Covid-19 Awareness & Support

When I recently went to Winco and used their restroom, the only option they have in their restroom for drying your hands is to use their hand air dryer. As I mentioned in a recent post, hand air dryers are to be avoided at all costs in any public restroom (I knew this LONG before Covid). I walked out of the restroom and was about to ask the worker at the pizza stand in the store for napkins when I saw they were on the counter (so I used to dry my hands on).  If you want to be extra cautious, you can grab the first napkin out and NOT use it, wipe down your hand that touched the napkin you did NOT use with a hand wipe (you should carry hand wipes OR hand sanitizer on you at all times) and then dry your hands off with the next set of napkins in the napkin dispenser/stack. WHY? You have no idea if some little kid (or anyone for that matter) put their scuzzy hand on the napkin and changed their mind and decided NOT to use it.

Aside from the numerous exercise DVDs that I purchased during Covid that I utilized in my home so that I could still remain physically active (when lockdowns occurred and gyms were closed), was this indoor bike (photographed below) which has especially come in handy with my latest back flare-up (which means modified workouts have to occur to prevent back pain) and this bike is great for low impact cardio that doesn't cause me to bend over/curl my spine which would most likely exacerbate back issues causing back/back related pain.  The pillow that's on the seat of my bike where my back would go when sitting on it is to eliminate the space between my back and the bike since the bike cannot be adjusted to scoot closer to the handle bars than it already is. The bike has different levels of resistance which is great to intensify the bike ride. It's great to watch movies when riding this bike. Did you purchase this or any other exercise machine/device(s) during Covid? What did y...

Shortly after Covid-19 hit in March 2020, the CDC recommended Purell brand hand wipes to use when in between hand washings to prevent the spread of Covid. Other brands of hand wipes that I'd recommend (other than the Kroger brand [store brand for Fred Meyer that I featured on another recent post on my blog]) I'd recommend Wet Ones brand hand wipes (which I also believe I mentioned in that same recent post) and this slip printed off from Walgreens' receipt machine for the benefits of Wet Ones hand wipes below:

I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday to use their free full body care item coupon that was snail mailed to me AND after getting a FREE body wash (the body wash comes in 10 oz versus their hand soaps which are like 8 oz) and I'm all about maximizing (I can wash my hands with body wash), I got the following (pictured below) hand sanitizer spray for $1.76 (final price with tax after 20% off coupon which was another coupon attached to the free body care item one). Of course it meets the recommended 70% or higher alcohol content (it's got 72%) this should all be something everyone knows (the 70% alcohol content or higher are the only hand sanitizers worth using as that was common knowledge shortly after Covid hit). READ THE BACK OF THE HAND SANITIZER SPRAY OR HAND SANITIZER GEL TO KNOW THE ALCHOL CONTENT.  They had different scents for the hand sanitizer sprays and I chose lavender vanilla. I like using hand sanitizer sprays better than hand sanitizer gel because it's quic...

In case you didn't learn this LONG before Covid-19, hand air dryers that are in public restrooms to dry your hands after washing should be avoided at all costs. According to a Harvard Health blog article dated May 11, 2018, bacteria is multiplied from the bathroom air which dirties up your hands when you use the hand air dryers on your hands (with only minimal amounts of bacteria on the nozzles of the air dryers). According to this blog, researchers attached high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to the dryers, which would eliminate most of the bacteria from the air passing through the dryer. When they exposed petri dishes to air from the hand dryers again, the quantity of bacteria in the dishes had fallen by 75%. They concluded that most of the bacterial splatter from the hand dryers had come from the washroom air such as when toilets are flushed with an open lid. Carly's comment (the founder, implementor, & manager of this Covid blog you're reading): I'm ...

  Even when NOT using a shopping cart for what it's normally used for (carrying things), I've used it at Fred Meyer (a grocery & department store in one) when going to the Customer Service desk (even if nobody else is in line). Why? Because even if it's setup where you stand at the front of the line before you're called by the worker to help the next person in line (similar to in a credit union or bank), once you get there, someone else will come up behind you in line. That's where the shopping cart comes in handy as it'll block the other person/people behind you in line from getting too close to you. When checking out when grocery shopping with a cashier, I keep my cart behind me when loading up the conveyor belt with my items to ring up AND keep it there until after I pay. Why? Because it keeps the distance from other customers from getting super close to me (I'm sure you've noticed rarely anybody social distancing). How many others do this too? ...

  In the photo (above) you can see I attached a new stylus (the end of the pen that's in the air is what I'm referring to when I say stylus) which is used for touching public touchscreens at ATMs and pin pads when using a debit/credit card to purchase something. I use a pen holder (the black holder for the pen) and secure it with some Alien tape (heavy duty tape that's advertised to be as strong as screws) that I wrap around the pen & holder so that it doesn't come out. I use a retractable badge holder to attach the pen holder to my purse. As a result, I can quickly & easily grab the pen (that's attached to my purse) and it reaches with ease to whatever I need it for (as I mentioned earlier, a touchscreen at an ATM/pin pads in general). You can also see in that same photo (above) that my old stylus is on the counter to show how it needed to be replaced (the cushion where the stylus would be that touches the touchscreens/pin pads is practically gone sinc...