"Mask Guidelines"

           

Yesterday my son, our designated shopper, ventured out on a hunting and gathering mission at our local HEB. I took advantage of the opportunity to leave the house, and sat in the car for ninety minutes participating in one of my favorite pass times—watching people.

Today, I feel compelled to pull together some guidelines to help everyone realize that just wearing a mask and gloves doesn’t protect you if you still do stupid things. My suggestions, with explanations may seem harsh, but we live in a new reality.



1. ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE STORE PER FAMILY.

I observed several families heading into the store even with warnings from the management to leave your kids at home. All three families yesterday put masks on the kids although the parents wore nothing. I guess they don’t understand that they can be exposed to COVID-19 and pass it to their children once they return home. Putting masks on their kids just at the store is useless. All of the families I watched had children who were old enough to be left at home for the length of a grocery store trip. I also saw couples shopping together. Again, one person wore a mask while the other didn’t. If you don’t have enough masks for each family member to wear while getting groceries, then only those having masks should shop.



2. KEEP YOUR MASK ON UNTIL YOU DISINFECT YOUR HANDS/GLOVES.
Masks are hot and uncomfortable. They are also protection. I couldn’t believe how many people left the store and yanked their masks down while still walking to their cars. They unloaded their groceries with their noses and mouths exposed. WE TOUCH OUR FACES SUBCONSCIOUSLY ALL THE FUCKING TIME! Nine out oAf ten people in that parking lot swiped at their noses or eyes while placing groceries into their vehicles. All of those people exposed themselves to potential infection.



3. BRING GARBAGE BAGS OR ZIP-LOCKS TO DISPOSE OF GLOVES. 

Take your gloves off just like you’ve seen in all of those medical shows—to where they are inside out, and wrap one glove into the other. Also, don’t take them off until you’ve unloaded your groceries and put the cart away. At that point, put your gloves m into a garbage bag or baggie that can be sealed and thrown away as soon as you reach home. I recommend that you have Clorox wipes, a bleach and water mixture spray bottle, or hand sanitizer in your car. Before you drive off, you can clean your hands. Remember, your mask should still be on until you get home. 

4. ONCE HOME, UNLOAD YOUR GROCERIES BEFORE TAKING OFF YOUR MASK. 

Disinfect your shoes and any door knobs you’ve touched. Since you are now at a place where you can wash our hands frequently, dispose of your mask. If it’s a cloth one, throw it straight into the washer. We have our designated shopper toss his clothes into the wash immediately and head for a shower. If you’re on your own, disinfect your purchases, toss your clothing into the wash, and finally shower yourself.

 

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"My New Normal"

            Sheltering through this biological storm shifts our days into an unexpectedly slower pace. My husband, who works remotely, sets the alarm for 6:30 to give him time to shuffle into the kitchen for a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and to check his email. He commented yesterday that he probably needs to nudge the alarm to an even later start. Always an early riser, last week I allowed myself to sleep until nine-ish before setting my daily agenda, which consisted of reading and yard work followed by a movie or a couple episodes of a random TV show. Because I felt this sluggish start set the tone of my day too move too slowly, this week I’m matching my husband’s hours.

Live Oak leaves abound!

Yard work keeps me busy

            

             My husband’s company put employees onto remote work on March 12^th. As my spring break drew to an end, I decided not to return to work.  My Facebook feed displayed vacationing friends, and as I’d been following COVID-19 and its progress since the beginning of January, I knew returning to work as a substitute teacher after co-workers and students had traveled throughout the US was stupid. The minimum wage pay wouldn’t come near to covering any medical expenses of a prolonged ICU stay. Of course, the school district decided to extend the break for another week. That turned into several more weeks closed. Finally, our governor declared the schools cannot open prior to May 4^th.

            As I have worked at some kind of job since I was 16, this unanticipated break forces me to reassess why I work so many days. Originally, grief drove me to fill my days while some financial draws added to my need to work. However, my part-time work morphed into working five days a week and lasted for seven years! Then this past fall, several friends battled severe illnesses. One died unexpectedly. A bout of bronchitis impaled me onto my bed for a couple of weeks with a lingering cough and some fatigue that pushed me to cut back my work days to part-time instead of a full five day week.

            Maybe Life wants me to finally retire.

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman