We had some grand plans for summer gear options and then Covid wrenched the works. So now it seems like a good idea would be to share a list of “gear” we discovered during lockdown.
Hand sanitizer should be at the top of this list. This stuff has been as rare as hen’s teeth in most stores since March.
There are a number of online recipes to make your own, but even the basic ingredients for this DIY project are difficult to find, well except for vodka.
More recently the stuff is showing up in stores again, but in using this stuff we’ve found that spray is far better than that gelatinous goo we’re used to. The other aspect of the ‘sanitizing’ process is boxes, countertops and general grocery wipe down. for this we are using bleach based sprays.
Masks, perhaps the hottest fashion accessory of 2020, have gone through a number of iterations over the past few months. What was nearly impossible to find in March, has become standard crowd-funded projects and Target checkout counter fare.
We’ve moved through a couple of versions, starting with no-sew cotton t-shirt squares, a Buff, and the classic bandana. These were soon upgraded to basic black sewn cotton, then evolved into our current shaped silicon with replaceable filter. It seems that the face mask is going to be with us for the foreseeable future, so I’m sure that this collection will be expanded yet again.
The quarantine has made us better food shoppers. Infrequent trips to a grocery store mean you need to devise methods to make what you find last longer.
The tool proving most useful in this process is the “food saver.” Breaking down quantities of any purchase into meal sized portions and then freezing them has made a big difference in getting the most out of our groceries.