Stepped Outside of My Bubble Today - Holy Cow!

Wandering the Grocery Store Aisles - Amazed...

Going Galt Status - Paused

Plans Remain Unchanged

Although our family is stuck in a holding pattern, our plans remain unchanged. Our intent is still to continue our move to North Idaho despite the Coronavirus pandemic.

I am already up north and working full-time. The rest of the clan is still in south Idaho continuing their routine as normal as current events allow.

Progress - Landscaping in the South

Wifey has continued to beautify the landscaping in hopes of improving our curb appeal. She actually has achieved quite a bit in the past few weeks:

• All goat head weeds and other obnoxious plants have been pulled and removed. Both front and back yards have been cleared.
• After a good, solid watering, granular weed killer has been spread to kill any remaining unseen weeds and hopefully prevent future growth. 
• Grass seed and fertilizer were then spread several days later to start greening up both yards.
• Our eldest daughter brought over excess brick she had dug up in her backyard. It now has been laid to form a nice backyard fire pit for aesthetic appeal.
• Other brick was used to line the front of our home to add a definitive border. 
• Similarly, brick was used to separate front yard from driveway
• Flowers were planted along the width of the home facing the main street. 
• 2-4-D (kill-all) will be sprayed in the gravel driveway to prevent the growth of weeds there. 

new fire pit in the backyard

fish-eyed but shows new flowers in the front

brick border separating front yard and driveway

happy wife sharing her triumphant story

Overall, I was quite impressed with my little cherub's hard work. That's the stuff I like to do around the house but my work is still imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on any employee who leaves town.

Been there, done that. No thanks. 

Here's the listing, if you are able to share it with your network of friends. 

Moving on up North

14 days couped up in a house by yourself tends to play havoc on your emotions. Well, maybe not everyone but you can see the effects on me in the whining I did in my last post. 

The daily infusion of jogging around the high school fixed most of it. I'm up to three miles every three days. Walking on the days in between. I began using one of my favorite phone apps called C25K. 

the road leading into the local high school

Couch to 5K is a running app that starts out mostly walking and incrementally works you up to being able to complete a 5K (3.2 miles) run or race. 

My wife and I started it last winter around October. By New Year's we were ready to sign up for our first 5K race. 

But there were none to be had at the time. 

Then "The Rona" hit and I moved up north. All bets were off there for a little bit on daily activities. 

But now, when I go for a walk, I see deer every single time I go out...literally.

And I take pictures every time and send them to my daughters on our group text. I hope they get a thrill every time they see one like I do. 

There are 2 or 3 that sleep in my backyard

I am a big fan of old barns. There is no shortage of them up here in North Idaho.

love the green prairie surrounding the barn

this one was just amazing...and huge.

And Today, the Grocery Store

Now, I'll admit I haven't been grocery shopping in almost two months. I brought enough with me to sustain for a while. But I also don't eat very much.

The difference of feeding a family of eight and then only having to stock the pantry for me was a big change. The foods I brought with me ended up being enough to sustain for two months. 

I still have quite a bit to choose from but decided to visit the grocery store this morning for perishables.

Like cheese. Holy smokes.

One little block of cheese, granted it was Tillamook, was $9.49 for a block. And it wasn't a big block, mind you. 

One package of bacon was also $9.49 per pack. The days of me cooking a whole package for one giant bacon sandwich are over. That's for sure. 

and this is NOT the fancy bacon... that was $15/pack

I'm pretty miserly when it comes to food. My wife chides me for buying cans of sardines.

Yes, they aren't the most appetizing but for the cheap price per ounce of protein...I'll figure out how to make them tasty...someday. 

So on this particular visit, the prices for most things were too high for me to pull the trigger. I just couldn't spend $4 on a can of soup. Or $5 for a bag of chips. 

The only "comfort" foods I bought was some hard-shelled candy. I found an aisle in the back of the IGA that sold $1 bags of "old fashioned" hard candy.

Butterscotch candies are a long time favorite of mine. Sometimes to my family's detriment. Like the time Bella choked on one in church when she was about six years old. Nothing a Heimlich couldn't solve.

Other than milk and sour cream, I'm set for a couple more months now.

Coronavirus - Healthcare Worker Perspective

I continue to be amazed at the differences in opinion (and fact) in the media and public. We may not know the real facts on actual death count or where this virus really came from, but one thing is for sure - it is killing people. 

At last check, America is up to 60,000 deaths. But that number is skewed for several reasons. I won't get into that here. But to be safe, we are still asking patients to wear cloth masks when they enter our hospital. 

Most people comply. I've had one guy pretend I wasn't offering him a mask. He refused to wear one for his x-ray exam. 

Then there's the people who wear one but don't cover their nose. Or pull it down to talk so you can hear them. 

Whatever your take is on the coronavirus, it isn't going away anytime soon. I'm happy to report we have opened the doors back up on our hospital. Things should return to semi-normal this month.

I tend to agree with Mike's model that we'll see some return to normalcy this summer but it won't last long. Especially with the coming meat shortage. 

We'll continue to see protests and clashes in the big cities as the food shortage gets worse. Another reason I moved up here to Idaho six years ago. 

My mom lives in Gilbert, Arizona and I worry about her safety. I have invited her up when she's ready. She kind of has the same issue I do: what do I do with the house I own and can't sell?

A Parting Photo

As I wrap up another post, I'll leave one of my favorite pics so far. I do wish I knew where to go in town to get the best pictures like this.

I'm sure there is some mountain lookout that I don't know about yet that would have been the best place to capture this rainbow. But until I find it, this image from town will have to do.

Thanks for visiting my blog.