A tip for clean hands in a time of viral attacks!

Forsyth MO. - I'm not sure now just how long I've been cooped up in my condo, it seems like ages. Everyone, it seems, is hyper sensitive to getting the coronavirus on their hands which could then be transferred to their face! God forbid!

One practice I adopted, even before the bug hit us, was to add a bit of bleach to the soapy water when I hand wash my dishes. Yes, as a single guy, I hate to waste water using the dishwasher and feel I do as good or even a better job in getting my glasses, dishes and utensils ultra clean.

I also get two side benefits; 1) My hands come out virus free and 2) that old porcelain sink really shines! That's a win win for me!

Fat Daddy's reopens to limited traffic!

Forsyth MO. - A popular eatery called Fat Daddy's located on highway 160 re-opened with limited service, recently and was allowing ten diners in at any one time, in order to satisfy local ordinances that arose due to the coronavirus pandemic. When I entered, I was asked how many were in my party (just me) and was then told that I needed to go wash my hands before being seated. (Note that there was no limit on take out orders).

At the time I was there, there were only three or four other diners. If you're thinking about dining out, you can reach them at 417-546-4604 to check on their status!

A coronavirus bet with myself!

Forsyth MO. - After looking at some numbers generated by the John Hopkins hospital, I did not bother focusing on the numbers of cases or the recovered,. but rather the number of deaths this disease has caused. Why? Well, the battle fog surrounding those infected is complex and even foggy. One of the biggest effects that's adding new cases have been vastly increased testing. The more people tested the higher the number become. Another factor was linked to the discovery of infectious people who were carriers. People walking around spreading the virus with out showing much in the way of symptoms. Those were the only two we could talk about since about the mid part of March as the following efforts were implemented across much of the US:

1) Closed border policy. No one in or out.
2) Social distancing. People asked to stay 6 feet apart
3) Elimination of large sporting events.
4) Closing of venues where groups like to gather such as bars and restaurants!
5) An intense program of awareness to get people the wash their hands frequently.

These draconian acts should have a very dramatic effect on the rates of newly acquired infections. The result will be a rapid downhill graphic in the long term coupled with the fact that warmer weather (the bane of all viruses) is on our event horizon!

A number I do like to consider, when thinking about the direction of this pandemic, is the total number of people who succumb to the virus or to some secondary complication like pneumonia. That is what is known as a hard number statistically. As such, it should provide us with something to watch as it should begin to flatten out and then begin dropping as the wave passes on by.

I'm betting that on or before the 28th of March, those figure will begin to  take a rather dramatic drop and that by mid April, this whole mess will be behind us, not including the two to three trillion price tag that will have been added to the National Debt.

Saturday, March 21st drive in Forsyth Mo!

Fat Daddy's

Forsyth MO. - After hearing the news about the partial or complete shutdowns of businesses, I elected to do a drive-about and see what was up in the City of Forsyth.

My first general impression was how quiet the roads were for the noontime hour. It was a Saturday, and normally the traffic would be robust. That was not the case for the start of an otherwise nice and sunny day! So, here is a breakdown of what I've seen or heard;

Banks - Closed. I wasn't sure if it was because it was the weekend or not. ATM's were up and running, however.

Churches - All closed was my understanding.

Gas island/convenience stores - As they are considered essential services, they were all open. On a positive note, gas prices were at very low levels.

Eateries - Most eateries like Fat Daddy's were closed. I was able to talk with an owner and he informed me that he was investigating ways to maintain some cash flow. I got the impression that some options, including carryout and home deliver were a go. He also indicated he might have food service in an outdoor setting by utilizing the open air eating area and by possibly supplementing those with some tables in the parking lot when the weather was warm.

Mountain Williams Pizza

Other locations that had drive thru's like McD's, Sonics and the Hong Kong Express were open for that sort of traffic even as the lobby areas were closed to the public. The Thrive Bistro was also open possibly due to it limited capacity. Other food related businesses such as Williams Mountain Pizza were offering curb and home delivery services. (When you arrive a sign instructs you to call 546-2012 for curbside delivery).

City Hall - Only the drive thru was open.

Save A

Grocery stores - Both the Country Mart and the Save Alot were open and were getting normal traffic. These both were considered 'essential' services and are able to have unrestricted numbers of shoppers. Once again, customers are urged to shop as you normally would. Supply channels are ramped up with tighter delivery schedules to assure the customers will be able to purchase needed items. Sadly, some items, most notably TP is still in short supply due to greed as some have cleaned out area stores in order to resale them at double the price at such outlets as Amazon. Please let these individuals keep their inventory while we wait for local supplies to be replenished.

Hair saloons -  At least one hair care facility was open and doing a normal amount of business and that was the Town and Country location across from the court house.

Five measures to stay safe!

A trip to the local grocery store!

Forsyth MO. - It was mid-March, 2020 and at about 10AM on a Wednesday, I made the decision to go to a local Country Mart Grocery store for some supplies...

The coronavirus was still raging all across the continental landscape. While, here in Missouri, there were only 16 cases out of a population of 6 million with no one yet dying! Although to hear the folks at CNN talk, this virus was going to be the end of the world as we know it. OK, then... I guess that's that. It must be true. Because, how often are those folks ever caught lying? Just saying.

I arrived at the store at about 9:20 AM and my first impression was that, while the store looked busy, it didn't look like there was much in the way of panic buying going on. If nothing else, it felt more like a typical weekend morning... Busy, but really not impressively so.

As I meandered my way through the isles, my first stop took me to the pharmaceutical section for a bottle of mouthwash and a few bars of soap. (Yes, just plain old soap). I noticed that where there was a generic selection available, that was what customers were buying. The Brand names were pretty much left sitting on the shelf. (That was something that showed up again and again as I shopped).

Next, it was onto the Produce Department where I grabbed some apples and an onion. I also noted that the large ten pound bags of potatoes was almost gone even as the smaller five pound bags were in ample supply. Everything else about that department seemed pretty normal.  I did overhear one of the store personnel remark that TP was hard to come by, and I wondered in passing, what the connection was between the virus and TP?  (Hint: There is none).

As I passed the canned goods isle, I glanced down the isles and noted that a lot of customers seemed to gravitate towards the purchase of corn! Why was that true, for God's sake? Perhaps, it was on sale. From a strictly nutritional standpoint, corn is not all that energy dense. (Nowhere like potatoes are). [As an aside; I would think that a collage post-grad might want to do some research on what people buy in stores like this during a time of a 'pseudo' crisis.] I call this crisis 'pseudo' based on the incidence of infection by the coronavirus being at about .00026% of the Missouri population. (If people wanted to be afraid of something, let them worry more about the regular flu which has hit the country pretty hard this season)!

When I finally made my way to the checkout area, I witnessed a group of ladies who looked pretty tired even at such an early hour, Hey! If you're planning on shopping at a grocery store, over the next couple of weeks, please consider slipping your checkout person a few bucks to help brighten their day....

As I stepped out of the store and headed for my car, the sun was breaking through the clouds and you could feel spring just about to burst out all over the place. I realized that things were going to be just fine and that all I really needed to do (besides washing my hands) was to keep the TV tuned to some old movie while bypassing the media talking heads and the politicians who were desperately trying to; score points, enhance the sense of panic and to throw taxpayer money at a problem that was going to very likely clear up like the early morning mist on a summer day.



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