Old Navy Makes Cotton Face Masks

What a nightmare our global pandemic is. Over 95,000 people have died from Coronavirus in the USA alone. And despite the fact 80% of the ill recover, who wants to get sick for any length of time?

Moreover, humans are social beings. Six months ago could you imagine being afraid of another person's droplets? How about having to stand six feet apart from most everyone? Or cleaning your hands every time you touch an object outside your home? Buying food is stressful! Nowadays I remove my shoes before stepping back inside my apartment, then spray the soles with 3% hydrogen peroxide before placing them in a designated area to dry. WTH!

Although I've never been a germophobe, if I pass a chatterbox on the sidewalk who is careless with social distancing, I'll walk in the street. Whenever a bottleneck of people stands on the pavement, I crossover to the other side of the street ... so uncharacteristic of me, but this disease SHOULD be taken seriously!

Here in Manhattan, we must wear a face covering to enter supermarkets and drugstores. It's a practice I support (and hate) in order to keep everyone safe.

Of all the cloth face masks on the market, I love what Old Navy is offering. Made of 3 layers of cotton poplin, they are designed according to the CDC's recommendation for non-surgical masks (which advises a mask have at least 2 thick cotton layers). They lack a pouch, yet you can place a filter inside and it will stay. I like the elastic over-the-ears straps and the 3 folds for a good fit under your chin. 

Although there are lots of playful colors, patterns and prints made from leftover fabric from Old Navy's popular clothing, you accept what comes in a "surprise pack" of either 3, 5, or 10 masks. There are 2 sizes: children or adults. An excellent price. A cotton face mask should not cost $15+ each! But oh boy, they are on backorder until the middle of June! Well worth the wait. Best price for the quality!!💙


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Pandemic Sheltering In Place Fashion

Uniqlo for crew-neck t-shirts here. Pair with a cardigan on cold days.

According to The Talk, an afternoon TV show, many people who are Sheltering in Place are not bothering to change out of their pajamas or sweats into regular clothes since they can't go to work. Not true of me. I rise to shower, wash my hair and get dressed each and every morning ... later than usual but still! Being clean and tidy (wearing clean coordinated clothes) lifts my spirits! I couldn't deal with feeling sloppy and dirty on top of riding out a pandemic! But since I have nowhere to go, I don't have to fuss much with my wardrobe and can wear the same things over, which I do. Who's here to see it? I bet my neighbors aren't taking notes if we happen to pass (spaced properly apart) in the lobby.

Perhaps it would be entertaining to see my pandemic uniform. Everything featured I'm wearing as I write the blog.

Aeries - cotton with a touch of spandex lightweight Chill leggings here.

I stick to casual, comfortable and easy to maintain attire. Sometimes I get wild and crazy by changing the color of my t-shirts! One day I'm Lady pink, the next day Bonnie bluebell and the day after Fire Engine Red Deb. Woo-hoo! June Cleaver had her pearls, but I live in sleek ballet flats! Whoopee!

Merrell Nubuck Inde Ballet flats - discontinued - but I hope Merrell brings back another ballet flat, as they have more support than many other brands. These are my indoor shoes. They don't have enough support on concrete, which leads to the next image. :) No link since it's discontinued - there are a few on Ebay.

Furthermore since rarely leaving home, I sometimes hand wash the leggings or t-shirts in Woolite, or dishwashing soap and hang them up in the bathroom to dry before bed. The less I have to go down to our common laundry room, the better. Being at home constantly, this bit of handwashing gives a gal a small sense of accomplishment. What is there to dooo next? Let me at it!

NAZAROO Shoe Insoles Arch Support Inserts (here) are excellent to keep my high arches happy in my Merrell ballet flats. With insoles I should be able to turn them into outdoor shoes this summer. We'll see.

To be safe I wear two sets of shoes, one for inside and another for outdoors. I also spray the soles of my outdoor shoes with 3% hydrogen peroxide at the door to kill any possible virus, and sometimes the soles of my indoor shoes because I walk down the hallway in them to put trash in the dumpster. 

Once in a while to make myself happy, I put on a bracelet in my apartment. But I stopped wearing makeup and jewelry to go outside to buy groceries. I mean, why wear anything under a face mask? It would only get the mask dirty. And rings on fingers when you're forever worrying about Coronavirus and washing your hands? I think not!

Merrell Dassie - my outdoor to the supermarket shoes here.

To be honest, if we weren't all in the same boat, I couldn't bear staying home for so many weeks. Yet I can get through this challancing time knowing how EVERYONE all over the globe must do the same to fight this disease. Indeed, we are all in this together ... and some of us are very lucky to be sheltering in a comfortable home. It turns out the things we need are quite simple!

What are you wearing at home during this pandemic?



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Sheltering At Home Essentials

Photo: Napa Valley Register

In the New Year I aimed to turn over a new leaf: In lieu of stocking up on supplies, I vowed to buy one, plus one of the common essentials like food, beauty and personal care items, or household cleaners. My reason was: Hey, I live 3 blocks from supermarkets and closer to drugstores, why should I continue to stock up as if I can't get to a store?

Well that was before COVID-19 hit us, and I'm definitely re-assessing the wisdom of that new course of action! My old habit will not change anytime soon!

For 2 months the following much-needed items have been sold out everywhere ... and seemingly they don't get restocked. Thankfully having a small stash at home has saved my butt!:

Photo: Austin Cronicle

• 70% isopropyl alcohol - I have 2.5 - 32 oz bottles
• 3% hydrogen periode - 1 - 16 oz bottle
• Clorex bleach - 1 - gallon bottle, 1 - quart bottle
• toilet paper - 1 - pack of 12 mega rolls (=48 small rolls) + 3 - individual mega rolls from the old pack
• 1 - 32 oz liquid soap and about 12 - bars of soap
• about 6 - mini hand sanatizers to carry in my purse

Fortunately, food has been easier to get. The supermarkets are sometimes out of stock of what you go for ... but you can make substitutions and not starve. Moreover, what helped me before our pandemic started is: 1) knowing exactly what I like and need; 2) buying the biggest package available; and 3) usually restocking before I completely run out. So I had the following in my cupboard but sometimes see an empty grocery shelf now:

• 64 oz bag of dry powdered milk + part of the old bag
• 5 lbs of unbleached all-purpose flour
• half of a 5 lb bag of whole wheat flour
• 4 lbs of sugar
• eggs - 2 dozen - I know it sounds crazy but I often buy 2 dozen when they are $1.99 each, which I did right before the pandemic. In the refrigerator, they never go bad on me. Good for puddings, cakes, bread, egg drop soup, tuna salad, french toast and snacks. They get eaten! Now they rose to $5 a dozen, which I will dislike paying while being grateful to get them!
• 4 - 16 oz boxes of whole wheat saltine crackers
• 5 lbs total of extra sharp cheddar cheese (my favorite snack! I tend to buy on sale and let them age longer. Little did I know, it also sets you up good to ride out a pandemic!)
• 5 cans of solid white tuna

  

  Photo: Duluth News Tribute

• 2 cans of Alaska wild salmon (I should've bought 5 cans!)
• 5 cans of sardines (because I don't rush to eat them!)
• pasta - different shapes - long spaghetti, bow tie, rigatoni
• Oatmeal - big Quaker (1-minute cooking) cylinder + a small cylinder (5-minute cooking)
• other whole grains - Quinoa + rice
• cans of tomatoes + sauce
• cans of kidney beans (for chili)
•  2 - 16 oz bags of dried pinto beans + split peas
• 1 - 3lb bag of cornmeal (I don't eat cornbread enough to buy a 5 lb bag.)
• 2 L bottle of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 - lb packages of butter
• 4 - 13 oz Chock Full o' 'Nuts Coffee
• wine and Champagne (delish with the cheddar and crackers↑)
• dark chocolate + Kraft caramels + SweatTarts

As I'm sure you will agree, Sheltering at Home has been nooo picnic, but at least I have the basics to get me through it! See you, my lovelies, during ... and on the other side!

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My New Hat Is Unreal

My new hat which I'll be happy to burn.

During our pandemic it took the directives of the Surgeon General of the United States, the Governor of New York and the Mayor of New York City to get me to wear a face mask. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, our leading expert of Infectious Diseases, tells us time and again, our first line of defense is to: 1) Stay home; 2) Wash our hands with soap and water for 20 seconds every time we touch anything on the other side of our front doors; and 3) Don't touch your face while out at the supermarket, or drugstore to pick up necessities. When I must go out, it's my new mantra: "Don't touch your face, don't touch your face!" 

Photo: smartair

A surgical mask or homemade cotton mask doesn't protect you 100% from the tiny coronavirus, but it does offer enough protection to warrant wearing one. The reason is this: If an infected person coughs or sneezes without knowing s/he is sick, the germs stay in his/her mask. So my mask protects you from me, and your mask protects me from you.

As long as there is a shortage, leave for hospital workers. 

The special medical N95 mask which hospital workers must wear for their protection offers protection from tiny airborne viruses. Because of a shortage of these masks and the need for hospital workers to work closely with coronavirus patients, the public is asked not to buy them. Instead, we should be practicing social distancing -- staying 6 feet apart.

How To Make A Face Mask - Some people put a small coffee filter in the folds of the cloth. Layers catch more germs. You can also tuck the 2 final outer ends (one inside the other.) The video only lays one outer end on top the other.

A few stores in my neighborhood won't let customers inside without a mask. And considering New York is the epicenter for people who have tested positive, nowadays I wear one. I also ordered a hat with a clear protective shield (see above↑) from here. I don't love the idea of wearing either, but if nothing else, they make it more difficult to touch your face.

If people are to return to work it seems 3 things must happen: 1) Universal testing for Coronavirus; 2) Universal testing for the virus' antibodies (you have the antibodies if you've had the disease. Some people don't even realize they've had the disease as serious as it is for others); and 3) Increase the production of those hard to get N95 masks. Many jobs require closer contact than standing 6 feet apart. 

The world's nightmare will truly end after a vaccine becomes available so that coronavirus becomes preventable like the flu ... perhaps 18 months to 2 years away.

Update: Governor Cuomo made wearing face coverings in New York mandatory starting Friday, April 17th when you enter places like supermarkets where social distancing is not possible. The purpose is the stop the spreading of Coronavirus. People in Asian countries have been wearing masks as necessary, and the practice works. We don't have to like it (yuck!), we just have to do it to stop the virus.


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The Cleaners In Their Percentages To Kill Coronavirus

Photo above and bar of soap: iStock by Getty free images

The Coronavirius causing Covid-19 is a wicked bug. To kill it, I'm suspending the use of white vinegar, my favorite natural cleaner and bringing out the calvary!  A pandemic calls for disinfectants approved to work by the Center For Disease Control. Thankfully as serious as the virus is, it can easily be destroyed by common household cleaners when used in the right proportion and way. 

Coronavirious has a protective outside protein coating. Its RNA (DNA) inside causes the respiratory disease. The correct disinfectants break up its coating. The RNA falls out and disintegrates.

Here are the CDC approved cleaners to use:

1) Soap and water - Works on hands and household surfaces. Wash your hands for at least 20 secconds (the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice) and scrub vigorously like a surgeon about to operate.

2) Purell - A combination of 60% alcohol and aloe. A good hand sanatizer while you are out at the supermarket shopping until you can get to a sink to wash your hands with soap. As much as THE SAVVY SHOPPER likes to make homemade products, it is not recommended at this time. Too risky to get right: The percentage must be 60% alcohol in a hand santizer to kill the virus. During the pandemic, go with the store bought, for-sure formula ... or use straight alcohol if you can't find Purell.

3) Alcohol - 70% strength isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Don't mix with water, use it straight. Stronger is not needed, but now we must take what we can get.

4) Bleach - The CDC formula for making an effective diluted bleach solution is: Use 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach in one gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of bleach in one quart of water. Unfortunately, bleach can't be used on everything, as it discolors fabric and corrodes metal with longterm use, so use it with care. As it turns out (and the reason I researched this subject) my bleach-to-water mixture is too strong, as my nose and throat have been telling me, the vapors creeping out of my bathroom sink and oozing into my living room!) Good to know a much weaker solution works before I fumigate myself along with coronavirus!

5) Hydrogen peroxide - Weaker than bleach; can discolor clothing or rugs, but works, so a good standby. 3% hydrogen peroxide not diluted with water is the strength to use.

Scientists tell us in order "to decontaminate a surface, we can't just wipe it."  Coronavirus sticks to countertops and metal doorknobs. We must scrub vigorously. Crush its outer coating with force. Wet surfaces with bleach wipes, let it soak for a minimum of 4 minutes and evaporate. Wash your hands like a maniac, which also means after cleaning. 

Don't try to kill coronavirus with white vinegar, vodka, or essential oils. You can't be sure of them. With no vaccine available and no herd immunity after infection, we need to defer to the CDC's recommendations.


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Die Coronavirus Die!

Photo: AP - Electron microscope image shows the coronavirus that causes COVID-19

I'm of the mind that you should never deal with a crisis, or challenge by allowing fears to overtake you. Nor do I believe you should bury your head in the sand. Knowledge is power IMHO in solving problems. Try to find out all you can about an issue by consulting creditable sources to answer your questions. Ignore idiot advice even if it comes from a high office that takes you down the wrong path. Every life that can be saved is worth saving! Listen to scientists to fight a disease! Proceed with caution and common sense; then go on with your life. 

Our leading experts of infectious diseases tell us we may have to stay home for another 2 months -- plus keep 6 feet apart from non-family when we must go out for food, medicine and vital services -- to flatten the curve of Coronavirus. Without a vaccine, isolation is the only measure that stops the spread of the disease. So lets all count on doing so until scientists tell us it is no longer necessary. And continue to wash your hands like a maniac!

Although there are no known cases of ANYONE catching coronavirus by eating food ...  after buying unwrapped celery from the supermarket (which after arriving home I scoured with hot water and a tiny bit of soap in my kitchen sink), I asked the internet: 

1) Can I kill coronavirus by freezing? 

The answer: Temperature not reported, but no; in a lab it preserved them for 2 years. Normally they die in days;

Getty: Spikes make Coronavirus sticky.

2) Can I kill coronavirus by boiling? 

The answer: Yes, at 132 F for 1/2 hour;

3) Can I microwave coronavirus to death? 

The answer: Yes, at 800 watts for 2 minutes. Most small 1.4 cubic ft microwaves are 1000 watts.

Die, coronavirus, die! I'm home too much, and LOOK, how I'm spending my time!

Together we'll defeat this pandemic! In a year or two, a vaccine will be ready. But for now, stay home, be vigilant, stay well!

Source: circulating on Facebook

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Surviving A Pandemic

Photo: Airport Technology If you are sick, a mask helps you not spread the illness. If not sick and untrained to put the mask on, it won't keep you from getting sick. Doctors and nurses are short of masks, so don't buy them up.

What makes the Coronavirus spread so quickly includes: 1) it's a new virus to which nobody in the world has immunities against; 2) unlike the flu, a person can walk around feeling well, yet be contagious, for up to 11 days before s/he gets sick; 3) the Cornonavirus lives longer on doorknobs and other surfaces compared to the relatively short period of the flu; and 4) the Coronavirus acts in ways, we don't yet understand.

We must do our part to contain the virus by staying home except to buy food, medicine, walk the dog, or take a walk outside while practicing social distancing. Below is a clever way (circulating on Facebook) of reminding all of us that the actions of one person can effect the health and lives of many:

I also read: (1) Men should shave their beards. (2) Everybody should cut her/his nails short so the virus can't hide under fingernails, and hands can be scrubbed better. (3) I removed the decoration from my key chain, so it doesn't touch the metal as I turn the key to unlock my door. And (4) we are paying attention to the wrong set of numbers. The numbers reported of people diagnosed with Coronavirus are misleading due to the current lack of testing. Knowing how many people have it tells us nothing as the Coronavirus is already everywhere in the population. The pandemic will get worst before it gets better as test kits become available and test data becomes known. It is why social distancing, self-quarantine and the Shelter-In-Place orders are so vital. At an early stage of Coronavirus, such measures help hospitals to cope with fewer critical care patients; and will result in fewer deaths. Furthermore for people who recover, the Coronavirus can cause more lung damage than the flu. (Update: A good piece explaining what researchers know.)

We are in this together, folks! Stay home. Buy a little extra food. But please, no hoarding as there is no shortage of food. Supermarkets are restocking daily. Like doctors and nurses, foodstore and drugstore workers are in overdrive. Be sure to show your appreciation!

Morever I'm so glad Jamie Oliver changed the way I think about food. His influence and my own thrifty nature as a value shopper means I was unwittingly prepared for a pandemic. Although I don't buy more than one or two of an item (depending on how fast it goes), I always buy large sizes of basic groceries and personal care items. I do so out of laziness, so I don't need to run back to the store as often, nor have a job to do (shopping) before doing a job (cooking dinner) if I'm inspired to make a dish. If you can cook and bake, it helps immensely in dealing with a pandemic.

Here are basic groceries and personal care items I buy. (Feel free to add your favorites):

Photo: Wikipedia

all-purpose flour - 5 lb bag
whole wheat flour - 5 lb bag
sugar - 4 lb bag
cans of beans
cans of whole tomatoes
cans of pineapple
cans of condensed milk
cans of tuna
cans of salmon
dried fruit
walnuts - 2 lb bag
dry roasted peanuts
almonds
whole grain saltine crakers (a few boxes)
potatoes - 5 lb bag
carrots - 5 lb bag
onions
celery
dried beans
dried peas
oatmeal
dried whole grains
frozen vegetables (mixed; lima beans; corn; and broccoli)
cheeses (extra sharp cheddar; Swiss; brie; cottage)
dry powder milk
extra large eggs - 2 dozen
 a couple of top round beef steaks
breaded Purdue chicken cutlets (Not great tasting but convenient)
red wine
coffee
tea
aspirin + non-aspirin pain relievers
70% rubbing alcohol
toilet paper (24 triple rolls at a time)
bleach
soap

Well, what do you know? I have Klondike bars too.

shampoo and conditioner
basic toiletries (body lotion and oil, toothpaste, etc.)
dark chocolate candy
ice cream - Yes, trust me: you do need chocolate, ice cream and wine in a pandemic!

Fresh fruit, vegetables and a bit of meat, I'll get from the supermarket as needed and available. I bought Run Raisin ice cream, and perhaps I will add some real rum to it!😳

Stay vigilant and be well, my readers!💋XOXO


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