The Governor of Maryland was one of the first in the country to shut down public schools across the state. Many people thought he was overreacting at the time. Not so much now. Many college systems soon followed, with classes cancelled or entirely moved to on-line delivery. My employer (a very large community college) is allowing most of us to work from home through the end of March, which is what I will be doing starting Tuesday. I have to go in tomorrow to collect some materials that I will need and pick up a college laptop. They will reevaluate things in 2 weeks. Public libraries, churches and some government agencies are all closed.

I went out before work last week on Thursday morning to do my grocery shopping. It was a good time to go. Few people were there that early. I stocked up on what I needed for 2 weeks. The only thing I needed that they were out of were eggs. I will stop in later this week to see if they have any.

Because I already have a stockpile of toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, toiletries etc. that I have been building up over the past year (to prepare for retirement) I didn’t need to purchase any of those items. My friends who used to poke fun at me for couponing and having a stockpile (in a friendly way) are now wishing they had done a bit of that preparation too! I will of course share with my friends and family if they need anything.

I’ve been seeing lots of posts on social media from people in my area with pictures of long lines to get into the local Costco, Walmart’s and some grocery stores. Shelves have been wiped cleaned of bread, milk, cleaning products, TP, meats, and fresh fruit and veggies. Some stores have shortened their hours of operation somewhat so they can clean and restock.

I made a big pot of chicken soup yesterday, and today I’ll be making chicken salad. I still have some chili in the freezer. I’m sure I can easily stretch my food out for a good month if that were necessary, and although I prefer fresh fruit and veggies, I picked up some frozen ones to tide me over if need be. So, I feel like I am in good shape to stay home and ride this thing out. I am “older” (almost 60) and had a pretty bad case of pneumonia last year that was really hard for me to heal from so I don’t want to take any unnecessary chances.
I hope everyone stays safe and healthy!