Good evening everyone! Today was grocery delivery day. Yesterday, my friend went to the small fruit and veggie market by the train tracks for lovely veggies, because she and I always have loooong veggie lists.
Today was Trader Joe's.
I am stocked up lavishly with fresh meats, cheese, and veggies...
My fave spring treat, multicolored radishes.
Mo's chicken jerky wraps....
and my pantry is stocked up with plenty of things like pasta, rice, quinoa.
The only fruit I use is lemons.
Since I have medical issues that make me high risk for the virus/ death, I am blessed to have my wonderful friend who shops for me. I was hoping that the trips were not too onerous for her, she is normally a young, very healthy, very active business executive and she is not loving being isolated at home. Grocery shopping is her once every ten days outing. But today when she came after her Trader Joe run, she was tense and exhausted and very stressed. I felt so bad. She said, It's awful, it's like the Hunger Games. I won't be going again soon!"
More than an hour wait in line.
And it is cold and windy here. [Would we all feel a bit better if the weather was warmer? I'm shivering here in my hooded down vest as I type. It is COLD.]
Trader Joe's has consistently had the items on my list.They even had paper towels and dish soap!
And some treats, like a grapefruit soy candle she stuck in my bag, or a small box of chocolate macaroons.
No Triscuits though, anywhere. She brought chips instead.
No toilet paper.
Of course no flowers.
.................................................
I was somewhat shocked today to read a comment on a British blog: "It appears to be the extremely elderly in our shops who cannot manage the social distancing. And I wonder why they are out anyway."
How unkind!
I have someone to shop for me; many many older folks do not have that network of friends, or their friends are also elderly. But they still must mask up and go to the store. Elderly people have to eat too. I think how frightened and shaken my mom would have been and though I miss her each and every day, in a way I am thankful she has passed on and is spared our world now.
I do feel like I impose on friends' kindness, and have been making masks to repay in a small way. Another friend brought a huge case of paper towels, he had gone to Costco. But I investigated online orders and delivery. Amazon is either wildly overpriced or out of stock; last week. Target had a few necessities,
but yesterday, nothing.
And I tried the local big supermarket chain, Stop and Shop, whose web info I'd clipped from Pennysaver at the crisis's beginning.
So after years of bragging up their home delivery service, their website has this to say:
Oh and why no Charmin? Same reason there is no milk etc etc. Because almost everyone is staying home there has been about a 40% increase in demand for use at home products; while the same products normally sold in bulk to schools, institutions, and other volume users cannot quickly be repackaged for home use [think school cartons of milk, or a hotel chain's massive unwrapped supply of crappy toilet paper. ]
And it seems quality TP is made from farmed American and Canadian wood pulp. In March Trump alienated the Canadians and their prime minister by refusing to share medical items {''you're on your own''] and the big paper mills, like Georgia Pacific couldn't get raw materials. And also P & G plants that make Charmin, Pampers and other paper goods are diverting to make masks. Add in corona virus in their plants and warehouses, social distancing creating delays in their manufacturing systems, and possibly trucking delays, and we have a shortage.
Next is meat, as again, the virus is shutting down meat processing plants.
[This info is taken from various sources on the web, including manufacturers' websites. It makes sense to me, even if it provides no fixes. But I cannot totally vouch for internet info's accuracy. I did my best to find answers, sharing my finds.]
Of course we just will endure. And make masks.
Here is dinner:
Looks like all is well, doesn't it. But portions are small [by choice at this point], foods must last.
love and hugs to all. Send me your out and about pics.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
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oh and here is a shrink weighing in on why everyone is having bad dreams: dreams
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