stay at home – 72 inches Apart

Day 63 Another Sunny Day

When the sun comes out, so do the calls for cities and their beaches to open. Memorial Day is quickly approach and people have grown tired of being stuck at home. But is there a risk in reducing stay at home orders?

Gov Phil Murphy, is leading the way in the Northeast, parks and golf courses have reopened with guidelines, nonessential retail businesses can offer curbside service starting Monday morning, beaches can be open this summer, and charted fishing and boat rentals resumed this morning.

Gov. Cuomo is right when he says the New Yorkers will flock to the Jersey Shore if NY beaches remain closed. So, Gov.’s hands are being forced in a high stakes game of Russian Roulette.

I hope that things go well and that people respect all of guidelines for social distancing. If we see an increase in the infection rate, we can only blame ourselves for not listening to Dr. Fauci and the other medical experts.

Day 25 Cleaning Out My Shed

Like millions of other Americans, I have taken to Spring Cleaning. So I am attacking my shed first. Its time to get the garden hose out, test my clippers, and check the mower. I did purchase an inexpensive green house ($40), with the hopes of growing a few vegetables (you’ll need seeds).

Day 20 Just Say Thank you

Everyday my USPS mail person delivers mail and packages to me. Our garbage collectors show up twice a week to pick up our trash. UPS, Amazon and FedEx delivery are also getting bring us the supplies we ordered.

Today, I printed a sign to thank these people. It’s a simple gesture to let them know that my family appreciates what they are doing for us.

Thank you to all of the supermarket workers, trucker drivers, transit workers, doctors,nurses, EMS workers, mechanics, police, fire,reporters, politicians, health aides, caregivers, pharmacies, gov’t employees. I probably missed a hundred folks.

Day 19 April 1st

Given the most recent projections for deaths in the US and the spike in the Northeast, it looks like the shelter in place order is going to be with us for at least 90 more days! If you’re like millions of folks and found yourself unprepared for a social emergency, don’t worry you can start preparing now.

Here are two things that I purchased on Amazon that are handy to have. A dehydrator, this kitchen tool helps you preserve fruit and vegetables. Depending on the model you select, I went with an under $40 model, you will be able to dry fruits and vegetables, fruit roll-ups, and even meat-based jerky’s. If you have kids, they will love helping prep the food, and they love being the first to try the finished products.

The second item was a vacuum sealer. There are a few items that you won’t want to dehydrate, but still want to preserve. Depending on your budget, you can find vacuum sealer, some use bag systems and others can vacuum items in jars. For the wine connoisseur, some systems will vacuum seal your wine bottles.

The goal here is to minimize wasting food. I hope this helps! #staywell #staysafe

Day 18 – To Wear a Mask or Not

The question of the day: Should people who are not sick wear N95 masks? There are so many mixed messages.

While the experts chime in – I’ve decided to 3D Print a mask at home.

My little 6 x 6 print was able to produce a small version of a “Covid-19” mask. The first one I printed cracked as I tried to fold it. I warmed up the second one to make it more pliable, which allowed me to bend it. Unfortunately, it didn’t fit well. Even after sanding down the edges, it felt uncomfortable around my face.

I’ve seen a few videos of people making masks from paper towels, coffee filters and clothes. At this point, I am going to pursue making my own mask using one of these methods. We will see how this turns out!

Day 16 – Homemade Pasta

Today was make homemade pasta day! This is a great project to do with the kids. They get to discover that pasta doesn’t come from a box! If you are feeling adventurous, you can make your own pasta sauce. Disclaimer: I am not a chef!

As for making your own pasta, everyone should have the basic ingredients in their kitchen’s. Every recipe I came across listed the same ingredients. Just make sure that you follow the measurements.

Ingredients

3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

I used my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix the the flour and salt. Then I removed the mixer bowl and added the eggs. I used my hands to form the ingredients into a soft dough. Then I removed the dough on to my (cleaned) countertop.

At this point, the kids cleaned their hands and started to knead the dough. (Ooops, Add flour to the counter before you start kneading!) Let them have fun. After a few minutes of kneading I placed the dough in a bowl and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes. Then I placed the dough in a zip lock bag (its what I had) and placed it in the fridge over night.

I did have a manual pasta machine at home. You can find then in the range of $29-$50. Most models allow you to set the thickness and pasta type you want to cut. The more expensive models have a wider variety of pasta shapes. Find the right spot to use your manual pasta machine will require a little work. We looked at a few locations and ended up in the dining room.

Have a flat pan ready to hold the pasta you make. And a little extra flour will keep it from sticking. Then its your choice to store the pasta or place it right in to a pot of hot water. I did.

#staysafe #staywell

Day 15 – Working Out

Well its like working in now. I am stretching more than ever, using my exercise bands, resistance bands, lots of push-ups and some outdoor jogging (which I haven’t been doing as much).

I added two new toys to my workout. The JayFlex Cross Grips and a jump rope. The JayFlex Cross Grips are great and easy to use. UPDATE: 4/1/20: I am hearing that these are on back-order, just find another, not as cool pull up bar. You can easily mount it on a door frame, get your workout in, remove it and store it. You can also use it to do push ups. I will caution that you will probably want to wear gloves while using the cross grips. So far, I like them.

And my low tech jump rope. I only lasted 20 seconds on my first rep. But I’ve worked up to to a minute per rep and I’m trying for 2 minutes. Yes, I need to set goals.

Day 14 Game Night

The highlight of the day was family game night. The game, Monopoly. My youngest wiped everyone out and loved every second of it. Sometimes its good to sit down and play a board game.

We also played a few games of Jenga! Oddly enough no one wants to play me in Scrabble.

#staywell #staysafe

Day 13 Gaming Skills

I had to remind my kids that I was/am a gamer. Sure I might have started off playing Pong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Scrambler, Defender, TECMO Bowl, Spy Hunter, trust me I can go on. I can’t imagine how many quarters I deposited into video arcade games during the early 80’s.

My eldest is an NBA 2K fan and I serve as his training buddy. We have a late night basketball battle everyday. The cool part is that he enjoys playing with me and he isn’t surprised when I win.

My youngest is a Fortnite fanatic. Admittedly, it has taken me a while to get up to speed on this game. It required a time investment and tutoring by my kid, coupled with lots of YouTube videos. The good news is that I am almost there. I have been deemed good enough to play Duos!

#staywell #staysafe

Day 12 – Family Project

Each day of isolation with your family can really put your relationships to the test. As we all search for creative ways to pass the time, I wanted to share a great family activity that I used on Day 15.

While cleaning up around my house I kept coming across boxes filled with pictures. There were pictures from all of our family trips to Disney, Hershey Park, Puerto Rico, Amsterdam, Mallorca, and weekend trips to the Jersey Shore. I collected them all and ordered a Multi Picture Frame Set from Amazon. The black frame set was only $25.

The plan was to entertain my family (for as long as possible) by going through years of family photos to select the ones that they wanted to put into the frames. We sat on the living room floor and shuffled through hundreds of pictures. It was great to hear, “Dad do you remember this” or “that day was so awesome”. We spent almost three hours reminiscing, laughing, and reflecting on the good times.

My one mistake with this project was that I forgot to order picture hanging hardware. So I had to order, Command Picture Hanging Strips, $7.25.