I Scored Potatoes and Onions This Morning!

Onions and potatoes seem like odd things to get excited about, don't they?

Well, I'm the designated forager, so I hit the stores yesterday to pick up some milk, bread, and a few other things.  They were busy, but not absolutely jammed like they were on Friday.  Friday was hit by kind of a double whammy - not only were people stocking up for the coronavirus emergency, but the forecast for Saturday was for 3-4 inches of SNOW, piling one stressor on top of another.

I'd planned a St. Patrick's Day dinner for us - corned beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and Irish soda bread, plus I wanted some rye bread and sliced Swiss cheese so I could make Reuben sandwiches with the leftovers.  Well, no potatoes, onions, cabbage, or rye bread most places.  Hardly any sliced cheese of any kind anywhere.  I did find one loaf of rye and a few onions.  I caught sight of some toilet paper, but it wasn't on my list.  Still no rice or dried beans - also not on my list.

I did get a little tickled walking down the boxed dinner aisles - no boxed macaroni and cheese, which I expected, but I also noticed that the shelves for Hamburger Helper were nearly empty!  I don't know exactly why I thought it was funny, but it just struck me that way.  Still plenty of ice cream and wine, though!

Anyway, I had a few potatoes at home, but they were starting to look poorly, so that was one thing I really wanted.  I was able to use those sad-ish potatoes with the corned beef because they would be boiled, but they wouldn't be good enough for roasting or baking or mashing.

Last evening the grocery ads arrived and looking through them, I saw POTATOES and ONIONS advertised!  So I planned to hit Kroger this morning.

I got to the store about an hour after they opened.  SCORE!

I was able to buy two five-pound bags of potatoes and a three-pound bag of onions, so we should be okay for those things for a couple of weeks.

The stores still have low stocks of many things, but the situation is improving - the supply chains are starting to catch up.  So be patient!  It's on the way!

Why I'm Not Prepping for the Coronavirus (and Other Thoughts on the Emergency)

So the coronavirus is an official national emergency. 

We've all heard the recommended steps to prevent its spread - avoid crowds, stay home if possible (self-isolate), avoid touching your face, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, don't shake hands, stand six feet away from others in public places, change clothes when you return home from public places, and WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY.

Here's a meme making the rounds of social media:

The YouVersion app on my phone sends me a daily Bible verse.  Yesterday's was amazingly current:

"Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  (James 4:8, NIV)

Wow!  That kind of tickled me!

I went shopping yesterday to pick up a few things that were on my list - ice cream, soda, salad mix, celery, apples - you know, just STUFF.

It was a revelation.

Walmart wasn't crowded (everybody was at work), but certain aisles had been decimated.  All the toilet paper and paper towel shelves were completely empty.  There were three small jugs of bleach in the laundry aisle.  No antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, or medical gloves.  No bags of rice.  A few bags of dried beans.  No dry milk.  No eggs.  No bananas.  A few cases of bottled water. 

Later, I hit Kroger, this time after 5:00.  WHOA!

Everyone must have stopped there on the way home.  The parking lot was completely full - all the way out to the street!  Everything missing at Walmart was missing at Kroger, plus, people trying to check out were lined up all the way to the back of the store.

I'm happy to report there was plenty of ice cream, however!

Both places, most people had loaded their shopping carts to overflowing.  I had a handbasket.

I wasn't stocking up because I don't need to.

For example, I keep two of the largest packages of toilet paper in each bathroom.  When the second one is opened, toilet paper goes on the shopping list.  I keep between fifteen and twenty pounds of hamburger in the freezer.  I have the equivalent of several cases of assorted canned tomatoes in the utility room.

Am I some kind of doomsday prepper?  No!

I'm just an extremely LAZY shopper!  I want to be able to cook what I want without having to run out and buy a bunch of stuff first.  I'd rather buy my groceries when it's convenient instead of as needed.

I keep my grocery list on the front of the refrigerator.  When I use something from the freezer or pantry, I write it on the list and buy it the next time I go to the store.

Besides, we have tornadoes and ice storms here.  If there's a weather-related travel advisory, I have what I need right here at home.  If there's a power outage, we have a boatload of candles and some oil lamps for light and a little heat.  I've used my backpacking stove to cook hot meals when we've been snowed in with no power.

It's really not hard to get started.  When you're doing your "normal" shopping, buy one or two extra things.  Or decide to spend ten dollars a week on things you want to keep on hand.  If you're low on storage area, there are websites devoted to finding space.

I'm just saying that having a reasonable stock of food in the house allows me to have a more relaxed outlook when emergencies happen.

So...

Keep Calm and Stock On!