Corona virus (covid-19) prepping

elle sagenev wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:

Tereza Okava wrote:I was just debating today whether to get more dog food or not. I tend to have mouse issues so I guess the gamble is whether I can store it safely til I need it or not.

I'm in the same boat.  My plan is to build a box out of scrap 2x4s and cover it in hardware cloth.  As long as it is big enough for 4 bags each of dog food and chicken food, I should have enough.  If I don't store it in a box with hardware cloth, the mice get into everything.

We have mouse problems too and we use metal trash cans. Can fit 3 bags of dog food and 4 bags of pig food.

That's a great idea.  I have two right now that are just holding wood scraps for charcoal.  Storing the pet food is a much better idea, thanks for pointing that out.

I'm with Anita, radishes are our friends. I plant both the little ones and the daikon ones. They are good low carb substitutes for potatoes. And the daikons can be spriralized for salads, and stir-frys. That is the main issue we are having right now. We are keto currently, having to get my blood sugar back into shape, and most staples are starchy carbs. I've been freezing cream and making egg heavy products in bulk, like crackers. Maybe I should freeze some eggs as well, for baking and whatnot. We are stocked up on meat and pet food.

The greenhouse is proving useful, as I am still harvesting lettuce and sugar snap peas, and have been able to start seeds.

I have found Medcram to be helpful and informative, specifically these two videos offer me some hope:  [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7F1cnWup9M[/youtube]  &  [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE4_LsftNKM[/youtube]

There was mention of elderberry extract as potential treatment, and that's been our go-to for flu for a few years.  I'd encourage you to research elderberry/cytokine.  Elderberry might actually worsen symptoms if you're dealing with covid19 in the "disease" stage.

Here's an article detailing the cytokine storm situation in covid19: newspaper article

I'm NOT a doctor, nor am I giving medical advice, just sharing what I've learned and am pursuing to keep healthy.

I'm not at home, and am currently in Washington.  When I left home 5-1/2 weeks ago, my hubby and I talked about how different the world might be when I return in 6 weeks.  Now I'm not even sure about the return trip.  It's an unsettling place to be.

Be safe, be well, fellow permies.  Life is never going to be the same.

zelda smith wrote:

Here's an article detailing the cytokine storm situation in covid19: newspaper article

Based on the possibility of immune hyper-response of the kind observed in a cytokine storm, I think it's prudent to be as aware as one can of that phenomenon impacting their infection by SARS-CoV2 (covid-19) or other such inducing illnesses.  That said, I'm a bit disappointed in the use of the word "indicates" by the reporter from the Oregonian.  Thus:  "For one thing, a new study *indicates* that Covid-19 triggers in some people something called a cytokine storm, where one’s own immune system goes berserk. This “virus-activated” immune response can be deadly, causing severe respiratory distress and the subsequent shutdown of multiple organs." (my asterisks added)

I may be over-reacting in feeling that this word imparts more of a "conclusive" sense to the statement, but do feel that the reporter's word choice to be more inflammatory (no pun intended) than those chosen by the authors of the original scientific study.  Thus:       "In conclusion, predictors of a fatal outcome in COVID-19 cases included age, the presence of underlying diseases, the presence of secondary infection and elevated inflammatory indicators in the blood. The results obtained from this study also *suggest* that COVID-19 mortality might be due to virus-activated “cytokine storm syndrome” or fulminant myocarditis.".   -- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-020-05991-x
(again, my asterisks added)

Granted, the definition of "indicate" includes some variations that encompass the notion of "suggests", but most of the definitions underlying the term appear to relay a sense of "demonstrate" or "show".  Anyway, although the good intentions of the reporting are understood, details in such matters do seem important.

I'm appreciating reading where everyone is at with preparing.
I am pretty much stocked up on what I need for myself and my dogs & cats.
I will go out one more time to get a bit more staples and dry cat food then should be good to go for sometime.
I have a good supply of can foods, basic, staples and foods in freezer and dried foods.
From what I've seen and heard it can get quite crazy in the store scene here in Iowa yet sounds like it is everywhere.
I've been working on all my starter plants and many will soon be ready to go out. I will continue starting, planting, growing and canning/storing what I produce. I'll also be doing hay bale gardening, plant hangers in the trees and an indoor garden area. I hope soon to have time and energy to do my underground greenhouse and pantry. I've been wanting to do this for sometime so hopefully beginning soon. I'm looking forward to my fresh veggies.
I'll be sharing a bit more of produce with my kids and grandkids local here.
They haven't planned for things like are happening. Perhaps this will aid them to do so in the future.

We are drinking chaga tea and have upped our c & d intake as well. We don’t have a Twitter acct, but I do read @clif_high on Twitter because he is a voracious reader/researcher and on a mission to help people harden their bodies against this.

Otherwise, we have always run food based businesses and keep ourselves stocked on dry goods. Lacto-fermenting, curing meat...etc. just be prepared for anything. The financial/economic ramifications from this are far more dangerous than the virus itself. Harden your immune systems and be prepared for the possibility of a financial global reset.

I've done up a webpage to make it easy for people to print off their contact details if they're willing to help neighbors who are self isolating
http://www.users.on.net/~ametca/ttalbanyoz/covid-help.html

I went to the supermarket today (South Australia) and there were huge crowds today; it's even busier than the day before Christmas. People are no longer panic-buying toilet paper but are now panic-buying meat and other foods. I'm not worried as I'd like to get rid of all the old carbohydrates on my shelves anyway.

If I had to store food because shopping became extremely inconvenient, my priorities would be:

1. Legumes, because they contain (1) protein, (2) fibre, (3) carbohydrates, and (4) count as a vegetable serve. Australians are most deficient in vegetables.
2. Long-life milk, for calcium.
3. Canned oily fish, for omega 3.
4. Preserved fruit, for vitamins.
5. Leafy green vegetables could grow in the garden, for micronutrients and fibre.
6. Nuts and seeds, for healthy fats.

These would cover all my nutritional needs. It's kinda interesting to see some people stocking up on chips and ice cream instead.

Tim Kivi wrote:It's kinda interesting to see some people stocking up on chips and ice cream instead.

Agreed. I saw carts filled entirely with frozen pizzas the last time I went out.

I would hope most of us were already prepared in the event of a natural disaster...don't forget prescription meds, livestock/pet foods and medications, and all the comfort foods you usually don't keep in stock.  Look at anything you might need in the next few months for the garden or projects around the house and stock up now - to keep busy if quarantined.  Same for hobbies, if you knit, get yarn; build models, stock up; do crosswords or sudoko, grab a few extras.  Bake, can, preserve?  Get supplies in early.  Ink for the printer?  

If you normally go "out" to work, you may be about to have an enforced "staycation" - perfect time to get all those chores you put off forever, cuz there is never enough time!  Get supplies in so you are ready to take advantage of the time off while everyone self quarantines.  Consider this an opportunity, to rest, be productive, pursue a hobby you've never gotten around to...find the rainbow in the storm.  

And don't forget those who may be at high risk and cannot go out.  Skype, call or visit through the closed window.  Offer to pick up or provide food, meds or supplies for a neighbor in need.  Don't Panic, and be kind.

Lorinne Anderson wrote:I would hope most of us were already prepared in the event of a natural disaster...

I would hope so too, but when you read that 4 out 5 american workers live paycheck to paycheck...and then so many places are closing or shortening their hours...i don't know. it has me worried. not gonna lie. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/09/shutdown-highlights-that-4-in-5-us-workers-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html 😢

Also I know there have been a lot of memes about people panic buying, and at first i laughed too. But then I remembered a Hidden Brain episode I listened to a while ago on how scarcity affects our brains and it is eye opening. https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/651468312/too-little-too-much-how-poverty-and-wealth-affect-our-minds

That's all to say that in addition to making sure i have a well rounded pantry, and a garden for extra fresh greens , i'm trying really hard to make sure to look at the big picture since we don't know what to expect in 2 weeks or a month or 3 months.i'm also planting a little extra in the hopes i'll be able to share. i worry that this is going to be an awful situation for food banks.

Finally, for now school is closed for 2 weeks but i wouldn't be surprised if it remains closed for the rest of the year. This weekend, i updated my www.Khanacademy.org account and set up my kiddos with a learning schedule to follow.

Honestly, I've been "prepping" for something like this since I first read about permaculture back 10 or so years ago. I've been planting fruit trees, acquiring skills to grow food and medicine and creating community bonds.

I actually just planted 10 or so more fruit and nuts trees/bushes this past weekend, got microgreens going and transplanted starts in my raised beds. I've had some overwintering crops and our chickens are laying about 4 eggs a day.

If your friends and family don't have a garden it's a good time to tell them to get one started on their lawn - even just a simple raised beds and get some seeds started.  We need to be at least growing some greens for daily vitamins to get through this.

Other than that I stocked up on some dry goods once I saw what was happening in Europe a few weeks ago. I'm in the US.

People are in panic buying mode here in Ohio. I did grocery shopping yesterday to top off my stores (usually I have at least two weeks of food on hand for me and at least a week of feed for the poultry)--I was looking for staples (rice, potatoes, flour, canned veggies), and most of those were sold out, which is extremely unusual for my rural community. I'm not worried about running short at this time, and I'll check back in a couple of days to see if they've restocked. I'm in good shape for things like bleach, soap, etc, though, but I may stock up a bit more there as well....

Heading to my feed supplier later this week to pick up a couple of weeks worth of poultry feed--the tricky part is figuring out a good storage system for it without feeding the vermin as I don't have spare trash cans at the moment and they'll chew into the bags.

I should have veggies coming in from the garden by mid-April which will ease the situation, assuming it lasts that long. And I've told my suburban and urban friends they can always refugee out to me here in the boonies if needed. :)

Lorinne Anderson wrote: i worry that this is going to be an awful situation for food banks.

That's one of my concerns as well.  Checking in with our food bank director at church today after distribution, and planning to do some big shopping for them.  But I get a feeling that this will not be nearly enough.

Local food production had better ramp up quickly.  I'm glad to be associated with the Berea KY urban farm.  They've been doing edible street plantings for quite a while now.

I usually have a lot of stuff for emergencies, as well as buying a lot of "interesting" things and then forgetting about them ("ooh, black lentils!  neat!") and was also a little stocked up in case Brexit made things weird for a few weeks.  I fear that I've made my BF a bit paranoid as well so a few weeks ago he joined me in buying more basics.  In extremis we're set for several months.

Hamburg is not "locked down" as in we can leave, but as of today only essential shops are open (and hairdressers - I love my hairdresser and want her to do well, but really?).  There isn't really a run on shops as we know that they will stay open.  Friday I requested a delivery from a local grocery, which usually is next day, but they didn't have any appointments until Thursday.  Happily they let me keep adding things to the order without losing my place, so I'm adding more vegetables and things as I recall them.  (Like hair dye!)

I figure as long as deliveries are feasible we'll be fine for vegetables.  If that fails I have a lot of seeds for sprouting so we'll be in greens at least.  

I'm frustrated that our Kleingarten is too far away to walk to and transit seems like a bad idea.  We may check out a moped or car rental to visit, but then again we may get a real lockdown.  On the bright side no one will get on our case for an untidy garden this year.

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:
Hamburg is not "locked down" as in we can leave, but as of today only essential shops are open (and hairdressers - I love my hairdresser and want her to do well, but really?).  There isn't really a run on shops as we know that they will stay open.  Friday I requested a delivery from a local grocery, which usually is next day, but they didn't have any appointments until Thursday.  Happily they let me keep adding things to the order without losing my place, so I'm adding more vegetables and things as I recall them.  (Like hair dye!)

Well I live in the outerskirts of London, U.K and the supermarket online facility is so much worse than that!  One supermarket isn't taking any orders, there's a huge wait at another and my one - Waitrose - was badly affected.  Usually I can place an order and get a booking slot after 2 days or so.  Last week it was slightly longer, i.e. 3-4 days.  I tried yesterday and.....not 7 days, or even 14 but 25 days wait to get an available delivery booking slot!  Even then my order faced far too many cancellations (suddenly not deemed to be available...really?...that far ahead?) so I cancelled the order.  I'm beginning to understand the panic buying now - such uncertainty for future availability!  The past week or so it's been toilet paper and pasta that were always out of stock.  Today I found the fresh meat, poultry and fish shelves practically stripped bare!  (People are obviously freezing these foods).   It's a dire and worrying situation but one that you lot seem well prepared for!  I don't own land - just a small garden.

In Canada this morning, the federal government advised staying home except for essential travel like work or groceries.  

I've been talking with local businesses to arrange to order ahead and pickup.  That way we don't have to spend much time in the store.  Some will even do like a drive-through where you park the car in a specific lane and ring a buzzer and tell them who you are on the intercom and they bring the order to your car.  

But those are big businesses who already had that in place.  I would rather spend my money on local companies that will need all the support they can get in the coming months.

I just went down to the plant nursery and bought a bunch of pepper starts (even though I have some growing from seed that aren't looking great).  I also bought a comfrey plant (for t.p.....not that I'm really that worried, butT you never know.  I also bought a couple of hundred onion starts just because I love onions.  It seems almost likely that non essential stores will be closed, and so I'm guessing/anticipating a nursery would fall under that.  It seemed to me to be a good idea to get things that I might regret not getting sooner.

Also, I'd like to mention neti pots.  I've been using one (a tiny plant watering can that I jam into my nose) for over a decade.  Whenever my nasal passages get clogged, I use one.  Rigging one up diy style wouldn't be too difficult, but buying one made specifically for it would probably be easier/better.
It's just a way of irrigating nasal passages with water, and I admit having just gone out and "socialized", I came home and washed out my nasal passages (a little bit of salt with warm water).  I don't know that it's a good idea, but I'm going to do it.  I consider it the equivalent of washing my hands.

Joshua Bertram wrote:I also bought a comfrey plant (for t.p.....not that I'm really that worried, butT you never know.

Lol, you're going to regret it if you try that.  Comfrey is really picky.  Some people can't even touch it without gloves.  You may as well use a cactus.

Trace Oswald wrote:

Joshua Bertram wrote:I also bought a comfrey plant (for t.p.....not that I'm really that worried, butT you never know.

Lol, you're going to regret it if you try that.  Comfrey is really picky.  Some people can't even touch it without gloves.  You may as well use a cactus.

Oh, lol, I thought I read about people using it.  After having done a search, it looks like maybe that's a bad idea.

I'll use it for chop and drop, and not so much chop and plop.  haha

Thanks!

Sunday I put in a request to work from home during the pandemic.  Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to let me.

I hope everyone here is doing well and has gotten their essentials stocked up. This madness will only get worse before it get's any better.  I feel we have enough food and basics to get by but when you live in a city and others do not it can become quite a scary thing. There are no TP, paper towels, etc at any of the stores in town; luckily we've been using cloth wipes for number one for quite some time already. We will begin transition to using it for all toilet times, but have actual TP for in case anyone does get sick. Bottled water was also not available, but the five gallon refillable jugs were. There was no hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol on the shelves; there is a rubbing alcohol with epsom salts, menthol and capsicum fully stocked. I'm not sure if it is concentrated enough rubbing alcohol to be a sanitizing spray but it may be worth looking into? Although if you have any dry or chapped skin it would be unpleasant.
Luckily I have a tax refund to blow on panic buying since my house I was buying fell through I'm not using it on fencing like I planned. Today I'm hoping to ordering a solar generator for my school bus, I just can't figure out regular solar and feel that if things get worse in the cities I need to get out whilst we still can. I will also be ordering some electric netting for fencing for my animals, a water filter, and another waterfowl shotgun. I'm in the panic buying phase as these are all things I've been postponing purchasing till I 'need' it or find 'the best deal'. I don't think I will be finding better deals anytime soon and need to be more self reliant. I would like to get a tow hitch and a trailer so I can take my container garden with me, but I have not figured out how to wire the breaks and break lights, so I'm not sure what I'll do on that end.
I hope I'm not being too irrational, but I feel that with the economic impacts of this pandemic and most people in this city living from paycheck to paycheck things will start getting bad in a couple of weeks.  I think it is important to help your neighbors and respect the elderly, so please take them into consideration next time you are going to the store. Grab an extra whatever and give it to someone who might not have it budgeted in their paycheck, or might have not been at the store when the delivery was stocked. Offer to take someones shopping list with you and spend more time at the store if you know someone who is in one of the vulnerable populations. If you can find a spray sanitizer, spray the packaging when you leave it on the doorstep, make sure they know to wash any produce off thoroughly.  Be excessive, be crazy, be prepared; it's better then them not being here in the future.
For those of you whose kids are home from school, there are plenty of fun activities to stock up on at the dollar store and Wally world. Get notebooks, sketch pads, pens, colored pencils, board games, books, maybe that toy they've been wanting for a while. Even if distance learning is provided by the cancelled districts, be present and be patient as kids cope to this new lifestyle. Reach out to any homeschooling friends if you have any, maybe they know someone who can baby sit if you still have to go to work. Ask your boss about working form home, take scheduled leave or sick days if you can't and you think you've been exposed. Remember there are now small business bail outs for companies that need it! There is also more money allocated to unemployment from the much cursed 'bailout' that was approved last week. It may be humbling, but these things are here to help you if you need them. I'm getting off topic now, but perhaps the most important prep to have is a PLAN. I'm sure most of you are better off and have a better plan than I, but if not get started now.

Milkwood Permaculture put up an awesome Free Resource:

https://www.milkwood.net/2020/03/17/free-resources-for-home-based-living-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/?mc_cid=9bcb8b75e3&mc_eid=f6687fd3be

I just took their online Permaculture Living class in the Fall and it was amazing, learned a bunch of new skills.

Timothy Markus wrote:Sunday I put in a request to work from home during the pandemic.  Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to let me.

Nope, they said I couldn't do maintenance from home.  I told them they need to start thinking outside the box.  Some people...

Pretty much everything is shut here, most shops are still open but they have to obey strict rules about having hand washing facilities as you enter and keeping all customers 2m apart (Maybe they need some old Victorian skirt hoops!) All hairdressers etc are shut as are dentists and drs except for emergencies, I don't know what the shops are like, the media has made a bit about panic buying but I didn't really see any sign in our shops last week when we went shopping.

We have enough in the house for 2 weeks of a 100% normal diet, and enough food for around 3 months at a guess, though it may be getting a bit weird towards the end and I probably wouldn't want to look a potato in the eyes for a long time. Since our homegrown potatoes become ready in early to mid June those dates are all fine.

I have all my seed potatoes and seeds barring snack cucumbers and onion sets. the snack cucumbers I can live without, the onions we can't! The shop that we get them from was expecting them this week, but they have not appeared yet.

We have plenty of toilet paper for at least a month, if we run out well there's cloth or leaves depending on what we decide!


For disinfecting. if 70%? Alcohol kills the virus how about using methylated spirits? Sure it's perhaps not the thing to use on your hands but surfaces/door handles etc would be fine.

Joshua Bertram wrote:I just went down to the plant nursery and bought a bunch of pepper starts (even though I have some growing from seed that aren't looking great).  I also bought a comfrey plant (for t.p.....not that I'm really that worried, butT you never know.  I also bought a couple of hundred onion starts just because I love onions.  It seems almost likely that non essential stores will be closed, and so I'm guessing/anticipating a nursery would fall under that.  It seemed to me to be a good idea to get things that I might regret not getting sooner.

Also, I'd like to mention neti pots.  I've been using one (a tiny plant watering can that I jam into my nose) for over a decade.  Whenever my nasal passages get clogged, I use one.  Rigging one up diy style wouldn't be too difficult, but buying one made specifically for it would probably be easier/better.
It's just a way of irrigating nasal passages with water, and I admit having just gone out and "socialized", I came home and washed out my nasal passages (a little bit of salt with warm water).  I don't know that it's a good idea, but I'm going to do it.  I consider it the equivalent of washing my hands.

Joshua, I'm sure you already know this, but just in case; please only use sterilized water when using the neti pot. Otherwise, you run the risk of acquiring some very dangerous bacteria!👀
https://www.contagionlive.com/news/its-not-the-neti-pot-thats-dangerous-but-the-water-used-with-it-public-health-watch

Skandi Rogers wrote:  For disinfecting. if 70%? Alcohol kills the virus how about using methylated spirits? Sure it's perhaps not the thing to use on your hands but surfaces/door handles etc would be fine.

Don't pass up standard dishwashing liquid if other items aren't available.  Actually, a decent description of why:  https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/11/21173187/coronavirus-covid-19-hand-washing-sanitizer-compared-soap-is-dope

Skandi Rogers wrote:
For disinfecting. if 70%? Alcohol kills the virus how about using methylated spirits? Sure it's perhaps not the thing to use on your hands but surfaces/door handles etc would be fine.

Skandi, I meant to respond earlier and now I'm on the dumb phone, so I can't give you the reference (and frankly I'm not even sure which language I read it in, much less where i saw it), but i did come across this today, and learned that this product is too close to pure and doesn't have the same effect (90% alcohol is not as effective as 70 because of how alcohol tears apart the virus, there needs to be some water in there too). I also would be extremely hesitant about using it on anything I touch, I dont know if any residue sticks around but it is very toxic. Maybe you can find out more, perhaps it all evaporates away.

I want to mention oximeters!



The doctors at Providence Regional Medical Center (where the first patient in the US was), is handing out oximeters to people who test positive. This allows them to be monitored at home. If their oxygen levels get low, they taken to the hospital and hooked up to oxygen. It's the lack of oxygen that kills people.

https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/a-key-to-treating-coronavirus-used-in-snohomish-co

"You can be doing OK and then all of a sudden crash - get much worse. The symptom of that is an increased shortness of breath when you move around, and you often can’t diagnose it yourself," said Dr. Compton-Phillips.

"Just like you can’t tell if you have high blood pressure unless your blood pressure is checked, some people don’t realize their oxygen levels are starting to fall unless they measure it," she said.

Being able to monitor your oxygen level at home seems like a really good idea. And, the little devices are pretty cheap. I bought one a while back, and I'm glad to have it!

I thought I’d give a little update from our Italian Lockdown situation. We are now about 1,5 weeks into the lockdown.

We thought we were prepared well. Stocked on food, have been taking care of eating healthy, try to sleep a lot, have lots of projects to keep us busy (there isn’t a single free spot in my window sill left because I’ve started a ton of seedlings. I’m even starting seeds from pinecones). We cook a lot, are improving our bread making skills, but I’m starting to realise it isn’t lack of food, boredom or physical health which is going to make this hard on us. It’s cabin fever. It’s mental health.

We’re stuck on a third floor appartement with a tiny balcony, while our lush garden from our new property is out of reach for the next month because of the lockdown.
There is talk in the papers that leaving your house to stretch your legs or go for a short hike might soon be prohibited as well. We can only leave once a week to get groceries, and only one person at a time gets to enter. At the meantime the workload from our job hasn’t let down, in fact it has even increased. We have been working 6 days out of 7 at a sedentary job we do from our home for the past months. Going out to the property to work our butt off, or go for a long hike to get fresh air and the blood flowing again, was the thing that kept me sane for these past weeks. Now I don’t even get to do that anymore.  

Having to sit inside all day is unhealthy as well, but unfortunately we haven’t got much choice! All the meanwhile cars with megaphones attached to them have been patrolling the streets daily these past days, blasting warnings that we are to remain indoors unless for emergencies, as a constant reminder. All the while the only news or developments we read are about hospitals being overloaded, people dying all alone, doctors getting sick as well...

It’s starting to take a toll on us, mentally. The days are starting to blur a bit. I’m having a hard time keeping positive. I feel tired and unmotivated. I’m even getting a tad paranoia, not sure if I’m actually having trouble breathing, or am just imagining things because I’m panicked. Long story short, even with all the prep we’ve done, and all the projects and work I have to keep me busy, I was not ready for this. I know this is peanuts in regards to what the infected people and their families must be going through. I can’t even begin to imagine.
I realise this post became more gloomy then I intended to when I started writing this. Maybe I just needed to vent it.

My initial point was to say, be prepared for your mental health as well; not just your physical one. Don’t underestimate it.  Find things that you can do to keep yourself calm, motivated and healthy. Can’t go outside to exercise? Maybe make a kind of yogamat or look up exercises you can do at your home. Find ways to keep your house fresh and  with minimal effort, because I’m telling you, being at home 24/7 and finding the motivation to keep everything spic and span is hard. I’m using lavender oil on my pillow now to calm me down because I get trouble sleeping (I worry too much I guess). The lavender scent is comforting. I’m trying to create specific activities for specific days of the week to reinstall a sense of time/ rhythm: what day it is. We bake fresh bread and celebratory homemade pizza on Saturday. Sunday is for food prepping (I cook large portions of healthy meals and freeze them). I begin each day with watering and checking all my seedlings. I try to feed my kefir bacteria 3 times a week. If the sun is out, I will drink my tea or coffee on the balcony, to catch as much rays of sunlight as I can. Please be aware how lucky you are if you have a garden. I feel sad for all the people stuck in cities right now. At least when we’re standing on our little balcony right now, we can see the mountains. Fresh snow on the peaks. Clouds slowly rolling by... It’s not a garden, but I’ll take it over having to look at another grey flat all day!

Anyway, I hope you all keep safe!

S. Bard wrote:I thought I’d give a little update from our Italian Lockdown situation. We are now about 1,5 weeks into the lockdown.

We thought we were prepared well. Stocked on food, have been taking care of eating healthy, try to sleep a lot, have lots of projects to keep us busy (there isn’t a single free spot in my window sill left because I’ve started a ton of seedlings. I’m even starting seeds from pinecones). We cook a lot, are improving our bread making skills, but I’m starting to realise it isn’t lack of food, boredom or physical health which is going to make this hard on us. It’s cabin fever. It’s mental health.

We’re stuck on a third floor appartement with a tiny balcony, while our lush garden from our new property is out of reach for the next month because of the lockdown.
There is talk in the papers that leaving your house to stretch your legs or go for a short hike might soon be prohibited as well. We can only leave once a week to get groceries, and only one person at a time gets to enter. At the meantime the workload from our job hasn’t let down, in fact it has even increased. We have been working 6 days out of 7 at a sedentary job we do from our home for the past months. Going out to the property to work our butt off, or go for a long hike to get fresh air and the blood flowing again, was the thing that kept me sane for these past weeks. Now I don’t even get to do that anymore.  

Having to sit inside all day is unhealthy as well, but unfortunately we haven’t got much choice! All the meanwhile cars with megaphones attached to them have been patrolling the streets daily these past days, blasting warnings that we are to remain indoors unless for emergencies, as a constant reminder. All the while the only news or developments we read are about hospitals being overloaded, people dying all alone, doctors getting sick as well...

It’s starting to take a toll on us, mentally. The days are starting to blur a bit. I’m having a hard time keeping positive. I feel tired and unmotivated. I’m even getting a tad paranoia, not sure if I’m actually having trouble breathing, or am just imagining things because I’m panicked. Long story short, even with all the prep we’ve done, and all the projects and work I have to keep me busy, I was not ready for this. I know this is peanuts in regards to what the infected people and their families must be going through. I can’t even begin to imagine.
I realise this post became more gloomy then I intended to when I started writing this. Maybe I just needed to vent it.

My initial point was to say, be prepared for your mental health as well; not just your physical one. Don’t underestimate it.  Find things that you can do to keep yourself calm, motivated and healthy. Can’t go outside to exercise? Maybe make a kind of yogamat or look up exercises you can do at your home. Find ways to keep your house fresh and  with minimal effort, because I’m telling you, being at home 24/7 and finding the motivation to keep everything spic and span is hard. I’m using lavender oil on my pillow now to calm me down because I get trouble sleeping (I worry too much I guess). The lavender scent is comforting. I’m trying to create specific activities for specific days of the week to reinstall a sense of time/ rhythm: what day it is. We bake fresh bread and celebratory homemade pizza on Saturday. Sunday is for food prepping (I cook large portions of healthy meals and freeze them). I begin each day with watering and checking all my seedlings. I try to feed my kefir bacteria 3 times a week. If the sun is out, I will drink my tea or coffee on the balcony, to catch as much rays of sunlight as I can. Please be aware how lucky you are if you have a garden. I feel sad for all the people stuck in cities right now. At least when we’re standing on our little balcony right now, we can see the mountains. Fresh snow on the peaks. Clouds slowly rolling by... It’s not a garden, but I’ll take it over having to look at another grey flat all day!

Anyway, I hope you all keep safe!

Praying for you and your neighbors. I hope you all are allowed to continue to go outside and get walks and fresh air. I hope you wake up feeling refreshed and less paranoid. Keep up with the yoga for physical activity indoors, I would imagine the breathing exercises would be beneficial. If you work on a computer, you can probably modify a counter or a bookshelf to be a standing desk. I like to walk when I read on the computer then pause and stand while typing.

S. Bard wrote:I thought I’d give a little update from our Italian Lockdown situation. We are now about 1,5 weeks into the lockdown.

We thought we were prepared well. Stocked on food, have been taking care of eating healthy, try to sleep a lot, have lots of projects to keep us busy (there isn’t a single free spot in my window sill left because I’ve started a ton of seedlings. I’m even starting seeds from pinecones). We cook a lot, are improving our bread making skills, but I’m starting to realize it isn’t lack of food, boredom or physical health which is going to make this hard on us. It’s cabin fever. It’s mental health.
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Hi🌹 Thank you so much for the very vivid picture you have given us. It helps so much to assuage our concerns to know a little of what's ahead. If I may, I would like to recommend listening to podcasts to "get out of your head". Music is good too, but podcasts force you to listen to keep track of what's going on, thus focusing your attention elsewhere. You are absolutely right, physical activity is key. and while many in the US are blessed with space to roam, others in inner cities, not so much. Italy is one of my absolute favorite countries and it must be so hard to go through this times for a people that are so community oriented. sending you good, peaceful vibes through space.

Cris Fellows wrote:I am today going to stock up on ginger root.  Juiced it is a good first line defense used early in viral illnesses.  Elderberry and Reishi already on hand.  Licorice tea also very useful.  I work at a hospital ER so contact is likely inevitable...mostly from coworkers unfortunately.  We suit up for potential cases but when one of our own starts spreading things around, it takes off.  

On contagion, I took a first aid class for trauma, when you need to use gloves. I never knew that there was a whole dance to be done around removing contaminated gloves! No wonder it is tough to stay clear! Please take care, Cris: A lot of folks are counting on you to stay healthy!
Cris, precisely because you work in an ER, have you looked up thyme tea as a remedy for lung ailments? There are a number of French sources, both new and old citing the herb as great for whooping cough, removing phlegm in the body, English sources as well.
"In his English Physician Enlarged (1767 edition), Nicholas Culpeper also recommends thyme for lung ailments. “It is a noble strengthener of the lungs, as notable a one as grows; neither is there scarce a better remedy growing for that disease in children which they commonly call the Chin-Cough, than it is. It purgeth the body of phlegm, and is an excellent remedy for the shortness of breath.”"
https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/herbs-for-health-thyme-and-again
My husband an I swear by its use: I used to catch cold, flu and pneumonia as a little girl. I'd go to bed immediately for complete rest [yes, no TV, no phone in those days, even, and no homework [Yeah!]] and I'd have a batch of thyme tea with honey on the back burner that I would sip on all day long. It seems to be the thymol in it [which we use in products like Listerine and other antiseptics that did the trick. Nowadays, we think we have better, more chemical alternatives, but even after we started experiencing patients infections that were resistant to Penicillin, thyme tea would be sipped by folks who wanted to avoid going to the hospital.
Another remedy for congestion in the lungs is the use of suction cups and mustard cataplasms. Both draw the blood to the surface of the skin, thus relieving the congestion in the lungs. I remember falling through ice water in the public washing "lavoir" in the middle of winter. Of course, I got my pneumonia. I was 12.
Mom put a mustard cataplasm on my chest and suction cups on my back. The mustard cataplasm should not stay too long on the skin 1/2 hr to an hour, depending on skin type or you will lose some skin to it [ask me how I know!]
The suction cups work the same way, by drawing blood to the surface. Nowadays, unfortunately, yogurt comes in plastic containers, but you can still find some brands that use glass, like the Oui brand.
This is how to do it:
Put a layer of mustard on some cheesecloth and lay the mustardy side on the patient's chest, plus a sheet of plastic [Mom used waxed paper] so as not to stain the sheets. Have the patient lay face down while you prepare the suction cups. Have your suction cups clean dry and ready. Swab the inside of the cup with rubbing alcohol and light the inside of the cup [keeping the swab away from the flame, of course]. The air in the cup will catch on fire. Immediately apply the suction cup to the patient's back. [If your patient has a hairy back, you will want to shave him] That will snuff the flame immediately [no air] Repeat. Mom would put 12 cups on me. After the first heat it felt quite comfortable, really. The cups can stay on much longer than the cataplasm!
To remove the cups, they may come off on their own once the air has cooled. Otherwise, lay a butter knife flat on the skin right next to the edge of the cup, or just push there with your thumb. The idea is to introduce some air by using the plasticity of the skin. The cup will release immediately. Repeat.
The cataplasm should not be used until the skin recovers but the suction cups can be repeated every few hours for the duration of the ailment.

Right now, my only concern is feed for the livestock.   This is still off in the distance.. we have 2 to 3 months of grain on hand.  The bigger problem is the rain. I am on the side of a hill....and we have standing water in our yard.

Praying for you and your neighbors. I hope you all are allowed to continue to go outside and get walks and fresh air. I hope you wake up feeling refreshed and less paranoid. Keep up with the yoga for physical activity indoors, I would imagine the breathing exercises would be beneficial. If you work on a computer, you can probably modify a counter or a bookshelf to be a standing desk. I like to walk when I read on the computer then pause and stand while typing.

Thank you Gail for your prayers and thoughts.
Unfortunately the new decree has just been announced: all outdoor activities are now officially also forbidden.
This is going to be a longgggg month. This was usually also the month that I supplemented our diet with foraged greens, but that’s going to be off the table as well, I guess. I have a few small but painful warts on my hands that I was treating with Celandine that I foraged locally. I know exactly where it grows, it’s even less than half a kilometre from our home. But I will probably not be allowed to go get it anymore. This is just plain frustrating.
But then again, the death toll today was 627 deaths in just 24 hours. My heart cries for those poor people and their families, so I completely understand why they are tightening the restrictions even more so. It’s just an allround awful situation.

Amy Francis wrote:In these grim times....this is like a breath of fresh air (virus droplet-free!)

I happened upon this about 2 in the morning after a day of being in bed with suspicious symptoms. I'd been to the coronavirus self-testing page at the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/index.html) and the feedback I got was that I had the symptoms and to stay at home, call the doc if I started feeling worse. Well, I was feeling worse, but after I found this, I started feeling a lot better. I just watched it over and over, delighted with it. I think that made my body do something to heal itself.

Where do we go now? I mean, really...