I haven't talked much about the coronavirus, here, in part because I don't want to be a source of worry for anyone else. Also, for my own self, talking about it brings my own fears and worries to the surface. Today, I am ready to talk about what I've been doing to prepare.
Prayer and Preparation
I did almost all of my March shopping in February. What I didn't do, I ordered online to be delivered later this week. I am taking this one day at a time. Tuesday (this morning as this is posted), is Senior shopping day at Fred Meyer. We have a handful of confirmed cases right in my area, near enough to the Fred Meyer where I usually shop, so I've decided not to shop Senior Discount Day this month. We have enough in our fridge, freezer, and pantry right now to get through the entire month of March and beyond. I'm starting my vegetable garden indoors under lights this week for some early greens. We'll live on what we have with maybe another online order of non-perishables for delivery from Target a little later. Through all of this, I am keeping my prayer life very active.
When You've Done Everything Else, Make Chicken Soup
I made a large pot of chicken soup last Friday. We had that for dinner that night and lunches all weekend long. I made another large pot of chicken soup on Monday. This soup is in part for snacks and lunches right now, but part of it is going into the freezer as emergency "illness" food. One of the foods that I bought in February for March was a 10-lb bag of chicken leg quarters. I'll be making a lot of chicken soup, some for eating presently, and the rest for freezing. If you saw in the news, the team in Nebraska was serving homemade chicken soup to some of the coronavirus patients.
Budget Preparedness
If your budget is not very big and can't include a lot of convenience foods, make some of your own right now and store them in the fridge or freezer. Casseroles and soups freeze well. If you want to stock water, you can fill empty plastic or glass beverage bottles (soda, cider, wine, juice) with tap water and store in your fridge. I'm not sure why bottled water is one of the suggested items on many stock-up lists for this virus. But it can't hurt to be prepared, if you have some empty bottles anyway.
When you do need to go to the stores to buy foods, medicines, hygiene items, and cleaning supplies, the best tips I've read are to wear gloves while shopping, shop very early in the morning (if that is a time when stores are least crowded), shop midweek/avoid crowded weekends, go to stores where there seems to be less traffic, and when you come home, wash your hands well. Consider having groceries delivered to your house. Stores like Target offer free delivery in my area with a $35 purchase.
Organize the supplies that you do have. I pulled all of my disinfecting supplies together. I included items that we might not think of as a disinfectant, such as hydrogen peroxide, but they are. I've got a Lysol-type spray, 70% and 91% alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, hand sanitizer, liquid bleach, and some Lysol-type cleaning wipes, as well as lots of soap. I've put these together in a cabinet in the laundry room. After doing some reading, I discovered that some are more effective than others against coronavirus. However, I believe they will all be useful for my household. These items have differing properties that make some more useful for particular surfaces than others.
Be Aware, but Take a Break From the News From Time to Time
At the present, for many of us, the threat of this virus is not on our doorstep. There is no need for us to scare ourselves silly. Stress lowers the immune response. So, if you find yourself overstressed, take a break from the news and do something very relaxing, such as listening to calming music, or watching light-hearted comedies on youtube or dailymotion.com. The unknowns are the source of most of my fears. I am a woman of faith. So, I have been reminding myself that although I don't know things, He knows it all.
Still, the news can be addicting. So, it's good to force yourself to break away from the news for a few hours a day. Remember, the news agencies make money by getting you to read or watch, so their headlines often contain worrisome words and phrases, like "cases jump." Be aware, but take breaks from worry. Just keep doing those good health practices -- wash, wash, and wash some more, get good sleep, eat healthy, take time to relax each day.
One of the things that I do each night that brings me peace is I tell myself that I'm still well. I survived the day. My family is doing fine. I'm in His hands. I only have to do this one day at a time.
I've got a lot more to say, but this is long enough for today. I hope everyone is exceptionally well right now.
