What can we learn from this experience?

[D2Cat]

What will we do differently in the future because of our experience from the first quarter of 2020?

Will we have a better "storm" inventory of food and TP? Will we try to purchase less made in China goods? Have a bit more rainy day funds stashed? Wear face mask every flu season? Quit shaking hands as a greeting? Maybe the USA will take better control of medicines?

 

[Redlands]

Hopefully those ideas will happen.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Good question Cat. I suspect it will be like 911 where there was a show of solidarity with flags on cars and much postulations' followed by less and less and finally back to the same old, same old.

People tend to have short memories and the old, easier ways always prevail.

Once a vaccine is developed and people get vaccinated, the social distancimg and the PPE and all the rest will fade away and only be remembered when brought up by a media article.

Like the common flu. Many deaths from the common flu every year and it's not even brought up. The Wuhan Flu will be the same deal, least in my opinion.

Like I read on another forum, in a year, possibly 2 years there will be a huge wholesale selloff if ventilators by various states and the government as surplus and no longer needed. N95 masks will be a dime a dozen as well as Tyvec gowns and latex gloves. Harbor Freight will run specials on them in quantity and all will just be a memory except for those who lost loved ones. For those people, the saga will never end.

In our society, the hot topic today is old stale fish the next. This pandemic will be the same.

 

[RCW]

'Cat -

I have not participated in any of the COVID-related threads, except for 1 post, I think.

I have to go to work everyday. I will continue to do so, but things are much different now.

Your questions are intriguing, and very appropriate.

I think there's much going on at the Congressional level relative to bringing our own needs "back home," whether paper products, pharmaceuticals, or even food commodities.

I've had a personal conversation with my own congressman relative to this. Not a robo-call; he personally called me, due to my job.

Earlier today, I was watching "Farm Report" on RFDTV.

Southern US (Florida?) farmers are plowing down viable vegetables since there's no market, while there's alleged competing products being trucked in from the Mexico/US border.

I understand the loss of school and restaurant demands for agricultural have been lost, we should not be favoring imports.

I have many dairy farmer friends....the local milk hauler is dumping 2-3 tankers of milk each day. That's ~$70,000 out of someone's pocket. We have Chiobani Yogurt headquartered here, but there's only so much demand. At one point, I think Chiobani was using about 40% of the total milk production of all of NYS production.

I think my local congressional representative understands the urgency of what your talking about. Something HAS to be done.....

What we're dealing with today is going to go on for a long, long time. My guess is 12 months more, minimum.

Our lives have changed.... Count on masks for the foreseeable future;Bullshitting at the hardware store... Handshakes are out....

I'm not saying any of those things are bad as it relates to controlling the COVID-19 spread. They're just the new normal, apprarently...

Count my COVID-related posts to 2....

Stay safe, stay home, and stay well.

 

[hope to float]

Have to say, I'm with Flip on this one.

 

[skeets]

Maybe growing up learning for folks that lived through the depression wasnt such a bad thing after all. I have been called a nut case or prepper and a few other things because I learned early sometimes things dont go the way they should. And my girls are the same way, tomorrow brings with it uncertainties and one must be aware of it and make plans for them.
The news media make people do silly things, and panic doing silly things out of fear,it also bring's out the larcenous of others. I think most in here have avoided that. Why because we are prepared, thats how we were raised. Perhaps this " ME " generation will learn something about life and them selves, we can only hope.
This too shall pass and it will be different in this country and in the world when it passes
. I just pray the freedoms we are giving up to cope with this pandemic, will be returned to us with no caveats, and we don't have to be taken back

 

[torch]

Do you mean "We" as in you and me, or "We" as in the human race?

'Cause I think all lessons will be lost -- yet again -- 100 years from now. Hell, "We" couldn't even remember the lessons from SARS, and that was only 20 years ago.

 

[twomany]

I'm still recovering from Y2K! ;-)

I think there is a 50 pound bag of rolled oats downstairs somewhere!

If global climate change predictions run anything like this Wuhan flu, SARS, Swine flu, the coming ice age predicted in the 7o's. I just don't know what I'm going to do.

I might just try to relax and appreciate every day as it comes!

Not a sparrow falls.........

eta I Think of it this way. No one of my immediate social circle, friends neighbors or family members has perished of this most recent epidemic.
Without new age communication, it would all be word of mouth stories from "the big cities" .

Just like a war invasion, it might come here and kill us all. But so far it has not. Cherish life as though it will.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm still recovering from Y2K! ;-)

I think there is a 50 pound bag of rolled oats downstairs somewhere!

If global climate change predictions run anything like this Wuhan flu, SARS, Swine flu, the coming ice age predicted in the 7o's. I just don't know what I'm going to do.

I might just try to relax and appreciate every day as it comes!

Not a sparrow falls.........

eta I Think of it this way. No one of my immediate social circle, friends neighbors or family members has perished of this most recent epidemic.
Without new age communication, it would all be word of mouth stories from "the big cities" .

Just like a war invasion, it might come here and kill us all. But so far it has not. Cherish life as though it will.

Funny you post that. Hope you are keeping them in a dry and secure spot. My wife just bought a full case of Quaker rolled oats in cardboard sleeves, 30 pounds worth from Amazon of all places. I eat a bowl of rolled oats every morning, straight up, no cream, no sugar, I love them, they love me. Do it on the advice of my doctor, she says oats reduce plaque buildup in your arteries. I believe her. We just made 4 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies today too. Like helping my wife bake. She does everything but the miximg, I do that.

 

[Oliver]

'Cat -

Southern US (Florida?) farmers are plowing down viable vegetables since there's no market, while there's alleged competing products being trucked in from the Mexico/US border....

......I have many dairy farmer friends....the local milk hauler is dumping 2-3 tankers of milk each day. That's ~$70,000 out of someone's pocket. We have Chiobani Yogurt headquartered here, but there's only so much demand. At one point, I think Chiobani was using about 40% of the total milk production of all of NYS production.

I do not doubt that this is occurring but really do not understand why it is?

Restaurant meals have stopped so it is back to us cooking for ourselves in our homes, are there not still the same number of meals and food being consumed? Actually I would have thought more Chobani yogurt is eaten at home than out in restaurants.
Obviously the supply chain had to shift with food sold to restaurants through Sysco, American Foods, etc, be diverted to Supermarkets like Kroger, Walmart.

 

[Daren Todd]

'Cat -

I have not participated in any of the COVID-related threads, except for 1 post, I think.

I have to go to work everyday. I will continue to do so, but things are much different now.

Your questions are intriguing, and very appropriate.

I think there's much going on at the Congressional level relative to bringing our own needs "back home," whether paper products, pharmaceuticals, or even food commodities.

I've had a personal conversation with my own congressman relative to this. Not a robo-call; he personally called me, due to my job.

Earlier today, I was watching "Farm Report" on RFDTV.

Southern US (Florida?) farmers are plowing down viable vegetables since there's no market, while there's alleged competing products being trucked in from the Mexico/US border.

I understand the loss of school and restaurant demands for agricultural have been lost, we should not be favoring imports.

I have many dairy farmer friends....the local milk hauler is dumping 2-3 tankers of milk each day. That's ~$70,000 out of someone's pocket. We have Chiobani Yogurt headquartered here, but there's only so much demand. At one point, I think Chiobani was using about 40% of the total milk production of all of NYS production.

I think my local congressional representative understands the urgency of what your talking about. Something HAS to be done.....

What we're dealing with today is going to go on for a long, long time. My guess is 12 months more, minimum.

Our lives have changed.... Count on masks for the foreseeable future;Bullshitting at the hardware store... Handshakes are out....

I'm not saying any of those things are bad as it relates to controlling the COVID-19 spread. They're just the new normal, apprarently...

Count my COVID-related posts to 2....

Stay safe, stay home, and stay well.

Something I noticed here. Eggs prices have shot up do to "demand". I would think that the demand for eggs would be the same. Only the outlet for them has changed.

Restaurants aren't really doing much business except for take out. But wouldn't the eggs that they aren't selling be diverted to the outlet that is selling them?

Same with milk. The icecream section has been picked through pretty good. Seems like some of that milk getting dumped could be going to the factories making ice cream.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[BigG]

You can not get people to work in the fields. And a lot of the places, meat processors and the like, the people are less than 6 feet apart when working. They do not want to be ill either.

Look at the people on this forum that do not go to work because of the virus. I drive a hotshot truck and work when I can but almost everything is shut down.

 

[bearbait]

Wife and I are used to being stocked up for 3 to 4 weeks this time of year because of the frost coming out of our driveway so this is nothing new. Biggest thing I noticed when I went out last week to pick up prescriptions and a few other things was there was no hand soap left on the shelf. I don't get it, does this mean before this virus people weren't washing their hands? Something to think about after this is all said and done when someone sticks their hand out to shake.

 

[Redlands]

Going to be hard to get the typical North American raised youngster to work in the field. The virus has little to do with it. Most have been raised to not have a clue what real physical work is. Not normally a big problem for them because they can stand around at the convenience store, shoe shop, clothing store or other retail outlet while not having to deal with the weather and natures little creatures.

 

[BAP]

I do not doubt that this is occurring but really do not understand why it is?

Restaurant meals have stopped so it is back to us cooking for ourselves in our homes, are there not still the same number of meals and food being consumed? Actually I would have thought more Chobani yogurt is eaten at home than out in restaurants.
Obviously the supply chain had to shift with food sold to restaurants through Sysco, American Foods, etc, be diverted to Supermarkets like Kroger, Walmart.

It’s on the news. Tanker truck loads of milk are being dumped daily because processing plants are full up due to the drop in demand because schools and restaurants are not buying. Sure stores are not able to keep shelves full, but that has more to do with deliveries than supply.

 

[Bmyers]

What we have learned, we were better prepared than we thought. We started making preparations over 20 years ago when we learned our lesson with a week long power outage. We have gradually made better preps as we have went along. We typically buy all our monthly supplies once a month, which is nice and in general helps us to have on hand what we need.

The one thing that we lacked was comfort food. We have the healthy food, but didn't realize that when you are stuck and your routine is out of whack, sometimes a Swiss Roll is just what you need.

 

[sheepfarmer]

I sure hope the dairy organizations can put pressure on the supply chain to be more versatile, so milk can be diverted, processed and stored appropriately. Seemed odd to me the week I went to Krogers and no shelf stable milk, and none to be had on Amazon, no powdered milk, and no skim milk at another store. Fresh milk available following week. For the love of mike does everything have to be so bloody specialized that a distributor only delivers gallon containers to restaurants? Don't answer that, I am just complaining.

As for plowing under veggies, that has to do with borders being closed to the legal migrant workers. If some of those people sitting on their butts complaining would volunteer to get in their cars and drive out and pick tomatoes for half a day, staying 6 feet apart, they could stay safe and help some farmer out. I would help if I could.

 

[Redlands]

Got to remember what people cook or microwave thaw and cook at home might not reflect what they buy at the resturant or the convenience stores that they would normally be driving by several times a day.

 

[DonaldS]

This COVID-19 has taught me a lot of things. Especially something with my Family. Although I am missing my office desk and my office life. But apart from Office life, I have recovered my family terms. I used to see my kids asleep when I used to comeback from work. Just a little chit chat with my wife and off to bed.

Now things have changed. It's like now I am understanding and learning to maintain the balance between office and personal life.

 

[D2Cat]

When all the TP shortage was beginning I asked my wife how much TP did she buy, how often, how much does it cost? She said she just buys it when we need it, didn't really know how often, or how much it cost.

So I did my own testing. On 4/20 I installed a new roll in the bath room I use 100% and she uses like 40%. Tomorrow is one month and there is still about 1/4" of paper on the roll. So I looked up Wal-Mart TP and priced out Charmin 12 maga rolls at $13.

So the paper is like $1.10 per roll, one roll per month. One year 12 rolls, $13 dollars per year cost.

Even if my figures are off 50% for someone else, there has to be a bunch of FOOLS out buying things. It really shows how Americans believe almost all they hear on the news, and read on the Web. It is a sad testimony.