Covid 19 & Yakiniku preparation

[JC220]

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in on how you all are doing with the pandemic? Is your area on lockdown and do you have more time on your hands!?

Here in Northern Ireland we had a slighty delayed lock down regime and my employer did not want anyone working from home at all. But eventually he did allow some of us (me included) to work remotely from home in our Architecture practice. It is working surprisingly well but in reality I'm still flat out all day 9 - 5.30 so dont have an extra second. Glad to still have a job though lots of people have suddenly lost their job sadly all over.

We have less than 10 deaths a day currently and are on lockdown currently which really just means all restaurants etc are closed but you can still go to the supermarket etc if you must. I am taking it seriously and basically staying at home as much as is possible.

Keep safe to all and have you got any car projects plans? Can you still get the all important automotive supplies? I havent actually needed anything as my garage is fully stocked for the most part. Any small tools I have needed I can still order online and the postman puts through the gate

 

[alabbasi]

It's a rude awakening for many people when they realize that working from home usually means working more hours. I can't imagine how people with kids are managing.

Here in Texas, it's about the same, I can go for a run and drive back and forth from the house to the shop. Don't go anywhere else unless i absolutely have to.

 

[Jlaa]

It has been three weeks now since the start of “lockdown” and aside from getting fat from all the eating I’ve been doing, it is fascinating and alternately distressing to see how society has been bifurcated to the “can shelter at home” folks and the “have to work in the real world” folks.

As well, the massive reduction in airborne pollution due to the lockdown has afforded us some gorgeous views of the ocean at home - especially nice in our typically sunny NorCal spring season. Today, Saturday, though, the weather is foggy, rainy, and total white-out conditions, which I welcome for a change because it deters selfish louts from going outside and enjoying the weather / breaking spatial distancing rules.

BTW I see now that the flag of the Irish flies proudly above that of the UK ;-)

 

[RicardoD]

aside from getting fat from all the eating I’ve been doing,

My wife is a great cook but has worked full time for the past 25 years so I used to only get it on occasion. She retired on Feb 14th this year and is now taking care of me and my boys full time. Thank goodness it would be complete chaos in my home if we were both still working. We are eating like kings now with home cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Too much eating!

I have run out of E500 projects (until I get fuel lines) and that is good thing. I have had a 911 air cooled engine project sitting idle in my garage for too many years now. Finally getting that kicked off again. I took a pandemic to get me off my butt to do this.

I've got this handy AC Delco torque measuring device I am finally using to dial in my torque wrenches for this serious engine work. I am putting the rebuilt heads and cam towers on now. Thankfully I have all the parts, lubes, etc to get through this work. Pelican Parts is still shipping pretty quick if I need something.

 

[gerryvz]

Not much has changed for me (as I work from home when not traveling) other than not traveling. And I don't expect to travel at all until August or September, at the earliest if at all. Which sucks, because it means I very well may miss the Legends of the Autobahn gathering with the anniversary of the 500E -- if they do host it this year.

Other than that, just a bit more focus around the house, and on car projects (as you've seen with the latest big HOW-TO that I've kicked off), and I still have to complete the rear suspension/subframe resto on my 560SEC.

Not leaving the house except one or twice (at max) per week. Last week only two times -- one time to go to the grocery store, and one time on Friday to head the mile away to the post office to mail three letters/packages, one being to our own forum member, Jenny.

I do walk the dog around the neighborhood for a 1.5-2 mile walk, and try to get out every day, but in reality it's about 5 days a week. I take the opportunity while walking the dog to talk to my 81-year-old Mom in Seattle, who is so far healthy and fine, and self-quarantined.

Overall, the quarantine has provided a bit of simplification to my life, which TBH I'm enjoying and appreciating. The constant work related travel (140K miles last year) does take a toll....

 

[alabbasi]

Overall, the quarantine has provided a bit of simplification to my life, which TBH I'm enjoying and appreciating. The constant work related travel (140K miles last year) does take a toll....

Hopefully a good chunk of that is international travel. I average about 60k miles / year in domestic travel and it's about as much as I can stand of ~800-1200 mile flights.

 

[RicardoD]

I think I am handling the quarantine aspect well. I’ve always been a bit of a homebody with my garage projects but starting to miss going out to dinner with my wife or a trip out with the kids.

It is my boys I am worried about now. My oldest left his high school in March not realizing he will not be in high school again or have any of the special senior year moments ( prom & graduation ceremony / parties).. I just hope he gets to leave U of Colorado in the fall.

My younger son is struggling with school from home and getting depressed I think. Always in his room, missing assignments. I need to get him outside or start to play family board games or something. He was so happy prior with his new driver’s license & car, going out on weekends, which was a real change for him as he was never as social as his older brother. It is spring break now and he had a great camping trip to Death Valley planned that was cancelled.

 

[036]

Thanks for asking
Sitting at home.... house is polished, car is polished, taxes are done.

 

[kwontumspeed]

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We're on full throttle manufacturing, cranking out shields 20k/day for GEMA and then FEMA will pick up the output from there x4 weekly. Been pulled over by APD as we are pulling materials from Home Depot DC's local in Atlanta and driving around hitting every HD, Lowe's, Ace, and wherever else we can find supply until partnered suppliers can get their raw stock to us.

It's been interesting to say the least. Through all the noise and crap you read, we are focusing on how people from all parts of our industry are going above and beyond to make this happen behind the curtain.

 

[alabbasi]

It appears that dumbells are about as scares as toilet rolls these days.

 

[LWB250]

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We're on full throttle manufacturing, cranking out shields 20k/day for GEMA and then FEMA will pick up the output from there x4 weekly. Been pulled over by APD as we are pulling materials from Home Depot DC's local in Atlanta and driving around hitting every HD, Lowe's, Ace, and wherever else we can find supply until partnered suppliers can get their raw stock to us.

It's been interesting to say the least. Through all the noise and crap you read, we are focusing on how people from all parts of our industry are going above and beyond to make this happen behind the curtain.

And thank you and everyone else who is doing yeoman's work trying to keep up with the needs of our front line medical folks. I don't think there's any way we could ever show our gratitude enough or reward them for the work they're doing.

As for the WFH issue, I, my coworkers and spouse have all been WFH people for some time. Our schedule at work is such that we spend a few days in the office every week as needed as well as for a touch point for everyone, but to go full WFH was an easy transition for us.

One of the things we've spoken about recently prior to all of the COVID-19 stuff that forced this is how studies have been done that show WFH people are, for the most part, more productive than "in office" workers and typically work longer hours. There are a lot of reasons for this, but our point was that this situation may very well make corporate America realize that WFH policies are actually better for them, not just for productivity, but also for costs.

Dan

 

[Duh_Vinci]

Thanks for asking, and glad that everyone is here is doing well!

We have actually closed (temporarily) our outpatient facility/imaging center in favor of supporting the sister facility that is a part of the main hospital here. To avoid the prolonged potential exposure, we are separated into 2 teams, one week on, one week off. Severe shortage of PPE for sure. Community folks actually sewn for over 5000 masks, so for that we are indeed thankful the local community for support. Shopping I definitely reduced on once per week, and only 1 store.

I'm very friendly with variety of foods, so can certainly create something from nothing, but it was the most unusual scene to see absolutely empty shelves with no meat last week, as in none! But veggies are plentiful. So I had to be creative with the meals for sure...

Frankly, when I've seen this corona "stuff" in China few months ago, never in my life would I've thought this would be the world wide impact!

I did go for a 2 hour drive on Saturday morning through the winding country roads for few hours, just so I can relax and clear my head after a week of work at the hospital. No stops, just car, music and empty country roads. Decompressed completely...

Stay safe everyone, definitely avoid any public visits for now!

Regards,
D

 

[Stegel]

The situation here (UK Midlands) is pretty similar to JC220’s, although being just a few hundred metres inside Staffordshire means we are on the edge of the UK area with the highest rates of infection (and unfortunately deaths) outside of London. Only going out to collect shopping once a week, although we are dog walking every day. As with RicardoD above, my youngest daughter has missed out on all the end of school celebrations and the examination / university entrance process is in disarray, but she’s quite philosophical about it. My older daughter has had her 4th year veterinary medicine course disrupted, and is missing out on some good work placements, but I’m sure that will sort itself out. My wife retired 3 years ago, and finds having a full house again 24/7 unusual; she has had to make a few 150 mile round trips to take supplies - drop and go - to her 85 year old mother who remarkably doesn’t qualify as vulnerable.

My employer has closed the office and everyone is working at home. I’m fortunate to have a ton of work that I can do without going to sites, so as has been mentioned I’m probably working harder, or at least more effectively, than I do under normal conditions. Quite a few of our competitors (I am a Chartered Surveyor and work in a large property consultancy) have furloughed staff, and while we have not yet it remains a distinct possibility. I have a stack of leave to use up - I’ve taken one day so far this year, carried five forward from last year so have 34 days to take - and I am going to book some time off either side of Easter to take a break. I snapped up another 129 a few weeks ago which has rested in the car park I use at work since purchase, so I’m going to fetch that back on the next shopping trip and do some initial maintenance on that. No genuine MB parts available as the dealer network, and MBUK, have shut down but UK car parts suppliers are still doing mail order, as are Autodoc in Germany which has a better selection of OEM manufacturers.

Stay safe everyone and this will be over eventually.

 

[TerryA]

After about a week and a half of self quarantine my Wife and I went out for a ride yesterday just to get out of the house for a while and survey the neighborhood. We live very close to Disneyland and it is sad to see it closed and every restaurant and hotel in the area closed also. The only thing open were Fast Food drive through's at McDonald's, Burger King and Carl's Jr. We were shocked to see a Crispy Cream Donuts with about 25 cars lined up for the drive through. We did stop at a grocery store where my Wife went in and picked up another weeks worth of supplies. I was along for the ride and stayed in the car. I am hi-risk with a lung problem and am staying out of harm's way as much as possible. It's kind of crappy that she is doing much of the shopping but I am grateful to her for doing it.

While setting in the car I was surprised to so many people NOT wearing masks. There are still a lot of DUMB PEOPLE out there NOT GETTING THE MESSAGE. I guess they think they are invincible. Maybe they are but they can still spread the Covid-19 to others.

Everybody Please Stay Safe Out There

 

[gerryvz]

I do feel for the folks who have kids at home (or who have had them rebound home) and are dealing with them in terms of helping keep them schooled and learning, and otherwise occupied. I work with a number of folks who face this challenge on a daily basis (particularly with young kids) and it's an extreme challenge.

 

[PJmak]

My friends wife who is a nurse got tested for covid19 and she said she was negative.

She also said that on the floor where they deal with covid19 patients was only one patient.

I dont understand what the hype is about and why our governor of California is saying that our hospitals are overwhelmed.

 

[Jlaa]

My friends wife who is a nurse got tested for covid19 and she said she was negative.

She also said that on the floor where they deal with covid19 patients was only one patient.

I dont understand what the hype is about and why our governor of California is saying that our hospitals are overwhelmed.

If everything seems relatively ok and the sky is not falling down, it is probably because prevention measures were put in place weeks ago to suppress the curve. The thing is, because of the 2+ week lag, you need to be willing to look like you overreacted. The only way you know you did the right thing is if, weeks later, you look like you overreacted.

The below compares Los Angeles County and San Franciso County. These are both in California, and hence both are under the purview of the Governor of California. The population sizes of the counties are different, but note the stark difference in the rate of growth of cases, as well as the # of deaths. The difference was that SF County (and 5 other adjacent countries in NorCal) went under "lock down" 3 days --- just three days earlier than Los Angeles County.

 

[skikrazey]

PA is on full lock down until April 30th. I am a part time EMT-B and have been putting in a lot of shifts. Have transported some Covid-19 patients and have had some die. We have full PPE gear in place and our decon procedures are extremely stringent! In my 25 years in the EMS field, this pandemic has reset the playing field. People ask if I am worried about getting Covid-19? If I was worried, I would not be working in EMS. There are a lot of things that one can catch in this field. Helping those that need help, to me, makes the risk worth it. Stay safe everyone this will eventually pass.

 

[Melville]

I do feel for the folks who have kids at home (or who have had them rebound home) and are dealing with them in terms of helping keep them schooled and learning, and otherwise occupied. I work with a number of folks who face this challenge on a daily basis (particularly with young kids) and it's an extreme challenge.

Indeed, keeping my kids occupied, fed, etc. has been my biggest challenge.

My wife and I are fortunate that our work is very busy now. And we can easily shift our work from the office to the home. A lot of people aren't so lucky and are facing big or total losses of income.

But being so busy means I sometimes go 4 straight hours of conference calls. That means my kids (5 and 2.5 yrs old) are sometimes ignored for long stretches. It's really hard on them and when they have tantrums etc., I try to remind myself that small kids aren't "designed" for this and they don't have the coping mechanisms, independence, etc. to easily handle it.

These are much smaller problems than are faced by people who are sick or are helping the sick. Or who are losing their jobs. But it's still a challenge.

I'm also lucky that I have neighbors who want to help. Right now, one of my empty nester neighbors is reading them a story on FaceTime.

 

[Stegel]

Indeed, keeping my kids occupied, fed, etc. has been my biggest challenge.

But being so busy means I sometimes go 4 straight hours of conference calls. That means my kids (5 and 2.5 yrs old) are sometimes ignored for long stretches. It's really hard on them and when they have tantrums etc., I try to remind myself that small kids aren't "designed" for this and they don't have the coping mechanisms, independence, etc. to easily handle it.

I too am spending hours on conference calls, either landline or Skype / Teams / whatever - there’s a new etiquette now, where interruptions by children, dogs, mail order deliveries etc. is quite acceptable, and on a long enough call several participants will experience one or other!

 

[PJmak]

I work in IT and both my wife and I are fortunate to be able to work from home.

I get to assist people who use skype/teams and all that good stuff

 

[LWB250]

I worked from home much of the time previous to this event as did the wife, so the transition hasn't been significant for us. Her work is much the same, but mine (cyber security) has increased because we now have so many employees working remotely. I just spent an hour triaging a phishing attack that was the result of someone working from home and being sloppy about responding to what they thought was a legitimate email. The bad guys/gals are out there and taking advantage of the confusion, for sure.

Stay safe, everyone. When in doubt, throw it out!

Dan

 

[linjam]

I got bored, so I went out to bother Gerry on Sunday (and pick up a couple of small parts from him).

 

[ace10]

The postman began delivering portfolio statements yesterday.
Eventually, the reality will set in and the collector car market will feel the pain.

 

[gerryvz]

 

[sheward]

Take care not to over oil if using a reusable unit.

drew

 

[alabbasi]

I was finally able to find a mask and went shopping today

 

[Kyiv]

Me and wife have actually been quite enjoying this temporary change. We are of that "work to live" instead of "live to work" mentality. Like many, I've been working from home for years now, but my wife is a corporate cog, so it's new for her. My business has slowed down by about half, which I'm not concerned about, since short/medium term it doesn't affect any section of my Maslow pyramid. Wife's company still tries to wring her out, mostly with prop conference calls with scripted, predictable exchanges of mostly dubious usefulness, but, to a large degree, she's with me and our not-yet 3-year old son. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - with all family members present. It's incredibly liberating to belong to ourselves again and to "just live".

To boot, my neighborhood has turned from sleeping quarters to actually something resembling living quarters: people strolling and teenagers roaming. My experience in America is only Los Angeles and now D.C suburbs, but I've never seen it to this degree before in this country. With many people snapping out from the endless, pause-less 24/7/365 laboring mode for the first time ever in generations, overall energy just feels more pleasant and more natural - to us. It's like the matrix gave way and real world started to come into focus. Something like that

 

[sheward]

With all respect for the people that are enduring hardship i feel the same. I like to hope that people will come away with a different perspective of life some time in the future when this problem is just a memory and lesson. I decided to hop off the hamster wheel 20 some years ago.

drew

 

[gerryvz]

To boot, my neighborhood has turned from sleeping quarters to actually something resembling living quarters: people strolling and teenagers roaming. My experience in America is only Los Angeles and now D.C suburbs, but I've never seen it to this degree before in this country. With many people snapping out from the endless, pause-less 24/7/365 laboring mode for the first time ever in generations, overall energy just feels more pleasant and more natural - to us. It's like the matrix gave way and real world started to come into focus. Something like that

It is quite a transformation -- when I am out walking my dog, where I used to see perhaps 1 or two other folks/couples walking their dogs, now I will see 5-7 dogs/people on my 2-mile route. Packs of kids roaming the neighborhood, playing outside on their bikes and with balls -- just like we used to do back in the 1970s. Quite an amazing sight to see people up and around, active, and enjoying the outdoors, even if it is just walking around the neighborhood.

I have only left the house one time this week -- to go to the post office to mail a part to a forum member and my ETA to Don Roden, and to Home Depot for a few items for the house and yard. If open, I may head up to Glen Burnie today to drop my intake manifold halves at a machine shop for hot-tanking. Have to call them to confirm they are open.

 

[TerryA]

Working from home is a new experience for me. Since I intend to seriously retire from work this year it's a good start.
I have purchased my first personal computer and set up my first internet in my home. Before this all I have had is my I-Phone and access to my office computer with no need for a home set up. The Covid-19 virus changed all of that.

I'm set up with a brand new Dell laptop with lots of power 16 MB Memory, 2 Terabit Hard Drive and an I-7 Inspiron chip. I'm not that savvy on computers so I have a lot to learn. The estimating program I work with requires a lot of memory plus I have a 1 Terabit outside hard drive to store blueprints which can be massive in size. Anyway the office's IT guys have been working with me to get everything working.

So far it's been pretty quiet in my neighborhood and I am staying at home. Long walks are out for me since I am waiting for a hip joint replacement in June contingent upon it doesn't get postponed by the current Covid-19 issues. My walking consists on laps around my swimming pool and yard. My wife and I have both been out to do grocery shopping a couple of times but that's about it.

I went to the Kaiser Permenante Pharmacy about a week ago and found that a scary event. The scary part is that you know everybody entering a medical facility is sick in some way or another. Before entering the building I had to have a mask on and was greeted by "Masked Nurses" outside the front entry asking questions on whether you wanted medical attention or the Pharmacy and taking temperatures. Depending on your answer they then you got escorted you into the building.

As of midnight last night here in the LA area they are enforcing wearing masks when going outside the home. The authorities are encouraging us not to go out of the home this week at all if possible. They expect this to be the worst week for new cases of Covid-19 and deaths. I live in Orange County which for some reason has no spokesman like the Mayor of Los Angeles. I guess because OC is a group of cities with many Mayors so our news is focused mostly on LA with a few sidebars for the OC.

Anyway in in the meantime we set at home. I work off and on and watch a lot of TV. When things settle down I plan on getting to work on my 500E. I have lots to do.

Stay safe out there.

 

[Melville]

I got a text from the repair shop I use reminding me that they're open for business and offering free car pick up and drop off. By coincidence I was just mentioning to my wife this morning that I had some stuff to get done on the wagon and was wondering about logistics (I didn't want to take a Lyft home and it's a pain to pack the whole family into another car just to follow me there and bring me back). I like this shop and I'm sure they're hurting right now so I'm going to try to think of all the work the car might need for the next little while to give them some business.

 

[Bogeyman]

I might just remind everyone that your DD is used to being driven regularly.
Especially if your car is newer you might consider putting a tender or smart charger on it to prevent premature deadness...

 

[gsxr]

I might just remind everyone that your DD is used to being driven regularly.
Especially if your car is newer you might consider putting a tender or smart charger on it to prevent premature deadness...

Excellent reminder. I have maintainers attached to most of my cars, but don't have enough for each... have to move a couple every week or so to different vehicles. Batteries don't like being deeply discharged.

ADMIN EDIT: Further discussion of battery maintainers moved to a new, separate thread located here.

 

[LWB250]

Me and wife have actually been quite enjoying this temporary change. We are of that "work to live" instead of "live to work" mentality. Like many, I've been working from home for years now, but my wife is a corporate cog, so it's new for her. My business has slowed down by about half, which I'm not concerned about, since short/medium term it doesn't affect any section of my Maslow pyramid. Wife's company still tries to wring her out, mostly with prop conference calls with scripted, predictable exchanges of mostly dubious usefulness, but, to a large degree, she's with me and our not-yet 3-year old son. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - with all family members present. It's incredibly liberating to belong to ourselves again and to "just live".

To boot, my neighborhood has turned from sleeping quarters to actually something resembling living quarters: people strolling and teenagers roaming. My experience in America is only Los Angeles and now D.C suburbs, but I've never seen it to this degree before in this country. With many people snapping out from the endless, pause-less 24/7/365 laboring mode for the first time ever in generations, overall energy just feels more pleasant and more natural - to us. It's like the matrix gave way and real world started to come into focus. Something like that

Much the same where we are as well.

We're lucky to live on a cul de sac with a range of families present. We all know each other and interact on an almost daily basis, as some of us were work from home people before this situation presented itself, so things haven't changed for some of us significantly. My employer, a local government, was in the process of developing work from home policies for all departments starting about 60 days ago, so the timeliness of this was really convenient. I've been able to work remotely as has the wife for some time, so again, not a big change for either one of us. I do like going into the office and interacting with my coworkers occasionally, so I sort of miss that that.

I've only put 100 miles on my car in two weeks. It's been that long since I topped off the fuel, too. Seems weird to go driving some days.

Dan

 

[JC220]

I've only put 100 miles on my car in two weeks. It's been that long since I topped off the fuel, too. Seems weird to go driving some days.

Dan

My E220CDI has 222k miles on it and is usually driven like a low flying aircraft on B roads every day

I too have only driven it once in 2 weeks for a trip up the town. It is actually quite a saving to not be putting a tank of fuel in it per week. So I'm spending 95% of those savings on more car parts and squandering the rest

 

[gerryvz]

I usually keep my E500 on a maintainer, but it's disconnected now as the battery is disconnected for the duration of the my quarantine work.

G-wagen will go for many weeks if not months without a charge, but I have been driving it about once a week, no problem.

560SEC is on a maintainer, and the battery is fine.

 

[Gatorblue92]

I might just remind everyone that your DD is used to being driven regularly.
Especially if your car is newer you might consider putting a tender or smart charger on it to prevent premature deadness...

Funny you mention that since my F150 sent me a message saying I need to start it since the battery was low. Took it to the store this afternoon and it was the first time I’ve driven it in 3 weeks.

 

[JC220]

What is also important is trying to remember the local small businesses that you dont want to lose. Our favourite restaurant for many years that always did a roaring trade went bust for example - this will happen unfortunately and things will be a little different after this for a while.

One local butcher I like started offering home delivery (safely - pay per phone etc and they leave on doorstep) within a 3 mile radius. So I made a point of phoning them and placing orders instead of going to the local big supermarket chains which can have empty shelves anyway. To support them through this and their produce is top notch too!!

I have a set of wheels to repair on the S500 too. Normally I would go for a full out wheel refurbish but they are closed. So instead I'll have a local friend who does recoveries and pay him to remove and fit the new tyres. And my painter is out of work due to paint suppliers being closed.

So I said I have the paint for him and I'll drop the wheels and supplies outside his shop door some day soon so he can spray them and get some ££. Just think of these people / services you enjoy all year and try to throw them a bone now if it is safe to do so and not put anyone at risk etc.

 

[LWB250]

We're doing the same in many respects. There are a couple of local restaurants we frequent, and we're frequenting them more now that we're confined to the house. We tip the heck out of them because we can. What really stinks is that one of them was closed for a couple of months for a kitchen remodel and just reopened, so it's been especially hard on them. I only wish I could enjoy eating sushi more than a couple times a week.



Dan

 

[Gatorblue92]

What is also important is trying to remember the local small businesses that you dont want to lose. Our favourite restaurant for many years that always did a roaring trade went bust for example - this will happen unfortunately and things will be a little different after this for a while.

One local butcher I like started offering home delivery (safely - pay per phone etc and they leave on doorstep) within a 3 mile radius. So I made a point of phoning them and placing orders instead of going to the local big supermarket chains which can have empty shelves anyway. To support them through this and their produce is top notch too!!

I have a set of wheels to repair on the S500 too. Normally I would go for a full out wheel refurbish but they are closed. So instead I'll have a local friend who does recoveries and pay him to remove and fit the new tyres. And my painter is out of work due to paint suppliers being closed.

So I said I have the paint for him and I'll drop the wheels and supplies outside his shop door some day soon so he can spray them and get some ££. Just think of these people / services you enjoy all year and try to throw them a bone now if it is safe to do so and not put anyone at risk etc.

I'm in a semi rural/suburban area with a lot of farms and I've started buying meat from them. Similar situation where you shoot them an email and they will have your order ready to go when you want it. It's a bit more expensive than the grocery store but I would rather support local farmers and get better quality products while its still an option.

 

[gerryvz]

We just had this week more than $300 of produce delivered to our home from a local farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We have been using DoorDash about once a week for having restaurant orders delivered to our home, and as said we are tipping the heck out of the drivers -- 30%. We had Instacart deliver a load of stuff this week from Costco, as well. Other than that, I've been going to Giant (one of our large grocery chains here in Maryland) about once a week for staples. We've been eating a lot of frozen meat and vegetables and other items that we've stockpiled over the months but never eaten. Actually feels good to see the freezer and pantry depleted of food a bit.

For me personally, as long as I have Peet's (Major Dickason's Blend) coffee every morning for my 10-cup French Press, I'm good.

Surprisingly, despite being fairly well stocked with liquor, Champagne (Veuve Cliquot and Pommery), and cider, we've surpisingly been drinking exceedingly little. As in next to nothing.

Both Laura and I are exceedingly thankful that our jobs have not been impacted by any of this -- and in fact both of us are actually busier than ever.

The US Naval Academy formally announced yesterday that they are cancelling all Commissioning Week ceremonies, so unfortuantely we won't get our annual "Blue Angels" fix when they practice right over our house the day before graduation.

Here's our doorbell cam from May 22 last year, showing one of many Blue Angels practice fly-bys. Turn your volume up.

View attachment IMG_0884.mov

 

[ace10]

Produce truly is a challenge, as I simply don't trust the lunatics who walk among us to not **** with it at grocery stores.

We've really cut back on fresh veg. Which sucks. I've had some neighbors tell me that the big "farm" stand about a mile from us does a good job with monitoring shopper behavior. Absent the current situation, it's not a place I would visit since it's really targeted at weekend agri-tourists, but I might give them a look midweek.

Fresh meats have been relatively scarce. Relying on stretching what I can find and being creative with stockpiles.

I have good relationships with several of the workers at the local Harris Teeter, and they all tell me the same thing... many of the folks who are going to the stores during the early hours reserved for older and "at risk" shoppers are hoarding the items which are scarce. Literally filling up shopping carts with TP and other items. I do hope this behavior changes. Soon. Empty shelves breed panic. It's a bad feedback loop.

The wife hasn't left the property in three weeks. Which is good. Limits our exposure. She's crazy busy with work.

We had flurries here yesterday morning. Which was a bit of a shock. Looking at freeze warnings for most of the next ten days. Had to turn the heat back on. Put the space heaters away two weeks ago.

Our credit union has finally pissed me off to the point where I decided to leave. It's been fun trying to open new accounts and close old accounts remotely. Almost finished, though. Will be glad to have this episode in the rearview mirror.

On the property, I'm just trying to keep up with the Spring chores. Normally they are overwhelming, but I have more time to tackle them this year. The place doesn't have that totally-out-of-control feel it typically would have in mid April.

Not much on the car front. Definitely a good idea to hook the daily stuff up to battery tenders.

 

[Kyiv]

Packs of kids roaming the neighborhood, playing outside on their bikes and with balls -- just like we used to do back in the 1970s

Nothing's bad without being good for something

 

[ace10]

Snapped a few pics of my trees that are just starting to push into Spring. Nothing CV19 related, but a nice break from the six walls and furniture, we're seeing too much of these days.


Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' - Japanese maple. Fairly generic, but this one sits outside of the kitchen window and always has birds flitting about. Mulch beds needs some serious attention.



Got a 3for1 with this shot. Nearest on left is a 'Kwanzan' cherry. We're zone 6a/7b, so flowering cherries are just coming into bloom right now.
Right center is a native flowering Dogwood. Cornus florida. Bracts haven't unfolded yet. At Easter-time, they are typically on full display.
The background is a native Redbud (Cercis canadensis). Always a big show around here. No matter what type of winter and spring weather we've had.



Then there's the 'Royal white" Redbud. Probably my favorite tree at this time of year.

 

[Jlaa]

For me personally, as long as I have Peet's (Major Dickason's Blend) coffee every morning for my 10-cup French Press, I'm good.

How very California, excuse me, Berkeley, of you!

We have been using DoorDash about once a week for having restaurant orders delivered to our home, and as said we are tipping the heck out of the drivers -- 30%.

Doordash has seen a lot of controversy in the past week here in SF, Kalifornia. Because dine-in operations are banned, restaurants can now only survive on delivery (and to a lesser degree, take out). As well, as restaurants are now in such precarious financial position, the city has now executed an order that limits the fees that Doordash and its ilk can levy on restaurants to 15% maximum.

San Francisco Emergency Order Says Delivery Apps Must Cap Restaurant Fees at 15 Percent

Grubhub has already asked its users to oppose the order, saying costs will rise by as much as $10 per order

sf.eater.com

Doordash/Grubhub/Postmates/etc and its investors are obviously upset, and now these companies are waging a campaign to tell delivery customers that as a result of this legislation, they are going to shift the fees onto the consumer:

GrubHub_email_4_9.png

drive.google.com

It doesn't affect me, I'm so crusty that I refuse to use any delivery service.

 

[gerryvz]

There's no better coffee out there than Peet's. And I'm FROM Seattle, home of Starbucks. I remember back in 1981 or so, 9th grade, we had a weekend field trip to downtown Seattle, and we met the teacher at the original Starbucks store across the street from the front of Pike Place Market. That was a full 10 years before pretty much anyone even knew what Starbucks was.

My problem with their coffee is that it is just too burned .... over-roasted. Peet's (which originally was combined with Starbucks -- they have a common history) is roasted much better, and lacks that "burnt" flavor that Starbucks has.

When I came to the East Coast I see this "Dunkin" all over the place. People rave about it !!

Has to be the worst coffee I've ever had. McDonalds McCafe is FAR better than Dunkin.

 

[Jlaa]

There's no better coffee out there than Peet's. And I'm FROM Seattle, home of Starbucks. I remember back in 1981 or so, 9th grade, we had a weekend field trip to downtown Seattle, and we met the teacher at the original Starbucks store across the street from the front of Pike Place Market. That was a full 10 years before pretty much anyone even knew what Starbucks was.

My problem with their coffee is that it is just too burned .... over-roasted. Peet's (which originally was combined with Starbucks -- they have a common history) is roasted much better, and lacks that "burnt" flavor that Starbucks has.

When I came to the East Coast I see this "Dunkin" all over the place. People rave about it !!

Has to be the worst coffee I've ever had. McDonalds McCafe is FAR better than Dunkin.

.... Just pointing out to you that for all your Krapping on Kalifornia, you are an admirer of Peet's Major Dickason's Blend, which is a coffee that hails from the most Bezekerley of places, Berkeley, Kalifornia.

Actually, that's all I drink too. Major Dickason's Whole Bean Coffee. However, Peet's is actually no longer a Bezerkely company, it was sold not too long ago to ze Germans: Joh. A. Benckiser

Peet's Coffee - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I agree that Starbucks is burnt camel piss, and all this recent n-th wave coffee silliness (blue bottle, ritual, philz, sightglass, etc..) all this is just too artisanal and excessively expensive.

 

[Bogeyman]

About 10 years ago I was on a Company Junket to Jamaica.

The Hotel had real Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee in the room coffeemakers.

It's the best I have ever had - by a long shot.

I don't pay the price for it very often and it's hard to find the real thing, but man, you can taste the earth in it....

 

[gsxr]

When I came to the East Coast I see this "Dunkin" all over the place. People rave about it !!

Has to be the worst coffee I've ever had. McDonalds McCafe is FAR better than Dunkin.

Dunkin's claim to fame is donuts, not coffee. Their donuts fully Homer-approved.