We still don't fully understand how the virus attacks the body. Remember, WHO first stated that it was non-transmissible person-to-person... before it became obvious, too late, that was wrong. It was first thought to attack only those with compromised immune systems, but healthy people have succumbed too. It was considered to be just a respiratory issue, but now doctors are finding that it attacks other organs, can cause blood clots, and may even be able to attack T-cells (which might explain the extraordinarily long hospitalizations). As result, it has been difficult to find effective ways to treat those who are affected. Scientists still are not sure if the presence of antibodies will protect those who have them from being re-infected. And now, with antibody testing, we are finding that COVID-19 has apparently been spreading through the U.S. (and probably the world) much longer than was previously thought. Unless, of course, the antibody tests being used are inaccurate.

Governments & NGO's have been both helping, and hindering. WHO misjudged the outbreak in the beginning, and China has been lying & covering up evidence from the start. China quarantined Wuhan & prevented air or land travel to other parts of China, but allowed international flights out of Wuhan to continue - which caused the current world-wide pandemic. Its hard to see that as an innocent act. And as it turns out, Dr. Fauci - who has led the response to Corona virus in the U.S. - may have been involved in circumstances leading to this outbreak, through his National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funding of bat corona virus research at the Wuhan laboratory! One might justifiably question whether his involvement makes him the best choice to handle this, or whether his possible conflict of interest should disqualify him.

Like it or not, for good or ill (literally) politics also plays a role in how responses to the pandemic have been coordinated (or not). One can't help but notice that in an election year, it seems no one wants to play nice, or work together. I won't get into name calling or blaming either political party, because there has been plenty of irresponsibility & sandbox childishness to go around. Nothing new about that in an election year, it is politics as usual - but these are not usual times, and I wish all of our elected officials would act like responsible adults for a change. A pipe dream, I know, but one can pray for a brief interlude of sanity on the part of those officials - executive, legislative, & bureaucratic - who are entrusted with our welfare.

Which leads to the biggest obstacle to getting out of this mess. COVID-19 has become both a medical problem, and an economic problem. The opposing solutions being offered to deal with both of those issues are, at present, mutually exclusive. If the economy is opened up before testing, treatment, or adequate amounts of PPE are available, the increase in hospitalizations will quickly exceed our medical capacity in some areas. Deaths would skyrocket, and the public outcry would justifiably be huge. While efforts (both public & private) are proceeding furiously to correct shortcomings, adequate amounts of testing & PPE do not appear to be coming soon. Our governmental, medical, and manufacturing capabilities were not prepared for a pandemic of this magnitude... and we are paying the piper for the years of outsourcing & budget cutting our emergency response assets.

But on the other hand, if the economy is not restarted soon, the stall will reach the point where it exceeds our ability as a nation to recover, and numerous businesses & millions of jobs will be permanently lost. It would weaken us as a nation, causing long-term suffering equal to or greater than the death toll itself - and again, the public outcry would be huge. Recent short-term government actions aside, we can't borrow our way out of such massive job losses with a diminished tax base, nor restore thousands of businesses which have gone bankrupt. People who are angry, hungry, afraid or frustrated can be deceived into making foolish - and perhaps irrevocable - decisions. Our enemies (both foreign & domestic) would capitalize on our weakness to destroy our industry, undermine our government, and take away our freedoms. One way or another, this must end soon, or it will not end well.

As a people, we have been conditioned to believe that there is a quick, simple fix for everything; that we can just "take a pill", or throw money at a problem, and everything will be OK. I hate being negative... but IMO, this time there is no perfect, painless solution. For those who are fans of Star Trek, this is our "Kobayashi Maru" - a no-win scenario where the best we can hope for is to minimize the harm, and hope that the cure does not prove to be more destructive than the disease. To put it another way, given the scope of the crisis & what is at stake, we are for all intents & purposes in World War III. It is not only our lives, but our way of life, that are at stake. We survived three such crises in the last century, and I have faith that we will survive this too. Hardship brings out the worst in some; but it is uplifting to see how for most, it brings out our best. I firmly believe that as we have done in the past when challenged by hardship, we will pull together, help each other through the tough times, find new & creative solutions, and endure.

One last note, regarding some recent comments in this thread. One of the things that attracted me to this forum is the camaraderie, friendship, and the unilateral respect for others expressed by everyone here. Gardening is a nurturing, constructive pastime that crosses ideological boundaries. This is a friendly, welcoming place to converse & hang out, in large part because politics - and the strong emotions associated with it - is off limits here. COVID-19 touches all aspects of our lives, and the political aspect is unavoidable; but for the most part (with a few exceptions) I think it has been handled politely. I've tried hard to keep my own comments tactful & even-handed; if I've offended anyone, my apologies, because that was certainly not my intent. I am not a moderator, and definitely not in favor of censorship, or of restricting anyone else's right to express their opinions... but it is my hope that as this discussion continues, that it does so in a civil, non-confrontational manner, and that as friends, we help each other get through this.

 

[baymule]

@Zeedman that says it all, that’s the best summary I have read or heard anywhere across all media.

 

[seedcorn]

@Zeedman Are you saying my comment to @baymule about keeping up was out of line? (Again no emojis)

Agree with most except that deaths would skyrocket or hospitals over run if economy opened up. This is theory. As of now, hospitals are ghost towns with personnel being laid off due to reduced patients. One thing history has told us is that all infectious diseases (unless you can get rid of source) will run their course. Shutting down the USA has not slowed down the spread as much as there are more infected thus fewer to infect. We need people who are actively sick (no matter what reason) to stay home-like that is going to happen.