My Excellent Adventure to the Supermarket

Wait . . . that does not sound as if this will be a very interesting post. Nope, probably not, but I want to continue to record my thoughts and experiences as we all work through the Covid-19 pandemic. Personally, maybe it's the former middle school teacher in me, but I think everyone should be keeping a journal of some kind to record these troubled times. You could write, draw, paint, collage, scrapbook, make mini quilts, etc. It would be an incredible gift for your children and grandchildren, and young people should also be encouraged to keep a record as well as these events will forever change their lives. Besides, the act of creating art or recording your thoughts in a journal can be a very helpful thing for your psyche.

Okay, back to my excellent supermarket adventure. Truly, you will not hurt my feelings in the least if you skip down to today's smile.

I have not been to the supermarket for over five weeks. What have I been doing for food? Well, I really, really stocked up before the shutdown orders came. I have been buying dairy products at Hornstra Farm in Norwell. Besides having the best ice cream on the South Shore, they also have a small store. (The ice cream windows are closed during the quarantine.) I'm going to explain how to shop there for those from this area who might find this info helpful. Go to their website's product page. Make a list of the items that you would like to purchase. When you get to the farm, you may have to wait a while in the driveway. (Tip: go in the afternoon.)When you get up to the store, roll down your passenger window and hand the masked and gloved young lady your list and credit card. She will shortly return with your purchases and put them in your car. (No customers are allowed to go inside the store.) Just for information: besides dairy products, they have eggs, chicken, hamburger, meals, bread, some vegetables, etc. (If you go, pick up some coffee oreo ice cream; trust me . . . you will not regret it.) [Yes, I know their milk trucks still make home deliveries of products including milk in real glass bottles just as in olden days, but there are currently a couple of hundred other names on the list before mine as would be/want to be customers.]

So, up until now, I have not felt the desire or need to go to the supermarket. Actually, I was nervous about going, but today I grabbed my mask and gloves and went to Roche Brothers in Quincy. There was a sign on the door indicating that customers must be wearing masks to enter the store.  At first, things looked normal, but on closer inspection I realized things had changed. The coffee bar was closed, and the long take out food bar was empty as was the deli/fish section. There were red footprints indicating which way to move through the aisles. (This was a concept which did not compute for some customers, but at least they were wearing masks.) At the end of this excellent shopping experience, there were two designated lanes: one for twelve items or fewer and one for regular orders. All of the cashiers were wearing face shields and the baggers wore masks. $210.20 later I was done. ( I really, really stocked up and will not have to visit the supermarket until probably June!!!)

When I returned home, I carried each paper bag straight out to the sunporch. (Plastic bags have recently been banned. and reusable shopping totes are not allowed at this time.) I wiped down everything going into the refrigerator or freezer with a cloxine wipe. The boxed products will sit on my porch for twenty-four hours before I put them away. I'm following the guidelines. Is all this necessary?  Who knows but why take any chances? [Note: Proofreading this I saw that I had "whipped" everything going into the freezer or refrigerator . . . that would have been totally unnecessary :-)  ]

H'mmm . . . I'm going to dig out my cash register receipt to add that to my journal/scrapbook. It may be fun to look back at the prices and to see what I thought was necessary to buy. (Honestly, I did not see those two packages of Oreos make a leap into my shopping cart. ) If we can't have comfort food now, when will it be acceptable???

One last awesome scrapbooking/ journal tip . . .  if you cut  something from the newspaper and spray it with hairspray, the paper will never fade or turn brown. At first, the paper will be wet, but when it dries, it will be preserved forever.  That's your reward for reading my supermarket ramblings

Now to something to put a smile on your face. This was emailed to me, but there was no attribution given.

Your smile for the day . . .

The world as we knew it has been turned upside down. 

2019: Stay away from negative people. 2020: Stay away from positive people.     Old folks are sneaking out of the house, and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!     You think it’s bad now? In 20 years our country will be run by people homeschooled by day drinkers…     This virus has done what no woman had been able to do…cancel all sports, shut down all bars, and keep men at home!!!     Do not call the police on suspicious people in your neighborhood! Those are your neighbors without makeup and hair extensions!     Since we can’t eat out, now’s the perfect time to eat better, get fit, and stay healthy. We’re quarantined! Who are we trying to impress? We have snacks, we have sweatpants – I say we use them!     Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or should we just keep washing our hands???     I never thought the comment “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a 6 foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are!     Me: Alexa what’s the weather this weekend?  Alexa: It doesn’t matter – you’re not going anywhere.     Can everyone please just follow the government instructions so we can knock out this coronavirus and be done?! I feel like a kindergartner who keeps losing more recess time because one or two kids can’t follow directions.       I swear my fridge just said “what the hell do you want now?”     When this is over…what meeting do I attend first…Weight Watchers or AA?  Quarantine has turned us into dogs. We roam the house all day looking for food. We are told “no” if we get too close to strangers. And we get really excited about car rides.  And some more:  First time in history we can save the human race by lying in front of the TV and doing nothing  Let's not screw it up. Reminder: 9:00 pm is the time to remove your day pajamas and put on your night pajamas. My cleaning lady just messaged to say she will be working from home and sent me instructions on what to do. We're about two weeks away from seeing everyone's true hair color. Which is worse: two masked guys trying to rob you, or an unmasked pizza delivery guy? I've almost completed my 90-day trial of 2020.  How do I cancel? Anyone else feel like life is being written by a fourth grader…?  "And there was this virus and everyone was scared.  And then the world ran out of toilet paper. Oh yeah, and then there was—like—no school for a month." If you need 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine, you probably should have been seeing a doctor long before covid-19.

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