This past Tuesday I flew solo and went to the local natural food store for needed groceries. It’s also senior discount day all day and what the heck. I was there around 9am and it was pretty crowded already. It was also pouring rain. A number of people were wearing masks and most were paying attention to social distancing and situational awareness in general. Except for the woman who worked her way up and down the bulk food bins multiple times looking for “barley” and the person she was with who had parked their cart in a way that blocked anyone else’s access to the rest of the corner bulk bin area. Sigh. Finally they left and I was able to grab my bag of whole wheat flour (we have a breadmaker which we actually do use every week ;0) ). Last item was ice cream. The aisle was blocked by a family of three and their cart. Impossible to move past them. Go to next aisle. Same problem. Of course the aisles were never designed for people needing to stay 6′ apart when passing. So it becomes an exercise in patience and hoping they’ll see you and move, which of course they eventually do in any case. We all need to be patient with each other to get through this, but twinges of exasperation will arise at times. But I came home feeling really, really stressed, the most so far since this started. OTOH, I now know how to cope successfully if I encounter that situation again. The store clerk told me they were suprised at how busy it was and that it wasn’t what they usually expect. They had someone at the door to stop people from bringing in their own bags and totes and another person sanitizing every cart before reuse. Unlike the last time there was now tape on the floors for distancing, but no one enforcing it. Management of the situation still seems lax.

My husband went out yesterday for two quick errands. One stop at the hardware store for a roll of Scott car wipes, which are being recommended as one good choice for making masks. They are non-fabric, tough and washable. It looks like the CDC may start recommending masks for the general public very soon. We all need to make our own or have them made for us because the real medical masks need to go to health care workers. However, his big mission was to A&L Feed for kitty litter, a particular brand that is biodegradable and not clay-based (the mining for kitty litter clay is environmentally sketchy at best). All the employees, including the guy running the forklift, were wearing gloves. The counter person was keeping the counter wiped down. Everyone was distance sensitive. They are clearly taking this seriously.

We both agreed this morning that we’re feeling better, what passes for normal, sleeping ok and have made the psychological adjustment to a situation that will almost certainly go on for months. I think having to go out and it being manageable was a relief. The current number of cases in the county is 28 as of this morning, almost all either from one travel group that went overseas or people who’d been in contact with an infected person. Only a couple that might be community transmission. Only two hospitalizations so far, one at the very beginning and they’ve long been released. Compared to so many places we’re doing fine in Humboldt County so far.

About the drawings…all of them are being posted on Instagram, the official “base” for the event. You can see mine here. Search the hashtag #inktober52 and you can see what other artists are doing. It’s a flood of wonderful creativity in ink!

Have a great weekend!