...but the question is, "When is enough … ENOUGH?" ...
My goal is to minimize contact with the outside world, not sure that I need to totally cut off my life. Maybe we do? If so we can, for a while.
I don't want to live in fear. Nor do I want to exist at the mercy of others.
That's basically where we are. My wife is starting to take it a little more seriously. She did a quick inventory today and reckons that we're good for about 3 months. That should be enough for us. No doubt in the coming days and weeks we will pick up some other stuff. We identified a couple of things when we were talking about this over dinner.
We got rid of our breadmaker a few months back because we never used it anymore but she says that she can bake bread from scratch. I also know from our camping that she can make a wonderful Eggbeater omelette. I can pop a deer in the front yard most nights not to mention the cattle running on the farm.
If this thing does get totally out of control and we have to raise the drawbridge, we can do it. We won't want to do it but we can do it. Lord, I'm glad that I don't live in an apartment in a city.
Bob - Sounds like you're in good shape on food and household items.
How are you set for things like alternate cooking? Do you have things for cooking outdoors?
Over an open fire - Rome pie irons, Mountain man grill
Coal - a hibachi or similar
Grill - extra propane and grill parts
Don't forget other items for all the outdoor cooking:
Pam spray oil
grill cleaning brushes
scouring pads
skewers
welding gloves
meat thermometer
infrared thermometer
propane torch
...
This is a fun article. She encourages prepping. But then talks about bat shit crazy preppers. Still it makes some good points about just being prepared and how being prepared is never a bad thing.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/preparing-for-coronavirus-to-strike-the-u-s/
Most masks are useless unless they are the kind that have an adhesive seal around the mouth and nose.
Kind of like these: https://www.healthrangerstore.com/products/readimask-with-eyeshield-adult
That being said, keeping your hands clean and avoiding crowds is the best prevention.
I just traveled to Toronto and Boston, lots of people like me wiping down their seats on the plane with sanitizing wipes. A few masks in in the Newark airport but to be honest none of them looked useful for anything other than preventing a carrier from spreading the virus.
But I guess I have a couple of weeks to wait and see if I get sick or not.
I was kind of hoping for a few weeks quarantined in an army barrack somewhere with no internet. I could use the vacation.
CDC says "older" and "high risk" people should stock up and stay home.
Lots of links at the link below that lay out the various recommendations.
LINK ==> https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html
Having read all the advice I still don't know what "Stock up for a prolonged period" means. Just how long is a prolonged period? That's not very helpful.
Just a few local observations. Went to run some errands today, also talked to my brother:Local large grocery store was fully stocked. Life continues as normal. No panic buying. No hoarding. Although the Campbells soup inventory seemed to be a little low.FWIW, Melen came home last evening. She is off school for a few days. She will be flying to North Carolina tomorrow, return flight is Sunday. She will be taking 2 packs of antibacterial wipes on the airplane. One pack for each flight. Plans to wipe down her area, offer wipes to the flyers immediately next around her too. She is aware that this is her last flight for a while, I told her as things heat up then I'm paying for her to take risks. She agreed that it made sense to minimize risks like being stuck in an aluminum tube with strangers.
Aldi discount grocery store was fully stocked. Life continues as normal. Also no noticeable panic buying happening there either.
Dollar General Store: Wife stopped in for some craft items. Said that in the 15 minutes she was in the store literally EVERY customer who walked in the store asked the clerk where the Hand Sanitizer was located. The store was sold out and is not sure when supplies are arriving.
My brother is in purchasing for a hospital and clinic chain. He says he cannot get enough face masks. Also the sanitizing wipes used by hospital and doctors office staffs are in very short supply. Said the they will transition to bottles of diluted bleach solution as a back up.
Went to a Walmart in Hood River, OR yesterday. No hand sanitizer, the toilet paper aisle was almost empty. They did have big jugs of aloe vera on display so I guess people are down to making their own.
Apparently, the local Costco was out of toilet paper.
I suspect the panic is relative to your distance to the nearest hot-spot. They are panicking in Seattle from what I hear.
One cannot eat or drink either of those to survive.If there's no hand sanitizer, check for rubbing alcohol. Hand sanitizer is basically gelled alcohol.
Took stock yesterday. I still have 400 gallons of alcohol and 150 gallons of hand sanitizer.
Three underlying conditions will put people at the most risk.
1. Heart Condition
2. Lung condition such as COPD, Asthma
3. Diabetes
I would love to see the media do their homework and give us statistics on how many people with these three conditions are the ones succumbing to this disease instead of their typical fear mongering.