Coronavirus Concern Up

[baymule]

There is something called milky spore that kills grubs. Look it up I think you need some!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

My understanding is that it doesn't survive our climate. It's expensive to apply, and... is most useful when an application can be done, with intent for it to populate the soil for years to come. My County Ag extension does not recommend MS here in Maine b/c it does not survive our brutal winters. They recommend beneficial nematodes. I've applied them in the past, but they did not survive to make a difference, either.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Here's a great vid: Points out the double speak, providing data direct from the mouths of CDC, Faucci, and WHO. https://www.foxnews.com/media/laura...YUb-ocDXwPTu3iNLofwicQSupIFJ01GaFhPjgQeJt2i_g

 

[tortoise]

I'm still gearing up for round two. It will really just be round 1 in my county, but some items are going to be in high demand in the hard-hit states and that will make product stock in online stores less dependable.

• I am stocking up on kid art/craft supplies - those were hard to get when we were under a stay-at-home order - and with more kids schooling at home they may be in higher demand. DS5 will need a lot of fine motor activities to help strengthen and coordinate his hands.
• DH found a big container of gatorade powder online and bought it for me. <3 IDK if he was lucky or if it's back in stock
• I got a 35# bucket of my unscented laundry detergent. Unscented cleaning products went out of stock fast, and we do more laundry when risk is higher. The small sizes of this laundry detergent have been unavailable or jacked up prices. I'm set for a year, maybe more.
• I'm trying to stock up on dishwasher detergent. That's another unscented product I have not been able to buy reliably. Sales are limited right now. I normally keep 3 boxes on hand, so I'm thinking 6 is plenty. During the stay-at-home order when I couldn't buy it, I was handwashing greasy things and running my dishwasher without detergent.

COVID19 cases are starting to increase in my county. It was 0 or 1 new cases per day and the rate of recovery nearly matched the rate of infection. But since the 4th of July, we're starting to see exponential increase with 4 - 8 new cases per day. Most are direct contact spread but we have community spread. More people are wearing masks so maybe it will be less than exponential growth here? The medical system is still doing fine here, we're not pushing capacity, and elective procedures are still being scheduled.

I'm lying pretty low here with a sore throat. Not fever, no loss of smell so it's most likely nothing serious. But I'm afraid of being an asymptomatic spreader, so I added filters into my masks (makes them almost as effective as an N95) and have been more conscious. No one else in my family has symptoms, but DH's employee's husband was working in close quarters with a symptomatic confirmed COVID19 case. Every link of that is chain is direct contact, so it is possible my sore throat is mild COVID19. I'm not concerned enough to get tested, but I will wear extra filter in a mask and avoid people to prevent spreading it.

 

[tortoise]

I'm also trying to work out a plan for getting through a cold, snowy Wisconsin winter in a small house, 2 kids doing school at home, and not being able to have indoor playdates, or go "shopping" just to break up the monotony.

I think one lesson to take from the pandemic so far is that mental and emotional resilience are underappreciated. So far, I've been doing very well on this. Winter is the real test.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I expected it would be peak in early summer and be well controlled by fall. That's not been the case here, so it's time to adjust my expectations and plan ahead. Making this plan allows me to get supplies before the general population figures it out and freaks out trying to buy [whatever it is].

If you were stuck in a small house, November - April, with homeschooled kids, what would be your sanity savers? (please don't say wine : )

 

[TexasLisa]

I homeschooled my two through high school. It probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but my sanity breaks was cooking with the kids, doing arts/crafts, or doing a project around the house with them. We always had something going. I miss it.

 

[Britesea]

• I'm trying to stock up on dishwasher detergent. That's another unscented product I have not been able to buy reliably. Sales are limited right now. I normally keep 3 boxes on hand, so I'm thinking 6 is plenty. During the stay-at-home order when I couldn't buy it, I was handwashing greasy things and running my dishwasher without detergent.

You could try this: (caveat: I can't say how well this works since I haven't had a dishwasher since 1986)

Dishwasher Detergent
½ cup Borax
2 ½ cups Washing Soda
1 cup Pickling Salt
¾ tsp. unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid mix
Mix all ingredients well. Shake container before each use Use ONLY 1 TBS per load, increase if necessary to 2 TBS Add 1 TBS of apple cider vinegar to both pre-wash and rinse cup
In some types of water, dishes may develop a film. Mix in one cup of your favorite eco-friendly powder dish detergent to the recipe. You’ll still save money and your commercial stuff will last longer.

 

[baymule]

@tortoise
Make Christmas tree ornaments and mail to friends and family.
Write letters to a pen pal, find people in your area that are going through the same winter, or maybe somebody in another country.
Play the game Twister
Learn to play a musical instrument
Paint by numbers
Buy a dome tent for camping out in the living room
Make pies from scratch
Get the kids to help create an exercise routine. Dancing?
Karaoke. Make your own with a hairbrush microphone.
Make puppets and have a puppet show......yes your DH is the intended audience victim
Paint a mural in the kids room

 

[Mini Horses]

There is something called milky spore that kills grubs.

So will a skunk. They love to dig for them. Usually it's a free service. I haven't seen one in a couple years -- some little funnel holes, just no grubs.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Yep, I generally don't mess with skunks. Leave them alone. If I smell one in the evening, when Maggie needs to go out to do her business, she goes out on her cable.