Friday FOCUS

[Harmony]

Sunny, sure hope you are rested and feeling better.

We just had a storm come through. Knocked off the internet / modem, knocked off the satellite dish, stopped the washer in the locked lid position. After a few minutes everything came back on but I couldn't open the washer lid. I'd checked the circuit box and everything looked ok. Finally we tried resetting the circuit for the washer even though it wasn't "tripped" and that was what it needed. Sometimes they just don't flip to the other side when they're off. I must have done something wrong with the washer buttons, so it started back up and ran the whole cycle over again. So my wash got done twice!

Got that load hung up. There was still rumbling thunder overhead for a while. My wash is under a roof on the back porch, so it will be fine.

I ventured out today for a store trip. I'm very very annoyed at WM. I find it very odd (dishonest?) that the only brands out of stock in products all over the store are their more inexpensive ones. All the expensive ones have been in stock practically through this whole thing. Nobody could convince me that is a coincidence. My grocery bill is quite a bit more these days.

They had some vitamins and stuff stocked finally but they were doing that as I shopped. I managed to get in there and get 2/3 of what I needed. 1 still out of stock and I bought 1 other that I didn't quite need yet, but if they're going to let their shelves go empty, I'll buy it ahead. Some of this stock piling people are doing is because of the way they are stocking. Of course, if there are 2 of an inexpensive brand and 20 or the expensive ones, people will buy the last 2 even if they don't need it.

And I understand why people are doing store pickup, but so many clerks going around with those big rolley carts filled with bins made it very very difficult to shop today. Why don't they do that at night when they're closed? And I noticed only half as many people were wearing masks as last time and a whole lot of them were not shopping according to the arrows or trying to stay out of each other's ways.

Just in a bad mood after that trip out today. Had to try 2 more stores and managed to get 1 more thing. Last thing is SO expensive everywhere I decided to just give it up.

I scored 1 big pkg of TP. First pkg of 1-ply (for septic) stuff I've seen this whole time. We're not out but the way they're stocking, I did what everybody else is doing, bought it ahead. I'm sure the reason it was there was because the wrapping was broken open. But it'll sit here for a while and hopefully be ok.

I'm not ready to be out and about like normal yet.

[CathyS]

Harmony I get the Kirk Land brand of TP from Costco. It says on the packaging that it is safe for septic systems and we've only had 1 issue in 5 years. Since then, we have only used this brand.

I need to clear this desk and make the pantry more presentable since the fuse/breaker box things are in here at the left end of my massive, heavy wooden desk which isn't going anywhere.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Harmony: I read a discussion of the "no store brand" problem earlier today! So, say you are canning tomatoes for sale. That work gets done in the summer when the produce it at its height and cheapest. Then the cans are marked with a code for canning factory and BB date. The regular pre-orders are filled as usual. The remainder are left without a label. As the fall and winter and spring goes along, anyone who needs more of a product orders from the canner and they are labeled and sent out. The last of runs tend to be labeled with store brands. And the process begins again the following summer.

This year, in January and February, name brand companies ordered more stock because they realized there would be people stocking up. And the canners were more than happy to sell to them (higher margins.) But that left nothing for the store brand stock. Once what they had ordered the previous year was gone, there was no more to buy because any excess was taken by the name companies.

One of the focuses of the anti-poverty groups is that it is true there will be no major food shortages but prices will rise. For those who are poor and rely on store brands which are traditionally 20% cheaper than regular brands, they have to pay the extra 25% for the name brand and then whatever extra it goes up in price because of shortages (i.e. no longer loss leader items for sales.) So while people can say there is no food shortage, there is a shortage of affordable options.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Dh and I walked the 1.25 miles to the Domino's Pizza, picked up our order and went to the park next door and had a picnic dinner. Then walked home, detouring for milk from the gas station.

While dh waited for the pizza, I went to the discount grocery store and picked up some items we prefer to get from there. No line to get in, I got green onions (after a 2+ week wait for them to be in stock some where) but there were 15+ people in front of me to check out so that took ages. On the plus side, it was very efficient from a social distancing point of view. They had one cashier for each set of 2 cashes, and while she was checking out one person, I put my things on the belt. Then the first person could pack up their things without my things coming down towards them. And I didn't have to rush to pack while watching the prices and stopping to go pay. It was very effective.

I'm exhausted but dh wants to practice the singing. I'm hoping he'll agree to do it on the cool side of the apartment. The sun is beating in the kitchen and office right now.

I also have to bring in the plants since he didn't plant them today. I sense I'll be doing that tomorrow. Not exactly sure when the business books will get done since this will be a several hour job and then I'll be tired.

I'm still really upset.

Yes it is the breathing out while singing that is the issue. Even if people are more than 6' away from each other in sanctuaries, they seem to think it might possibly be a way of spreading the virus. I think this is being ridiculous (and is up there with the stupid jogger particles in a slipstream computer modeling saying you have to leave 30 ft between people, not 6) but I'm not a scientist.

The choir in Washington state that came down with it after a practice spooked people who are more than happy to downplay they shared snacks, handled all the chairs, were singing close to each other (not 6' away) and were together longer than a church service (all of those would be transmission factors) in favour of saying BUT THEY WERE SINGING!!!!!!!! So singing should be cancelled.

[CathyS]

Other than a stack of paperwork on the right corner of my desk and the computer and 2 small lamps, everything is off my desk. It's on the island, but the desk as clear as it's going to get. The paperwork is in one of those old wooden boxes that were used for "in" and "out" back in the 60's-ish... time period kind of thing.

Tomorrow looks like it might be busy. I need to go pick up a bag of bird food at a local feed store. There are always a bunch of farmers with pick up trucks. I really don't mind going there.

[LadyMaverick]

I'm winding down from today. I'm pleased with my energy level and productivity. I didn't get everything done but that isn't my intention.

DS11 has volunteered to assist in putting out 5000 flags at the National Cemetery tomorrow. It will be an earlier start to his day then he is used to. I've discussed the schedule with him and listened to his thoughts on what he can do to prepare. This is a life skill that I want him to learn and be self-motivated to do.

I have RR on my mind and wondering how she is doing.

[Harmony]

I just lost a post. Something is going on here when I try to post. It happened the last time I tried too but I managed to get it back using the back button and got back into the screen I wrote. What's happening is when I hit submit, it blanks the one I wrote and brings up another one to write again. I'll try this and see if it posts. Both times it happened when someone posted just ahead of me, first time it stopped and notified me there were other newer posts and then I was able to get it back and post.

[Harmony]

Ok, since that one posted, I'll try again.

Thanks Kathryn for the explanation. Makes sense. Makes me think, though, if the name brand people ordered extra because they knew there would be a run on food, did the house brand people not do the same? I suppose they filled the name brand people's orders first, which tells you what they think of people trying to keep to their budgets.

Most of the time house brands are pretty much the same, not enough difference to notice much... except for some things. Preserves in house brands have less fruit in them than Sm uckers. And actually some name brands are better. Ice cream: less fat. The cereal DH eats: more fiber. I think I'm just weary of this whole thing.

I think I will be the last person brave enough to go to the hairdressers. My layers were growing out and it was looking 'heavy'. So I got DH's barber scissors and comb and gave myself a haircut. Shortened all the layers, using scotch tape, hair clips, rollers to keep the sections separated... and it looks pretty good! I had enough hair in the sink to make a small kitten!