Re: Coronavirus General Discussion
Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 7:20 am
I decided the following appropriately fits in this topic since almost all the events described are due to these times we are now presently living in...
Vinny's Grand Adventure!
Yesterday had been the 8 week / 4 day anniversary of several things. Two main things were being off my property / going somewhere in my car AND bringing in any outside food into my house.
Because I am generally so precise and accurate and methodical in the way in which I do things, especially my work, some people make the false assumption that I also live this totally planned out life. That's far from the reality as, particularly when it comes to personal matters, what I do can be decided quite whimsically or impulsively. There's been many times at the end of a day when I've said to myself, "When I woke up this morning I had no idea this is how I would have spending this day!"
Yesterday morning my "plans" said I was going to go a few miles from my house to buy vegetable plants to plant in my garden later in the day.
Then I thought, well, you could also go a few miles in the other direction and bring to the dump all those cans to recycle that are in the garage.
Then I thought if you are out in that direction why not go a few more miles and buy food at Stop & Shop.
Then I thought why not also go a few more miles to go to Home Depot to get that wheel barrow you'd wanted, particularly since it'd come in to good use in moving dirt and mulch around.
Then I thought why not also go to Big Y since it's right across the street from Home Depot to buy foods and I had no idea how much of what I'd want to get would be available at Stop & Shop.
And, THEN, after all of that was accomplished I'd buy those vegetable plants to plant.
I'm guessing I might have set out around 9:30 AM or so to go to the dump. However, as I soon as I got out of my driveway and on to my street, I realized I STILL had on my studded snow tires to which no air had been added to them since they were put on last November, 7 months ago! Next time I have plans to leave my property I'm going to need to make an appointment to get those off!
Just before I pulled into the dump area I put on my bandana which I did not like with all the hot air I was feeling underneath it. But getting rid of the paper and all the cans went quickly. There was no one else there.
On my way to heading to Home Depot I thought I should stop at my office. At our Friday staff meeting we'd all been informed that we all been given masks to wear for when we are in the office. I thought that, hopefully, wearing the mask would be a better experience than the bandana.
This was another first time in 8 weeks / 4 days experience - being in my office. I looked around my office and saw a lot of things I could take out of my office and bring home, e.g., a cat litter box. I decided that now that my former kittens are adults I will no longer be bringing them to my office.
I put the key to the building / offices down on my table. I'd also had my car key in hooded sweatshirt. Soon after I'd got to my office I'd taken off my eyeglasses and put them on my table.
I went to someone else's office to get papers that I should have at home.
I went back to my office to continue to gather things to bring home. I noticed that key was no longer on the table nor in any of my pockets. I looked some without success in finding it but decided to look for it again once I was done in my office. My office computer is to be upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 so I was also concentrating on disconnecting everything attached to it. I was starting to get warm from all this physical activity and took off my sweatshirt.
I'd finally finished with bringing all from my office and putting it in the vestibule, on its way to getting it all my car.
Time to look for that key. Nowhere to be found!
Could I have left it on the desk of my coworker when I got those papers? Not out of the question given I had to use that key to get into that office and could have put the key down while going through the papers.
If that was the case I'd made sure that office door was locked and how was I going to get in? I exited my office to see if somehow I'd left that door open and next thing I know I'm hearing my office door close behind me! I check that other office door and it IS locked. And, when my door closed (somehow) it was also locked!
Now I cannot get at my eyeglasses or my car key! And, don't have a building / offices key!
I said go to your car and use your phone to call someone to come to the building who can get you back into your office.
In my semi-panic I'm not thinking all through and I exit the building. As soon as I hear the building door shut, I tell myself, "You just locked yourself out of the building!"
I go to my car, thinking I'd not locked it, but it WAS locked!
Here I am in the parking lot. No eyeglasses, no phone, no key to building, no key to car!!!!
What can I do? I'm blind. I cannot use my car or a phone. All I have are my legs but even if I can walk somewhere to a phone I don't know anyone's phone numbers who can get back into my office! MAYBE I should have just stayed home for yet another day! It's nearly noon and I'me not getting done anything done I'd PLANNED to do!
Right next ot our driveway is a motorcycle place. I've been friendly with one of the owners for over 40 years. Maybe they are open and have one of those things that can break into a car. He WAS there and he was willing to help out and he did have one of those things, though he doubted it'd work on a modern car.
Just as we were walking to my car I felt something around my neck and all of a sudden remembered was wearing the spare car key that was on the stainless steel chain that I always wear around my neck whenever I am off my property. Since I know I DO have a problem with keys I started doing this when I realized I'm in big trouble if I'm somewhere and I get separated from my car key.
I told him of my discovery, thanked him for his willingness to help. and opened my car. Got my phone.
I've just recently started to use my cell phone. Therefore there are few numbers actually stored in it. I was hoping there was a phone number of one of my coworkers in it who could come to the building to rescue me. On my second call I reached a coworker who agreed to come rescue me.
Shortly after the coworker arrived and I was able to get my building / office key which I HAD left on the other coworker's desk. Once I got back my key I was able to get back into my office.
I completed all I needed to do in my office, loaded up my car with things to bring home, and headed to Home Depot.
There was a fair amount of traffic on the road just before Home Depot.
However, while the lot had a fair amount of cars in it there was a lot of empty spaces in between the cars, not the usual. I drove to the front to get a near spot and I saw all these people in line to get in. Not what I wanted to see! I told one of the workers that I'd ordered and paid for a wheel barrow earlier in the day and asked if I could come back another day to pick it up as I did not want to spend 1/2 hour in line to get in. I was told I could but I decided I'd try out the line to see how fast it moved.
I think I got in in less than 10 minutes. Both in that line and inside Home Depot ALL were wearing some form of face coverings and everyone seemingly aware of keeping as much distance as was practical.
I was surprised how big the wheel barrow was as it looked much bigger than it had in the picture. I asked if it was going to fit into my Honda Accord. I was told that I'd get help, which I did.
On our way out I asked him if I was going to have to get back in line to go back in to buy more. The answer was Yes. He successfully got the wheel barrel into the back seat of my car and there was NO line when I went back in!
Next was going to Big Y to shop for food (practically right across the street from Home Depot).
I am NOT an errand person. I generally only go somewhere to buy something if I'm either already near it or its on my way to or from work. And, I certainly try to avoid going to stores on Saturdays. This whole day was far from my norm.
Also, my only food store is based upon where I work. This Big Y had been my food store from 1988 to 2005 as my job during that time had me driving right by it to and from work. But after that job ended and another one started I stopped using that store. Therefore I was yesterday walking into a store in which I did not know where anything was. Generally, when I go to my present store - Stop & Shop - I'm usually in and out in about 25 minutes.
First thing is I see blueberries and strawberries! I LOVE fruit! Had to buy those. And, since the first area I was in was the fruit and vegetable section I spent a lot of time there.
I walked through the entire store looking at the aisle headings to decide if it was one I should head down. The aisles did have the one way arrows. Again, EVERYONE in the store had face coverings.
I left the store about 1:45 PM, having purchased 67 items for a total cost of $206.95. A lot of stocking up on fresh vegetables that will last me several weeks. I was surprised that there was hardly any dish washing detergent available. I did not go in the paper products aisle.
Next destination was Stop & Shop. Here I know where everything is. Left around 2:40 PM with a purchase bill of $237.00. Again a lot of stocking up on depleted items and things I'd not been able to buy at Big Y, like a ton of dish washing detergent. More importantly, 160 pounds of kitty litter.
After seeing everyone wearing face coverings everywhere in all stores I had been in so far that day I was semi-shocked to see one person (older male) in Stop & Shop not wearing anything (even though there was a large sign entering the store stating it was mandatory). But I did not say anything to anyone deciding I'm not on the Face Coverings Police force.
I did go in the paper aisle to buy something else and there was NO toilet paper and limits on buying other paper goods. Two plus months into this, what IS this continuing thing with toilet paper??!!
As I'm leaving the store with an absolutely full cart I'm wondering where it is all going to go in my car! The trunk was full of everything from Big Y. The entire back seat area was dominated with that wheel barrow. All I had left was the passenger seat area. It seemed dubious that it'd all fit in that area. But it did!
Less than 15 minutes later I'm home. I have to at least get all the frozen foods into the freezer. Doing just a partial putting things away, it takes a full 1/2 hour to bring everything from the car to my kitchen, get everything out of the large 15 brown bags, semi-organize all, and get those frozen foods into the freezer area of my refrigerator.
Done by about 3:30 PM. Time to head out to buy those vegetable plants to buy. But first I decided to head over to the farm stand across the street from me to see how much they have available so to influence what I do or do not buy from where I usually buy. Where I usually buy are strictly all organic plants (which is how I garden) while the farm stand across the street did not appear to organic plants.
In the process I actually meet my neighbor for the FIRST time! He and his wife (who I met for first time a few weeks ago on my first vegetable planting expedition of the season) have ONLY been living across the street from me for at least two to three years!
We spend some time talking to one another and then I FINALLY head out to buy those vegetable plants at my usual place.
Since I have a 1,000+ square foot garden area I have room for LOTS of plantings so I buy lots of plants! About $202 worth. 60 total containers, of which 25 have them have six plants each. So a total of 185 plants to plant! On my way home I stop at another place and spend another $20 on vegetable plants to plant. But just as I got out of the car I noticed a puppy tied to a truck. Appeared quite friendly and wanting to see me. Of course that had to be my first priority. I probably spent about 10-15 minutes with this absolutely adorable 7 months ago labrador retriever. That was an unexpected treat to the day!
FINALLY got home around 5:30 PM!
The original "plan" in the morning was to, after having purchased all the plants, had been to plant them yesterday once I got home.
However, after spending 8 hours concerned with all the above, I decided that today would be the day for the plantings. And, I told myself that all the time I spent doing all the preceding yesterday was a PRIME reason why I'd not left my property during all that time. I had not been sufficiently motivated to spend all that time involved in acquiring! I could WELL survive doing without what I was lacking and spending my time in far more pleasurable or productive activities!
At this point, weather.com is telling me that is 55 degrees out. Looking out my windows, it looks like a gloomy day.
However weather.com is also telling me that around 10:00 AM that while it will be "Mostly Cloudy" there will be some sun and it will rise to 60 degrees. Some time between 10:00 and 11:00 AM I "plan" to head out to that garden area and plant ALL of yesterday's acquisitions plus the $44 worth I'd bought two weeks ago at the farm stand across the street from me. That all is going to take many, many, many hours!
But NOT something I've not prior experienced!
Vinny's Grand Adventure!
Yesterday had been the 8 week / 4 day anniversary of several things. Two main things were being off my property / going somewhere in my car AND bringing in any outside food into my house.
Because I am generally so precise and accurate and methodical in the way in which I do things, especially my work, some people make the false assumption that I also live this totally planned out life. That's far from the reality as, particularly when it comes to personal matters, what I do can be decided quite whimsically or impulsively. There's been many times at the end of a day when I've said to myself, "When I woke up this morning I had no idea this is how I would have spending this day!"
Yesterday morning my "plans" said I was going to go a few miles from my house to buy vegetable plants to plant in my garden later in the day.
Then I thought, well, you could also go a few miles in the other direction and bring to the dump all those cans to recycle that are in the garage.
Then I thought if you are out in that direction why not go a few more miles and buy food at Stop & Shop.
Then I thought why not also go a few more miles to go to Home Depot to get that wheel barrow you'd wanted, particularly since it'd come in to good use in moving dirt and mulch around.
Then I thought why not also go to Big Y since it's right across the street from Home Depot to buy foods and I had no idea how much of what I'd want to get would be available at Stop & Shop.
And, THEN, after all of that was accomplished I'd buy those vegetable plants to plant.
I'm guessing I might have set out around 9:30 AM or so to go to the dump. However, as I soon as I got out of my driveway and on to my street, I realized I STILL had on my studded snow tires to which no air had been added to them since they were put on last November, 7 months ago! Next time I have plans to leave my property I'm going to need to make an appointment to get those off!
Just before I pulled into the dump area I put on my bandana which I did not like with all the hot air I was feeling underneath it. But getting rid of the paper and all the cans went quickly. There was no one else there.
On my way to heading to Home Depot I thought I should stop at my office. At our Friday staff meeting we'd all been informed that we all been given masks to wear for when we are in the office. I thought that, hopefully, wearing the mask would be a better experience than the bandana.
This was another first time in 8 weeks / 4 days experience - being in my office. I looked around my office and saw a lot of things I could take out of my office and bring home, e.g., a cat litter box. I decided that now that my former kittens are adults I will no longer be bringing them to my office.
I put the key to the building / offices down on my table. I'd also had my car key in hooded sweatshirt. Soon after I'd got to my office I'd taken off my eyeglasses and put them on my table.
I went to someone else's office to get papers that I should have at home.
I went back to my office to continue to gather things to bring home. I noticed that key was no longer on the table nor in any of my pockets. I looked some without success in finding it but decided to look for it again once I was done in my office. My office computer is to be upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 so I was also concentrating on disconnecting everything attached to it. I was starting to get warm from all this physical activity and took off my sweatshirt.
I'd finally finished with bringing all from my office and putting it in the vestibule, on its way to getting it all my car.
Time to look for that key. Nowhere to be found!
Could I have left it on the desk of my coworker when I got those papers? Not out of the question given I had to use that key to get into that office and could have put the key down while going through the papers.
If that was the case I'd made sure that office door was locked and how was I going to get in? I exited my office to see if somehow I'd left that door open and next thing I know I'm hearing my office door close behind me! I check that other office door and it IS locked. And, when my door closed (somehow) it was also locked!
Now I cannot get at my eyeglasses or my car key! And, don't have a building / offices key!
I said go to your car and use your phone to call someone to come to the building who can get you back into your office.
In my semi-panic I'm not thinking all through and I exit the building. As soon as I hear the building door shut, I tell myself, "You just locked yourself out of the building!"
I go to my car, thinking I'd not locked it, but it WAS locked!
Here I am in the parking lot. No eyeglasses, no phone, no key to building, no key to car!!!!
What can I do? I'm blind. I cannot use my car or a phone. All I have are my legs but even if I can walk somewhere to a phone I don't know anyone's phone numbers who can get back into my office! MAYBE I should have just stayed home for yet another day! It's nearly noon and I'me not getting done anything done I'd PLANNED to do!
Right next ot our driveway is a motorcycle place. I've been friendly with one of the owners for over 40 years. Maybe they are open and have one of those things that can break into a car. He WAS there and he was willing to help out and he did have one of those things, though he doubted it'd work on a modern car.
Just as we were walking to my car I felt something around my neck and all of a sudden remembered was wearing the spare car key that was on the stainless steel chain that I always wear around my neck whenever I am off my property. Since I know I DO have a problem with keys I started doing this when I realized I'm in big trouble if I'm somewhere and I get separated from my car key.
I told him of my discovery, thanked him for his willingness to help. and opened my car. Got my phone.
I've just recently started to use my cell phone. Therefore there are few numbers actually stored in it. I was hoping there was a phone number of one of my coworkers in it who could come to the building to rescue me. On my second call I reached a coworker who agreed to come rescue me.
Shortly after the coworker arrived and I was able to get my building / office key which I HAD left on the other coworker's desk. Once I got back my key I was able to get back into my office.
I completed all I needed to do in my office, loaded up my car with things to bring home, and headed to Home Depot.
There was a fair amount of traffic on the road just before Home Depot.
However, while the lot had a fair amount of cars in it there was a lot of empty spaces in between the cars, not the usual. I drove to the front to get a near spot and I saw all these people in line to get in. Not what I wanted to see! I told one of the workers that I'd ordered and paid for a wheel barrow earlier in the day and asked if I could come back another day to pick it up as I did not want to spend 1/2 hour in line to get in. I was told I could but I decided I'd try out the line to see how fast it moved.
I think I got in in less than 10 minutes. Both in that line and inside Home Depot ALL were wearing some form of face coverings and everyone seemingly aware of keeping as much distance as was practical.
I was surprised how big the wheel barrow was as it looked much bigger than it had in the picture. I asked if it was going to fit into my Honda Accord. I was told that I'd get help, which I did.
On our way out I asked him if I was going to have to get back in line to go back in to buy more. The answer was Yes. He successfully got the wheel barrel into the back seat of my car and there was NO line when I went back in!
Next was going to Big Y to shop for food (practically right across the street from Home Depot).
I am NOT an errand person. I generally only go somewhere to buy something if I'm either already near it or its on my way to or from work. And, I certainly try to avoid going to stores on Saturdays. This whole day was far from my norm.
Also, my only food store is based upon where I work. This Big Y had been my food store from 1988 to 2005 as my job during that time had me driving right by it to and from work. But after that job ended and another one started I stopped using that store. Therefore I was yesterday walking into a store in which I did not know where anything was. Generally, when I go to my present store - Stop & Shop - I'm usually in and out in about 25 minutes.
First thing is I see blueberries and strawberries! I LOVE fruit! Had to buy those. And, since the first area I was in was the fruit and vegetable section I spent a lot of time there.
I walked through the entire store looking at the aisle headings to decide if it was one I should head down. The aisles did have the one way arrows. Again, EVERYONE in the store had face coverings.
I left the store about 1:45 PM, having purchased 67 items for a total cost of $206.95. A lot of stocking up on fresh vegetables that will last me several weeks. I was surprised that there was hardly any dish washing detergent available. I did not go in the paper products aisle.
Next destination was Stop & Shop. Here I know where everything is. Left around 2:40 PM with a purchase bill of $237.00. Again a lot of stocking up on depleted items and things I'd not been able to buy at Big Y, like a ton of dish washing detergent. More importantly, 160 pounds of kitty litter.
After seeing everyone wearing face coverings everywhere in all stores I had been in so far that day I was semi-shocked to see one person (older male) in Stop & Shop not wearing anything (even though there was a large sign entering the store stating it was mandatory). But I did not say anything to anyone deciding I'm not on the Face Coverings Police force.
I did go in the paper aisle to buy something else and there was NO toilet paper and limits on buying other paper goods. Two plus months into this, what IS this continuing thing with toilet paper??!!
As I'm leaving the store with an absolutely full cart I'm wondering where it is all going to go in my car! The trunk was full of everything from Big Y. The entire back seat area was dominated with that wheel barrow. All I had left was the passenger seat area. It seemed dubious that it'd all fit in that area. But it did!
Less than 15 minutes later I'm home. I have to at least get all the frozen foods into the freezer. Doing just a partial putting things away, it takes a full 1/2 hour to bring everything from the car to my kitchen, get everything out of the large 15 brown bags, semi-organize all, and get those frozen foods into the freezer area of my refrigerator.
Done by about 3:30 PM. Time to head out to buy those vegetable plants to buy. But first I decided to head over to the farm stand across the street from me to see how much they have available so to influence what I do or do not buy from where I usually buy. Where I usually buy are strictly all organic plants (which is how I garden) while the farm stand across the street did not appear to organic plants.
In the process I actually meet my neighbor for the FIRST time! He and his wife (who I met for first time a few weeks ago on my first vegetable planting expedition of the season) have ONLY been living across the street from me for at least two to three years!
We spend some time talking to one another and then I FINALLY head out to buy those vegetable plants at my usual place.
Since I have a 1,000+ square foot garden area I have room for LOTS of plantings so I buy lots of plants! About $202 worth. 60 total containers, of which 25 have them have six plants each. So a total of 185 plants to plant! On my way home I stop at another place and spend another $20 on vegetable plants to plant. But just as I got out of the car I noticed a puppy tied to a truck. Appeared quite friendly and wanting to see me. Of course that had to be my first priority. I probably spent about 10-15 minutes with this absolutely adorable 7 months ago labrador retriever. That was an unexpected treat to the day!
FINALLY got home around 5:30 PM!
The original "plan" in the morning was to, after having purchased all the plants, had been to plant them yesterday once I got home.
However, after spending 8 hours concerned with all the above, I decided that today would be the day for the plantings. And, I told myself that all the time I spent doing all the preceding yesterday was a PRIME reason why I'd not left my property during all that time. I had not been sufficiently motivated to spend all that time involved in acquiring! I could WELL survive doing without what I was lacking and spending my time in far more pleasurable or productive activities!
At this point, weather.com is telling me that is 55 degrees out. Looking out my windows, it looks like a gloomy day.
However weather.com is also telling me that around 10:00 AM that while it will be "Mostly Cloudy" there will be some sun and it will rise to 60 degrees. Some time between 10:00 and 11:00 AM I "plan" to head out to that garden area and plant ALL of yesterday's acquisitions plus the $44 worth I'd bought two weeks ago at the farm stand across the street from me. That all is going to take many, many, many hours!
But NOT something I've not prior experienced!
