BigLoad
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Pancakes!
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 4, 2020 19:26:15 GMT -8
Has anyone noticed how much fresher the fresh air is lately?
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Apr 5, 2020 4:28:41 GMT -8
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ErnieW
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I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Apr 5, 2020 5:00:24 GMT -8
There is near zero traffic in our normally busy northern suburban NYC neighborhood. We have been going for walks and bike rides a couple of times a day.
Yesterday we decided to go for a local drive. We went by a beach/park (Oakland). It was packed. The beach is very big but a number of people were clustered in the center top of the beach. We continued on our drive but apparently all the runners, walkers and bikers now consider the roads belong to them. There were hundreds. Several wouldn't yield for cars even though it was a main road.
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Post by bradmacmt on Apr 5, 2020 5:58:18 GMT -8
bikers now consider the roads belong to them. There were hundreds. Several wouldn't yield for cars even though it was a main road. Who would have guessed, some arrogant, entitled bikers!
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balzaccom
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Waiting for spring...
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Post by balzaccom on Apr 5, 2020 8:34:57 GMT -8
As a self-aware cyclist I agree. I don't ride in groups because cyclists, like dogs, get into trouble in packs...
Need to keep them on a leash
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Apr 5, 2020 8:48:27 GMT -8
Has anyone noticed how much fresher the fresh air is lately? No. It's full of tree pollen.
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Apr 5, 2020 8:50:12 GMT -8
As a self-aware cyclist I agree. I don't ride in groups because cyclists, like dogs, get into trouble in packs... Need to keep them on a leash Given that about half of the people on my local trail don't leash their dogs, I'm not optimistic.
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rangewalker
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Agitate, organize and educate.
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Post by rangewalker on Apr 5, 2020 8:56:59 GMT -8
When guys get the shower curtain rod hanging up thing. And other attributes of no adequate adult supervision in a pandemic. Wash them face masks and covers. Yesterday I was out cycling through town and out to the small ranches. Then to the supermarket. Counting me I observed two masked or face covered citizens. And there may have been 60 people in the market. The rest must just be "cowboying-up". Ugh
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BigLoad
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Pancakes!
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 5, 2020 9:05:36 GMT -8
Has anyone noticed how much fresher the fresh air is lately? No. It's full of tree pollen. Yeah, that is a problem. It hasn't been too bad here yet because it's been raining a lot.
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Apr 5, 2020 9:16:27 GMT -8
No. It's full of tree pollen. Yeah, that is a problem. It hasn't been too bad here yet because it's been raining a lot. This will become a problem as various allergy seasons start (at least the false alarms may distract staff). Think more needs to be done to educate people on COVID vs allergy symptoms.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Apr 5, 2020 9:20:56 GMT -8
Sneeze => allergy Cough => virus
Pretty simple, at least for those of us who have pollen allergies.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Apr 5, 2020 9:24:48 GMT -8
Yeah, that is a problem. It hasn't been too bad here yet because it's been raining a lot. It started drying out here a couple of days ago. The trail was noticeably drier this morning than it was just a few days ago. I've learned to keep the house closed this time of year, even though I really want to open it up for some fresh air. I don't want to go through this again. bpbasecamp.freeforums.net/thread/13353/ugly
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 5, 2020 9:28:05 GMT -8
Sneeze => allergy Cough => virus Pretty simple, at least for those of us who have pollen allergies. My allergies tend more to nasal congestion—also not a COVID symptom. But the general feeling of malaise that can come with bad allergies can be alarming right now. It’s raining like crazy today so that should reduce the allergens. We had to restart our quarantine when Second Son came home Wednesday, but so far so good... no one is displaying any symptoms (except allergies). I was out walking yesterday and only after a mile realized that even for that, I probably should be wearing a mask. I had only thought about it for going places where I’m enclosed with people (i.e. stores, which I’m not visiting). But there are so many people in the park that it seems a good idea even there. Hard to be sure about the 6-foot spacing. Sigh. I feel totally suffocated in a mask.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Apr 5, 2020 10:17:29 GMT -8
Rebecca, you ought not need to worry about being outdoors where other people are keeping some distance because there is almost always at least a slight breeze that tends to quickly dissipate virion. It is indoors especially in supermarkets or restrooms with relatively still air where one might breathe in virion that remain in a cloud that can remain there for longer periods. The crude vague 6 foot guidelines are meant to be used with common sense.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852
Obviously if one is 2 feet up slight breeze of someone that just coughed, one is in a safer position than someone 10 feet down breeze. One thing to understand is out in public during the winter, cold season, our upper respiratory tracts are continually receiving at least some virion that don't actually start an infection because the rate our leukocyte aka white blood cells destroy them is greater.
Consider how in offices with dozens of people where during cold and flu season, a few may always be sick as is the status quo behavior in this era, while everyone else in such offices do not suddenly all catch a cold even though they are all certain to breathe in at least some viruses. It is only when there are so many viruses that our immune system is overwhelmed, that tiny sites viruses landed on begin to grow and establish an infection. Otherwise we would be sick all the time. If a bicyclist or jogger is passing at speed just a couple feet away out in fresh air, it is unlikely one would receive enough to start an infection unless they just happened to cough right where they passed a person that is a stretch.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Apr 5, 2020 10:46:42 GMT -8
Went to the grocery today for the first time since the end of Feb./beginning of Mar. - I had intended to go to the pet food store, but it was closed - doesn't open until 10AM on Sundays now - so I went to the grocery to kill time. I'm actually more concerned about the cats, squirrels and birds eating - or better, my habit of feeding them continuing - than I am about starving to death myself.
Once I got to the grocery, I went to the wrong entrance (of course) to pick up a cart. They have designated one entrance as the "decontamination point", where a woman with a spray bottle and wipes cleans the handle of your cart or brings you a previously "decontaminated" cart. This is probably not all that big a deal for most of the rest of you, but I hadn't done this: Marks on the concrete outside the store everywhere reminding folks to "distance" and signs directing everyone which way to go are all new to me.
Of course, once you're inside the store, things are a little different. I tried to avoid "groups", but many people are defiantly resistant to obeying the rules, and practically walk right toward you or get close - either without thinking or in a kind of display of "independence", I guess. I have to admit that having store personnel direct me to "stand behind the plastic guard, please" or the like raised my feelings of being imposed on just slightly. We are just too used to "going our own way".
The "organics" section is completely closed. This is interesting. So, in the "brave new world", there's only processed, canned food. No "organics"! Seems they could have at least pre-bagged some of the loose stuff to keep evil consumer hands (and coughs and sneezes) away from the contents. But, no ...
I thought about canned food, but didn't really want to see the empty shelves, so skipped looking.
The things that are missing from shelves are also a bit puzzling. I know a lot more folk are staying home now, but did everyone suddenly discover that they can't cook, aren't allowed to go out to eat or snack, so are buying all the instant things?!? Used to be, no one drank my crappy instant coffee. Now it seems everyone buys it! I had to order 2 huge buckets of the stuff from Amazon the other day because there isn't a store in my area with the tins of Maxwell House French Vanilla Instant I've been buying since 2000 (at least). Couldn't find raw agave nectar syrup today, which I use to sweeten my rolled oats. There used to be a dozen brands of it on the shelves - seems no one wanted it. Now it's all gone. And, amazingly, the "good" flavors of various stuff are gone, replaced by the stuff I wouldn't buy before. Did the factories decide that we weren't to be "molly coddled" by having the flavors we bought before? Yes, and everybody is buying instant cereal now - though not the dry stuff in boxes! Plenty of Cheerios! - when those shelves seemed to be unmovable only a month ago.
Well, at least the animals I feed will get plenty - at least for another few weeks. Plenty of food at the pet food store.
If it comes to that, I can eat cat food.
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