It's Crazy Out There

March 27, 2020

Oh man, I don't know if any of seniors that have visited my blog, have ventured out there into the real world lately or not, but if you have I'm sure you've remarked on how things have changed too. I haven't been out since before the pandemic was issued, because we don't normally go anywhere unless there's something we need, or some place we need to go, so that being said, this is our first day out in quite a while and what a shock!

My first stop was to the bank, to pay important bills that require tellers stamps on them, but I was unable to pay them, because the bank was shuttered - you know those metal security curtains they drop when certain areas of the bank are off limits to customers, or when there's a robbery. The tellers and manager and everyone was still there, because I was calling out from foyer area, where the ATMs are, hoping to be allowed to pay my bills (as the bank was technically supposed to be still open - in other words it wasn't closing time yet). First the manager came to the other side of the security curtain and asked what I needed and so I told her so she said a teller would be with me momentarily. She was, but on the other side of the security curtain and told me that bank would be closed like that at least until the 14th of April if not longer and for me to go to another branch, several kilometers away, except at that point there wasn't time for us to get there before that other branch closed because it was just too far away to be able to do that. So oh well....

Then our next stop was a Pharmaprix that has a post office inside because I wanted to mail some post dated cheques for bill payments and get some stamps, along with Robitussin and some 3x glasses for my husband. I went into the store wearing the disposable plastic gloves that medical people wear, and the girl there made me take them off and wash my hands in the cold water sink they had there. Then I was told I could go to the post office and pick up the medicine and glasses that I wanted, but that I couldn't touch anything at all, unless it's what  I was going to buy. So I went to the post office, and mailed the letters and got some stamps and then wandered around the store looking for the Robitussin but they didn't have any in stock and as for the glasses, they had a large selection of them but no prices on them. The price tags were all on the backsides of them, but having been told not to touch anything unless I am going to buy it, I couldn't look, but one man nearby heard me musing to myself about the prices on them, so he started looking in the back of them to tell me the prices. Yikes! $35 for a pair of glasses I could get in the dollar store if it's open (not sure if it is or not, but I think it should be as they sell food and some "hardware"), but we didn't have time to go there.

We left there and went to Rona to buy a new propane tank and get it filled, since BBQ season is fast approaching and we wanted to have some propane and weren't sure if the way things are going we'll even be able to get it later on if we don't get it now. We entered Rona and again there we had to wash our hands, my husband who was wearing the same surgical gloves I previously had on, asked the girl if he could keep them on and wash the gloves and she said yes, but because the girl in Pharmaprix made me remove mine, I wrecked mine trying to get them back on and so didn't have any at this point. So we washed our hands just to get in there and go to the cashier to ask for the filled new propane tank - for which she gave us a slip and told us to go around outside somewhere to get it. It took longer to wash our hands then the amount of time we spent in the store.

We were then going to go to Maxi's (it's the Loblaw's economy store in QC), but when we saw the line up of people outside waiting to get in we decided against that and went to Metro instead. Again we were told to wash our hands before going inside, which we did and when we finally got inside we bought everything there that we were going to buy at Maxi's (albeit at higher prices than at Maxis for sure) plus what we wanted from Metro itself.

On the way home we stopped at the mailbox and got our mail - mostly junk mail, so it shows the mailman at least is still working. So the entire economy hasn't collapsed yet, I guess.

But what a weird world out there now. Everything's so regimented and everyone's so paranoid that you're going to touch something or breath on something that you shouldn't, it's just unreal. So to you seniors who aren't allowed out (if you're in seniors residences now), count your lucky stars. It's not the way you'd remember it being even a couple of weeks ago. So I'm sure you wouldn't like it.

Since I don't plan on going back out until I have to pay those bills on Monday, I think that I'll take some time during the weekend to update the links sections and maybe add another page or two that you might find of interest. Or at least I hope.

In the meantime, don't be shy, leave a comment on here detailing your experiences, or comments of other interests, like if you found a new site you think would be of interest here, or a new recipe you want to share, or whatever suits your fancy. I'd love to hear from you, as I'm sure other visitors would too.

Getting Through This Without Going Crazy

March 23, 2020

My husband and I are getting through this by keeping busy with things that interest us and watching shows and movies of interest. He likes Mysteries of Oak Island and so we watch that and the Digging Deeper episodes as well. I like all sorts of things from cooking shows to Ancient Aliens. Plus we like watching the odd movie every now and then, too.

But from very young, even before we knew each other we each learnt as young kids to make our own amusements and entertainment and so we've just naturally done that all our lives without relying so much on TV as I made it sound above. Yes, we liked watching certain shows and movies together as a family over the years, but we also enjoyed other activities as well. I love reading and have a huge collection of books here, but I also have an iPad that a friend gave me and an ereader that my husband gave me. So besides my books I also have a largish collection of epub and pdf books for the iPad and ereader, that I've downloaded off the internet. If you have a tablet or ereader that accepts micro SD chips, you can dump a lot of books, photos, & music to those chips to use on your devices.

I also like cooking and working with food, as I mentioned previously in another post, and there are lots of sites on the internet devoted to recipes.  Just do a quick search for "recipes" and you'll be presented with enough sites to keep you busy for plenty of time to come.

I also like to make things - of all kinds, using all sorts of crafting methods and materials and learning new ones too.

I also have a vegetable garden as well, that I use to supplement our groceries with. Whatever I get out of the garden either gets consumed immediately or if not, I blanche most vegetables to freeze for later use, or preserve by making my own jams, jellies, pickles, salsas, relishes, chutneys, spreads, etc...

My husband likes to fix things - anything from broken door knobs, to computers, stoves, cars, lawn mowers and snowblowers and anything else that has a wire, a knob or an engine to it. So he's constantly finding something to work on - lately it's been trying to cobble together parts from 3 different computers to make one as mine conked out just as the crackdown on going out because of the virus happened. So he can't go to stores to find the parts he needs so he's trying to cannibalize components from 3 computers to make one for me.

But we've always been doing things like this, sometimes out of necessity - just to get by as we couldn't always afford to buy new things when the old ones broke down, or even pay for servicemen to fix them.

When our kids were living at home with us, we were even squeezed tighter for money, so a lot of what we had we made, or fixed ourselves and we stayed home as we couldn't afford to go out anywhere really. So we taught our kids to make the most of the situation, by contenting themselves with the things we had here. We taught them to cook basic meals, mend their clothes (hems and buttons and holes), take care of their rooms, help with the chores. Taught them not to waste anything and not to throw anything away that was still good. So they learnt to eat leftovers from supper the night before, for lunch today and to find a way to use the bunch of bananas that were turning black before they were no good. Or to repurpose old jeans that don't fit anymore into a chic shoulder bag and things like that. Things that perhaps will be of some interest to those stuck at home and unable to go shopping on a whim, like they used to but needs a new shoulder bag and has some old jeans lying around, that they could use. Or maybe make their own COVID19 masks: Downloadable PDF From CTV News

The thing is that the way we lived pretty much our whole lives is the way people will have to learn to live now. To not waste anything - meaning it may be awhile before you can get out to buy food or other items, so make the most of whatever food you do have and not waste it. Start by using your fresh food first, before it goes bad and find a use for it even if it's a lot (like a bunch of bananas or a litre of peaches, or a couple heads of broccoli). Well if it's things like broccoli and other vegetables (or most vegetables anyhow) to keep those from going bad, all you have to do is blanche them and then package them in portions that will be used for one meal (judge how much your family consumes in one meal and package that much in a freezer bag) and freeze. Then the next time you want broccoli for dinner just pull one bag out and use it the way you would any other frozen broccoli you'd buy in a store. Use the internet as much as you need to find recipes and information on cooking methods, so that you can make good meals with the food you have. It may take a little time and effort, but considering you can't go anywhere you have all the time in the world now. Maybe you can also involve your kids in learning to cook right along with you.

Same as learning to make and repair things. If something is broken or needs hemming, if you don't know how to do it, find out how via the internet and do it yourself - and again involve the kids so they can learn too. If you want to make something whether that's a beaded necklace, a quilt, a sweater, a computer, a chair, or whatever it is, if you don't know how to do it, look it up and learn and perhaps get the kids involved in that too, so they can learn it as well. YouTube has video tutorials on all sorts of things, so I can almost guarantee you'll find a tutorial for whatever it is you want to know how to do there.

This will be a great time to teach your kids some life skills like I've been talking about and even for you to learn a few more.

If it's getting time for haircuts and the salons have been ordered closed, find a book or video on the net, that shows how to cut hair and well, give it a shot. It's not as though you're going to any fashion shows any time soon, so if you botch it up the first time, it'll grow back and maybe the next time, you'll do a better job at it. Here's a site that shows you via video tutorials 10 ways to cut your own hair - for women: 10 Ways To Cut Your Own Hair

Don't forget to treat yourselves well. Enjoy your nice warm bubble baths, intimate time with your partner. Make a special date night dinner once a week and do something romantic together while giving the kids their own night of whatever they like - whether that's pizza and movies or video games or whatever. Then also have a family night where everyone gets together and does something everyone enjoys doing - whether that's playing cards or board games 17 Board Games For Adults or watching movies and munching on popcorn or whatever. It doesn't mean because you're couped up at home and can't go anywhere that you can't still have fun together as a couple and a family.

The thing is that all of us will have to be mostly self-sufficient and self-reliant and try our best to get by with what we already have on hand or that we can make, or grow, or repair, as we won't be able to go out to buy parts, or new anythings until this is over with. So if your lives are anything like ours, you won't have time to lose your minds as you'll be too busy with other things going on around you.

Cooking Up a Storm

My Lasagna

March 21, 2020

Today we broke the rules and had our son & his wife over for dinner. I know, I know, we weren't supposed to do that. But, I also know that life is short and anyone of us can go at anytime whether it's this virus that gets us, a bolt of lightening or we get hit by a bus crossing the street and we wanted to see our son, just because. Because we care about him and his wife and we love them and because our daughter who we also loved (and still do) is no longer with us and in these days of COVID 19 we just never know, so I'd rather "live dangerously" (if seeing your son & his wife is considered living dangerously), or not at all. We've been confined to the house pretty much the entire time since Legault issued directives for the seniors to stay home, except one day when I had to get prescriptions filled and some food. Otherwise we haven't even gone to our mailbox to see what bills await us there yet. So, I made a lasagna, with things we had on hand. Mostly canned goods used in the sauce, 3 cheeses and noodles. Since it uses mostly canned goods and boxed lasagna noodles, it may be of benefit to those who wish to stretch their fresh vegetables and use some of the canned goods now, rather than getting stuck eating only canned goods later on.

Sauce Ingredients:

2 lbs fried ground beef (and drained)

1 onion coarsely chopped

1 green pepper coarsely chopped

1 can of mushrooms (drained)

3 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 large can whole tomatoes (drained)

1 large can chopped tomatoes (drained)

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 large can tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

1 Tbs dried oregano

1/2 Tbs powdered garlic

For Assembly

1 kg. grated mozzarella

1 500 mg container cottage cheese

Parmesan cheese

12-13 lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a large dutch oven on high heat and stir to prevent sticking, until it starts to gently boil, then turn it down to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning, for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Meanwhile in another large dutch oven fill 2/3rds full with water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling add noodles one at a time and stir constantly until the water comes back to boiling again, then turn it down to medium high and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the noodles are done (they'll turn white when they're done). Remove the noodles from the heat and immediately drain into a collender, and run cold water over them. Put them back into the dutch oven with cold water to keep them from drying out and sticking together. When the sauce is cooked remove that from the heat and start assembling the lasagna in a lasagna pan, by slathering the bottom of the pan with sauce and then lay a layer of noodles (to completely cover the pan) followed by spreading some of the cottage cheese on the noodles (use judiciously as the cottage cheese probably won't be enough to completely cover the noodles on all the layers, so a little on the noodles on the bottom layer, a little on the middle layer which will leave you with a little for the top layer). Followed by mozzarella - be as generous as you like, because 2 kgs of shredded mozzarella is a lot so you should have enough and still have left overs, and then sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the layer. Repeat starting with the sauce, followed by the noodles and then the cheeses, until you either run out of pan space or ingredients. Then bake for 45 minutes at 350 in the oven.  When done remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Adding a 1/2 cup heavy cooking cream & 1 Tbsp butter to every 2 cups of this sauce makes a deliciously smooth and creamy pasta sauce suitable for use on everything from ravioli to spaghetti.

I'm sorry I don't know the exact measurements of the cans used in this because once I opened them I tossed them in the blue box. But I'm sure most Canadians who's ever been in a grocery store in Canada will know what size I'm talking about as they'll have seen them many a time on shelves in the stores themselves.

Because I love cooking and working with food, just for the fun of it, after our son left tonight I went to Allrecipes.com and I was going to look for Asian Food recipes but when I got there I was stunned to find a section just for Quarantine cooking. They have recipes on how to make your own (like basic goods like bisquick, and other ingredients you may need but don't have on hand), recipes made entirely from canned goods, or frozen vegetables and the like.  For more quarantine cooking help and recipes (oh yeah talking about help - they also show how to do various cooking techniques etc as well so that if you've never really spent a lot of time in the kitchen before now, you'll at least get an idea on how to do certain things). Anyhow, this is the link to that page of that site: All Recipes Quarantine Cooking Page

Vegetable Gardening in SW Quebec - & Agricultural Zones 5 & 5A

A list of crops that can endure until autumn in SW QC  - As per a request from a friend.

I am by no means a genius when it comes to gardening, and I'm a weak, old, pathetic woman that hates bending and heat and weeds and just a plain old lazy gardener, who does it more out of necessity than enjoyment.  Although I've persisted over the years, trying different vegetables and different methods of gardening.  I've finally settled on the laziest methods I could find that is using a weed block mat covering for my entire garden and trying to find perennials that will grow in our zone and our soil conditions. I haven't yet found enough perennials to even fill my garden let alone our freezer or pantry, so I'm still hunting for more.  So far the perennials that I've come up with that are supposed to grow here are:

Perennials:

• Raspberries
• Mint
• Blueberries
• Rhubarb
• Kale
• Certain kinds of lettuce (mostly the leaf lettuce which is harvested by leaf, and the plant itself is left there to go to seed).
• Asparagus
• Apples
• Mustard
• Various herbs like Parsley, Dill, Fennel
• Arugula
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Onions 
• Winter Spinach aka Morning Glory (used in Asian cooking) - grows as a weed here.
• Dandelions - I don't even have to try to grow those they just grow all over the place by themselves. Make sure no dogs leak on them though. Perhaps wash them a bit before use. - They make excellent wine, jelly & salads and are great diuretics. 

Cultivatable Crops in SW QC in Cold Temperatures - as per my own experience

If anyone in the region knows of other crops that grows well in this zone in cold temperatures, please let me know and I'll add them into the list here.  People in other areas of the country and agriculture zones please post in the comments the crops you're able to grow there under similar conditions. This is all in an effort to help everyone out who may be facing exorbitant prices for vegetables in the upcoming year, considering the actions being taken by the gov't to curb the spread of COVID-19. So we may well have to rely on ourselves in order to feed ourselves. So anyone anywhere in the country is allowed to post in the comments whatever information they can provide for people in their area and it will be welcome and added to the list for that particular area and agriculture zone. 

The first thing to know is that most crops rated for agriculture zones 5 & 5A through to 3 & 4 will probably grow in the region. Most seed packets list the agriculture zones they're good for. Second a lot of crops like tomatoes etc, require a longer growing season than we have here and if grown from seed will need to be started indoors several weeks before the last frost (usually around May 21st - Victoria Day or whatever they renamed that holiday here in QC - anyhow the long weekend near that date).  All seeds that says you can plant as soon as the soil can be worked (meaning when you've had at least 10 straight days & nights above 0C) can be planted then. Most of those crops are cold weather crops, meaning they'll survive mild frosts and even a light dusting of snow if it melts within a reasonable time. Thus, they will still be viable crops under the same conditions in autumn.  So  things like: 

Crops able to withstand frost & cold

• Carrots
• Beets
• Kale
• Mustard
• Swiss Chard
• Broccoli & Broccolini
• Cauliflower
• Turnip - Rutabaga
• Collard Greens
• Squashes of various kinds
• Pumpkin
• Apples
• Raspberries
• Cabbage
• Kohl Rabi
• Onions
• Potatoes 
• Parsnip
• Arugula

 Summer Crops

Most other vegetables like cucumbers, corn, spinach, beans, peas, zucchini (summer squash), tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, radishes, cantalope, etc have to be planted after the last frost date as noted above - May 21st holiday weekend and harvested before the first frost in autumn. I generally buy small tomato & pepper plants to plant in my garden as I have not had luck growing them from seed in the house.

Biding My Time

March 20, 2020

Now that the weatherman said the spring equinox occurred yesterday, I've been sitting here contemplating my garden.  Looking at the weather forecasts for the next 2 weeks on The Weather Network's site, trying to figure out when I'll be able to start planting my veggies that don't mind cold weather and even a bit of frost. Considering what some farmers have been telling news stations in the area, that if the border bans are in place too much longer they may not be able to get their temporary farm help, which may cause the cost of vegetables to rise by as much as 50 - 100%. So if that's the case, we'll need all the vegetables we can grow ourselves. We're lucky that we have our own yard in which to grow some. Other seniors who may not be so lucky, may be able to acquire a community plot nearby where you live in order to defray the costs of food, if what the local farmers said proves to be.

In the meantime until it's nice enough to go out and start planting, I'm trying to find other things to occupy my time with and as I like making things, all sorts of things, I was thinking of maybe taking up a new craft and visited Pinterest's site, and got sucked in there for longer than I wish to admit, wandering around the site looking at all the great ideas and links and then I wandered over FaveCrafts site, and found some ideas of interest there as well. As I've always been an avid reader I've had this bookmark to  Project Gutenberg's site, and so paid a visit to them as well, browsing the new books in their library to see if there was anything new & interesting there to read to kill time.

If anyone else knows of any sites of interest to teach us something, like new skills, or hobbies, or just to help pass the time, please feel free to inform the rest of us in the comments section below.

Opening Statements About This Blog & Links of Relevance

Introduction & Welcome to All

March 17, 2020

As a Canadian senior citizen, who's trying their best to cope with the new norms imposed on us by our gov'ts because of COVID-19, I decided to start a blog detailing my efforts at first finding and understanding the information I've come across, via various means. Posting relevant excerpts of the various articles here as a means of enlightening those who visit and as a means for me to keep track of all the various loop-de-loops posted by various factions of the gov't and scientific/health communities.

I also wish to have a running dialog with and between those who may visit, who may post about their own experiences, or information they've acquired. Various tips and tricks on all sorts of things, from how and where to find certain items at reasonable prices, maybe how to save on the cost of various foods by posting recipes to stretch food, or for favourite restaurant meals we may not be able to indulge in, and therefore miss, if we can't make our own, for the unforeseen future. Or how to repair or make things (out of necessity - or boredom - whichever strikes your fancy), or any ideas on how to make life more amenable and enjoyable for us shut-ins. Who may wind up being shut-in for an extended period. It's a blog for all Canadian seniors who are being told to stay home and stay in, to connect with each other, provide, information, solace, support and ideas to better our shut-in lives.  That is what I hope for this blog to do.

Anyone is welcome, and all are invited to share whatever ideas, information, support & solace to each other here. Just treat each other with the same respect you'd wish to be accorded, and watch your language. No spamming or phishing will be tolerated.

For now the place isn't very pretty with very much information or links on it, but as time goes by, I hope to improve on that, with your help too of course. If you have any links you think would be of interest to other senior Canadians,that might be of benefit to help them get through this trying time, like local organizations that will help them get groceries and medications & other necessities to them, or organizations that provide specialized help for shut-in seniors, or other that you think might be of interest to shut in seniors (even links to provide some levity, entertainment or how-tos, to lighten moods and pass the time) please post them in the comments section and I'll add them in under the following:

Links of Relevance:

Canadian Government's COVID-19 Page 


Alberta Government's COVID-19 Page 

British Columbia Government's COVID-19 Page 

Manitoba Government's COVID-19 Page 


Nova Scotia Government's COVID-19 Page 

Ontario Government's COVID-19 Page
 
Quebec Government's COVID-19 Site

Metis National Council`s Message On COVID19 

Articles of Relevance

The links listed in this section will probably remain of relevance to us for as long as this outbreak persists, as they are basically articles about facts relating to health, safety, laws, that we ought to be aware of: 

Psychology Works, Coping with & Preventing COVID - 19 

How People 65 & Over Can do More to Protect Themselves 

Corona Virus in Canada And How to Get Tested 

Can You Take Ibuprofen if You Have COVID 19?

Millenials at Higher Risk - for those of us with family members in that age group

Canadian Gov'ts $82 Billion Aid Package - sadly there's nothing in it for seniors who are to be confined the longest at home by gov't orders. 


Updated April 3, 2020

 
Coronavirus`Looming Psychological Crisis which is what I think we`re starting to see now.

A list of known scams related to COVID-19, from Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre this was published on March 19th, so I imagine there`s probably more scams than listed here. Just be very wary and cautious of deals and claims being made out there these days. 

How Long Will Coronavirus Live on Surfaces or in the Air Around You? There are many different figures floating around out there but the bottom line is, you can never be too safe, so use an abundance of caution (because if the authorities have proven anything since this virus started making the rounds is that they have no freaking clue about what they`re talking about as they`ve been wrong on just about everything to do with it). So if wiping things down with disinfectant eases your mind then by all means do it, if you won`t be sticking whatever you wiped down directly into your mouth afterwards. Using it on fresh food isn`t a good idea though. On the outside packaging yes, but not directly on the food itself.

Scientists identify 69 drugs to test against the coronavirus So there is some hope, along with using antibodies from those who`ve already had it, to help fight it, in the meantime. 

Coronavirus Traces Lingered in Vacated Cruise Cabins for 17 Days This is precisely what I meant when I said there are many different figures floating around and that no one seems to know for sure.

Experts weigh in on best handling of groceries during COVID-19 pandemic

These Common Household Products Can Destroy the Novel Coronavirus 
These are probably your best bet for disinfecting areas in your home. Thorough and frequent cleaning to keep the virus to a minimum (if someone in your home has the virus) is probably your best defense.

Experts weigh in on COVID-19 questions about groceries, food delivery, takeout as we all need to eat, we should heed the advice given here. Remember the authorities thus far have been rather lax on their advice given. So whatever is recommended here is probably the bare minimum that you should do.

How to protect yourself and others from infection as COVID-19 cases increase. This is just a rehash of everything they`ve been saying about how to self-isolate and how to protect yourself - you know the useless ``wash your hands`` mantra that they`ve been chanting forever, which is utterly ridiculous considering it`s a respiratory disease and not a hand disease. The thing with respiratory diseases you usually catch them by breathing droplets in the air in, from the aerosol spray of them in the air when someone coughs or sneezes. Yes, they`ll eventually settle and land on some surface that you may touch, but you`re more apt to breath them in directly than touch them. So hand washing won`t protect nearly as much as wearing a mask will, which is what you should`ve been doing since the beginning of this outbreak.

Canada Post is changing its services: Six things you need to know. If you`re still ordering things online, and relying on Canada Post for delivery of those items, or doing like me and paying bills by sending cheques in the mail (because the banks have made it so damned inconvenient and hard to use), then perhaps you should be aware of these changes.

Considerations in the use of homemade masks to protect against COVID-19. While what they are saying here, may be true, if I had nothing to protect myself with, I would still rather take my chances with a homemade mask rather than nothing, while knowing that it may not be 100% secure. But nor are the N95 masks either. They`re only 95% effective. If you want one that`s 100% effective you can get P100 masks at places like Rona, or other hardware stores. One set of filters (that comes with the mask) is good for 40 hours, after that you should have replacement filters - also available at Rona and other similar type hardware stores. The mask and 1 set of filters will probably run you about $60 plus tax.  But it`s good for as long as you can keep buying filter replacements.   But if you`re wearing nothing you know without a doubt that you`ll be exposed to 100% of whatever is in the air. So even with a homemade mask that even only protects by 50% or even say 10% it`s still that much less exposure I would have to airborne viruses than if I had nothing at all.

Canada Free Press A legitimate source of information, that the mainstream media wishes you didn`t know about. They currently have many many eye-opening articles about COVID19 in there, worth your read.

Emergency benefits: What each province is offering during the COVID-19 pandemic

8 strains of the coronavirus are circling the globe. Here's what clues they're giving scientists. This was actually a very interesting article.

Coronavirus could travel 27 feet, stay in air for hours: MIT researcher This is precisely why masks are so important, no matter their protection values, even a little protection is better than none at all.

Diabetes, lung and heart disease common in U.S. coronavirus patients -CDC, so those people, no matter their age, needs to take extra precautions to protect themselves.

AI tool predicts which coronavirus patients get deadly 'wet lung', now this ``wet lung`` term jolted me upright when I saw it, because even as a nurse I never saw this term used before, but it is very appropriate to describe what I had back at the beginning of January. I thought I would drown in bed in my sleep if I didn`t get up and get an expectorant or something to relieve the congestion on my lungs, because it felt like fluid was accumulating in them. I`ve had a lot of illnesses with a lot of different symptoms in my life, but never anything like that before where I felt I`d drown on dry land in a dry bed. Since that seems to be a telltale marker for that virus, I can say with certainty now, that I already had this in the first week of January, and I never went anywhere near Wuhan China. In fact I live in a rural area of Quebec and haven`t left the province for more than 2 years and when I did it was to go to other parts of Canada, but still nowhere near China.

COVID-19 in Canada: This is a very, very long article, which is basically a running chronology of all the cases in Canada from the beginning up to the current moment, with all the pronouncements made by the government in that time frame as well. So essentially an itemized history of the progression of the disease and whatever attempts and measures the government has taken to try to stop it (or help it spread more - that`s what I think but then again, I can be rather cynical at times).

Coronavirus can spread one to three days before symptoms appear: CDC study Okay it`s normal that a person can spread a disease before symptoms appear, that`s during the incubation period, so this isn`t unusual. What is unusual is the short time that it does before symptoms appear. Normally if the incubation period (from the time of exposure to the disease until symptoms appear) is 7-10 days the person is contagious for that amount of time too and during the time they`re symptomatic - in most contagious viral infections. What seems to be weird for this virus is that the patient is still contagious after they recover, because in most other viral contagions they`re not.

Links to Local Organizations & Charities Who Are Willing to Provide Help to Seniors During this Crisis:

 I am listing a couple links to organizations that I know about who are providing help in their local areas, to seniors, here. I do not know of any other such organizations for the moment, but as soon as I'm aware of them, or if visitors know of any, please feel free to leave a comment with their contact info and I will gladly post it in this section. 

Caremongering PEI - Facebook Page

How Can I Help COVID 19 Toronto FaceBook Page

For those suffering anxiety, stress, depression, or other difficulties dealing with this crisis, in the Montreal region you may contact Tel Aide at 514-935-1101 or on their website at: Tel Aide

For shut-ins who would rather deal with anxiety, stress, and physical inactivity issues via yoga, there's a bilingual (French & English) woman who has COVID19 Yoga classes online at YouTube at: Veronique Pierre COVID19 Yoga Classes 

For seniors raising grandchildren who are currently out of school at the moment, the English School Board of Montreal has opened an online educational portal here: EMSB School Portal
The Quebec gov't has also opened one in both English & French and it's accessible here: Quebec Gov'ts Open School Portal

Coping with COVID-19: Managing Stress and Anxiety Some very very good information and advice for seniors trying to manage their COVID19 related stress and anxiety from HealthinAging.org


Vintage Fitness For Ages 50+ based in Toronto, that has an in home personal trainer service - which is on hiatus during the COVID19 pandemic, but they do have free online fitness courses, that you can avail yourself of at their site.

Bounce Back Ontario Offers a free skill building program online to help you learn coping techniques to deal with stress and anxiety and other mental health issues.

Links to Information of Other Types

Top 5 Immunity Boosters - Foods and herbs that provides a boost to our immune systems.

How to Get a Full Body Workout at Home Without Hitting the Gym

Natural House Cleaning Complete with 6 useful recipes, which may come in handy if we`re quarantined so long we run out of the commercial products we bought pre quarantine era. Or you might just like to use them because of them being non-toxic and better for the environment.