A Time to Sanitize

So...

Hand sanitizer use to be all over the place, but it's hard to find during the pandemic. It's almost like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I started making my own hand sanitizer, and it was a sloppy mix of 91% rubbing alcohol and aloe vera lotion.

And when THAT started running out, I had to be on the lookout for commercially available hand sanitizer.

Here is some I bought at the local Asian beauty spot.

Here are a few I've been able to find in the past few months.

Hey, I was just happy to see a sign on the beauty supply store door, as simple as it was: a white piece of copy paper with the words "Sanitizer available" written in green sharpie.

And It cost $8.99.

And it smells HORRIBLE. I don't even smell the alcohol in it.

I have to be careful what I buy at the Asian beauty supply spots. No telling what it is. I may just throw it out. But this one had good amazon reviews. So it is legit. However, I will not be purchasing it again.

These next ones are really good.

I spotted these while grocery shopping. The purchase limit is two bottles. So I grab a couple of bottles whenever I do my grocery shopping. I have six or seven bottles of it. They are $3.99-$4.99 each.

Good enough. And they're better than what I bought at the Asian store.

Here is my FAVORITE hand sanitizer.

Every Man Jack. $8 for 7 ounces. It was the first hand sanitizer I came across around a couple of months ago. I saw it at the Whole Foods. I saw it was for men, but heck, it could've been for dogs for all I care. I just needed some hand sanitizer.

It is really nice. The scent is woodsy and citrusy. I would buy some more if it wasn't so expensive.

Right now, I think I will stick with the ArtNaturals brand.

Until Purell and Germ-X make there return.

And that might not be until the Corona is over.

And who knows if and when that'll happen!

In a Nutshell....

In a nutshell, that's my problem with this whole coronavirus pandemic.

Oh, I keep hearing how, at some workplaces, they are testing your temperature at the door.

Ok. That is fine.

But what do you do when someone has the virus, and is asymptomatic.

How do you figure out who's a carrier?

How does Bill above know he's a carrier?

*crickets*

I think this all has to do with the debate surrounding the quarantine. I think, from what I am understanding, that we are supposed to assume that we are all carriers, and do our social distancing and don our masks, not to protect ourselves, but to protect others from ourselves.

But there are some people out there who don't want to hear all that.

In a nutshell, those people are dicks.

A List for Well Being in Isolation

So I came across this list, a checklist of sorts, concerning maintaining our well being during isolation. I came across it on Facebook.

I think it's a pretty well-rounded list.  Not sure I will use it, but I am surprised at how much of this I do already. 

Of course it helps to shower daily. Makes me feel like I am going somewhere.

I gotta take my medication or I will feel like pure trash later in the day.

I try to drink plenty of water, but I have noticed that I have developed a coffee habit as of late.
*LadyLee going to find a bottle of water RIGHT now*

I am getting some cleaning done. What I like to do, and what's VERY productive for me, is to put on some type of favorite song playlist. Each time a song plays, clean a room. When the new song starts, move to a new room. I have a very small house, so a hour's worth of this routine goes a long way and I get a lot done. Of course, I have a check list, and I check off when a room is finished.

I do tend to something growing or living: My cats Sister Callie Jo and Big Mitch. And I know they are still wondering why I am home so much.  The looks I get from them are classic. And they tend to go hide and sleep most of the day.

The Mindful presence section:

Spritiually - my pastor does a 10-15 minute affirmation and confessions session most mornings. It is tremendously helpful. We are just simply setting the spiritual thermostat of the day pretty much according to Psalms 91.

I love music, so I listen to a lot of music. I have a ton of playlists with my favorite songs, and I am here for it!

I do not think there is a day that goes by that I don't talk to someone, whether it be on the phone, or through text or email. I even have done some Whatsapp coffee dates with people, which is so helpful to actually see and talk to someone at the same time. (I don't have facetime for apple products, so I am so glad this type of thing is available).

I did something the other day to get my heart rate up: I marched/walked around my kitchen island. It was surprisingly effective and helpful. I have even done some stretching with with a couple of YouTube channel people, so that has been helpful. I wish I could just be consistent, though. That would be so helpful.

Doing one thing that I want to do just because I want too... that would be crochet. Or read. Or get some writing done. Or watch some of my favorite shows.

I always get in a good laugh! No way a day goes by without laughter. Thank goodness for that!!

Doing one thing that I would be glad I did later: Today it was wash and dry a load of clothes. And I washed several of my face masks by hand this morning (I think I have seven of them. Doing a post on those later).

So this is a GREAT well rounded list. I think I am doing well enough, but I can do better.

I find that maybe 2% of the time, I am not doing good with being alone. I spend much time alone overall, as I tend to be an introvert, but I am use to coming and going as I please. So I am trying to cope with that, especially not being able to talk to people face to face or hug people. I didn't realize how much I hug folks.  I saw my aunt-in-law on Saturday to deliver supplies, and it hurt to have to stand outside and talk, some 6 feet apart. It's the new normal for now. It is what it is.

But back to the list. That is a good well-rounded list.

Corona, corona... Thoughts on the Coronavirus

I tell you what... this coronavirus epidemic, or pandemic, is FASCINATING.

And I don't mean fascinating in a good way. Just fascinating in that in less than a month or two, we are going CRAZY. We are on the verge of, if not now a caught up in, a full blown panic.

All of the hand sanitizer is GONE. Gone!!!

And it reminds me that it don't take much to have us running around with our hair on fire.

I wasn't paying THAT much attention to this whole thing until I started looking for information on it a few months ago and I couldn't find any good information to satisfy my curiosity. And it was one of those things where people were saying, "Call LadyLee... I bet she knows about it."

"Heck, I don't know what's going on. It's in the same family as a cold or the flu," was my usual retort.

That was all I could find. And that worried me.

And I had to tell my friends, "I'm looking for info, but there's not much.

But alas, I came across a GREAT YouTube sight that explains things thoroughly and succinctly.

Medcram

This doctor does updates everyday. I think he is on day 34 or 35. It is interesting and makes a lot of sense. Maybe it is just the scientist in me, but it was easy enough to understand.  The doctor is some type of pulmonary specialist, and he's up to update 34. I think he does upwards of five updates per week. There are a ton of other videos on topics such as asthma, sleep, etc. It has to be one of the best uses of 15 minutes in my day. HIGHLY educational and everything is explained in simple terms.

Another site: the coronavirus page:  Worldometer.com

This site is updated daily with insanely detailed info concerning the statistical information of the virus' effects per country.

So right now, those are the main sites I consult.

(I also found another one this week. Viral: Coronavirus. It is a podcast available on some platforms)

I really started paying attention when our beloved President was on TV talking about how he didn't think it was that serious. And how he thought the media was making up stuff, yada yada yada....

Had me staring at the TV like the cats are staring at me here.

(Notice the strange look of disdain on Sister Callie Jo's face. That was the look on my face when the President was talking all that talk).

THAT'S the reason I am paying so much attention to it. Because our beloved president stretches the truth like a rubberband. And ain't nobody got time for that.

Things really got serious the other day when the Feds dropped the interest rate. Then some schools shut down. And some cruise ships were not allowed to dock.  And the stock market also dropped like a rock off a building.
Now, they are shutting down the NBA, MLB, and NHL. No NCAA March madness this year. And shutting down travel on some level from Europe. The price of oil went down. I think there's a lot going on that no one is telling us if they are doing all this. Sigh.

This is some craziness! This is like some type of thriller suspense novel. But it is real life.

I am wondering what will be happening six months from now?

Kinda makes me yearn for the days when we got all upset about petty issues.

This here ain't petty, honey. Not in the least. And it has me wishing for petty days.

Everybody be safe, and take safety precautions. And please, don't stress yourself out.

That's what I'll be doing... staying calm and going about my day with caution...

On purpose.