Quarantine or Social Separation . . .

Well we do not have any Coronavirus ergo we are not quarantined.  But we, like all the rest of you, are practicing, in our own way, social separation.  Let me give you an example.

Last Saturday, our neighbors came over and we all had a glass of wine or two glasses or . . .   Any way we did this on our screened back patio which we now refer to as the porch.  We had the ceiling fan on high to blow all those bad things in the air down, not up and flying around.  We place all the chairs six feet apart except for Judie and I, who sat on the little outdoor sofa.  So there was three couples and one widower.  We had a rare good time and did not exceed the 10 person limit.

Yesterday we ventured into Fort Worth to Costco.  I was just about out of coffee and I get a big bag of beans there and grind them up.  It was coolish day, temperatures are 55 to 60 degrees with blustery winds.  We found this huge line of people waiting to get in to the facility.  We all stood the requisite six feet apart, some with baskets and some waiting to get baskets.  We were strung out a block long.

We were there only a few moments when the line moved up.  We did not make it into the store, we were now the third couple in line at the door, many were behind us.  We observed two fellows wiping down the roll-a-round baskets down with alcohol soaked cloths.  Killing the virus, you know, before the customer got his dirty filthy hands on them.

Then they let 10 sets of us in.  No more than two persons to a set.  No family reunions allowed, so to speak.  Into the store and we found it sort of picked over, tons and tons of water in all sorts and kinds of bottles.  No Kleenex, no toilet paper, no paper towels, but lots of paper plates and lots of baggies to store stuff in.

The staff seemed normal, then we got to the checkout area.  There they had a woman marshalling us into various check lines making sure we were practicing social clearances.  There were all kinds of markings and lines on the floor to guide you through the checkout.

The  couple in front of us were didling around, trying different charge cards, talking on the phone, etc.  The clerks and helper would not let us put things on the conveyer belt or move up.  We had to maintain that social separation.  The couple continued to screw around and you could see the checker was losing patience with them.  Finally, the woman hung up her telephone call, things got straightened out and the check out was complete.  And they continued to just stand there and chat with each other with no consideration to anybody else in the place.

No more coffee grinding machines.  They did not just cover them up, they literally hauled them off and hid them.  Fortunately, we have coffee grinder rarely ever used and now will have to do the duty.  I am sure it will work.

Later went to Walmart, they had close all but one entrance.  And that entrance had a marshal watching you but essentially doing nothing but looking hawkish.  Baskets and cones used to direct you exclusively to one automatic door to enter and once inside barricaded line proceeded further into the store with a station every six feet with towels and hand cleaner.  The first one I stopped at the hand cleaner was empty.

Checked and still no paper towels or toilet paper.  I had to walk all the way to the other end of the store to get my toothpaste, checkedout and then out the only door open.  I got eyeballed by the woman a the door on the way out.  Have to follow the rules, you know.

I wonder what Home Depot and Lowes is like?  Oh well that is another store for another day.