Home delivery is a wonderful thing—if you can get it
That’s the milk truck just after delivering milk and eggs to my house
The coronavirus and its resulting disease—COVID19—have brought out the worst in people when it comes to shopping for daily needs.
I mean how many rolls of toilet paper does a person need? I rather like the joke that says your IQ is 150 less the number of toilet rolls you have at home. Based on that, my IQ is 140 and will increase by one point every four or five days.
Other ‘hot’ items for hoarding include hand sanitiser, tissues, paper towels, meats, pasta, pasta sauces, rice, milk and eggs.
Milk and free-range eggs—only 250 chickens per hectare
Luckily most supermarkets have implemented a sort of you-can’t-bring-it-back-because-you-bought-too-much policy. Plus, they are so swamped now that they have severely limited their home delivery services. A person needs to apply and be accepted to get a delivery. Mostly reserved for the elderly and/or disabled.
I usually have a well-stocked pantry and haven’t really had to venture into the supermarkets. So I have to brag just a bit. My milk and eggs are home delivered. Canberra still has two milk trucks that serve a handful of suburbs. We’re one of them. How cool is that!
And I have to share this toilet paper cartoon. My thanks to the person who created this. I wish I knew who you were!
Where to next? 
I love the cartoon! 🙂
I don’t get the toilet paper angle. I suppose the worry must be that if you get sick, you’re going to be pooing yourself into next month with not a square to spare? This is a respiratory illness, so the run should be on tissues. Oh yes, but I’m forgetting that people sometimes don’t think very well. 😉
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I’m thinking a total brain drain.
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Cute cartoon! Yeah, I get it! No toilet paper to be found…a mismatched sock…hmmmm?
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I’m having difficulty maintaining a positive attitude about humanity at this time. A trip to the grocery store yesterday showed me how panic buying deprives some people basic needs so the greedy and panicked have too much of the same.
The Germans have a word for it. (Don’t they always have a good one for all negative human behaviors?) The call it Hamsterhaeufe or hamster buying, alluding to how this little desert rat fills its cheek pouches with seeds to carry back to it nest. I call it criminal but not typically defined by law.
I talked with the checker when I checked out (without a few items I was out of). She told me of rude customers who yelled at her, used incredibly vulgar and hurtful language against her, and didn’t respect the store’s request that customers limit the number of certain items they took so others might have some, too. She said these customers couldn’t understand that just because the supply truck was behind the store being unloaded, the process of restocking the stores wouldn’t be instantaneous, especially with customers interfering with the work. I noted she must be really stressed out by the end of the day. She said, “Yes, when I go home at the end of the shift, I cry.”
Damn! People! Get a life!
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Oh yes, the Germans have great words for the human condition. Sorry your supermarkets are overrun in the same way as ours. Bless the checker. No wonder she goes home to cry.
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It’s an outrage!
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We have curbside pickup at Wegmans (supermarket) here in Ithaca. For premium pricing (i.e. 5%) they will gather your items from a list and deliver it to your car trunk. this is our plan for the next shopping trip.
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Kerbside pickup is a great idea even if there is a surcharge.
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I love Wegmans and they finally build a SMALL ONE in Brooklyn, NY.. but I do not go to this one.
The Wegmans in Central New Jersey (and Williamsport, PA) are much bigger and a great supermarket. When I was ithica, NY 10-15 years ago, I do not recall one in the college town.
And with curbside pickup, and with no car.. how would that work for? Best Buy (electronics) also has implemented this as well… it is important for me to have my internet connection (and devices) not fail on me, so this store would be helpful for purchases.
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Curbside pickup is hard without a car. I wonder if a wheelbarrow would work? 🙂
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And then there is the Murdoch press, always a good standby for loo paper.
We have a delivery from both the large supermarkets. I haven’t bothered so far as I like the outing. There seems to be a correlation between the number of toilet rolls people hoard and leaving the trolley miles away from the supermarket trolley bay.
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Great insight, thanks Gerard.
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yes, it is a huge issue. here, people have requested delivery or pickup at the store and told it is not available for a week or more. hopefully, they are busy with the most needy and can’t yet get to them. shop smart people, and don’t take more than you need, or share what you buy with others.
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Most of our grocery deliveries have been cancelled. Not sure what criteria will get you on the list?
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sounds like they are trying to prioritize the elderly and compromised
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Yes, and the supermarkets are inviting seniors to shop alone for an hour from 7am. It’s been well organised in our town.
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Selfishness rules.
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Yes, and bad behaviour.
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Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal.
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Thanks so much. Always appreciated.
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After an initial panic by some, things seem to have settled down here in S. Florida. Many shelves were empty a week ago, but are restocked today.
But I suspect with your definition of IQ, most of the hoarders would find their IQ had actually gone up. 😁
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The panicky ones are still going strong. I think the hoarders would have found their IQs are going down with every roll they buy.
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You are indeed lucky to have a milk an egg delivery, Peggy. Stay safe and sane in these crazy times!
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I know how lucky I am. Sorry I had to brag.
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Hey, I would have done exactly the same. Hope you and John are keeping well.
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We are and hoping it’s the same for you both.
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Same thing going on here, now the supermarkets are rationing, or trying to. The selfishness of people is staggering.
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Totally staggering. I just don’t get it.
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Ah, a good old milk truck! Hope you are hanging in there well. The panic buying drove me nuts until I started reading about all the moronic young adults partying non-stop on spring break … now I am using the cartoons such as the one you posted here to make me laugh while I follow the rules instead of getting increasingly pissed off at all the idiots!
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I limit my getting-pissed-off moments, by not going shopping at all.
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Hi Peggy, here the same! We are using what we have in our the pantry and then, we will buy what we need!
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Love the cartoon, Peggy. I fondly remember the milkman who watched my kids grow up. No more left now though.
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We had a milkman when I was growing up the USA and I’ve had one ever since I moved to Australia in 1982.
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You are indeed one of the lucky ones. What hour of the day does he come?
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We have a milkmaid. Michelle drives by on Tuesdays and Thursdays around 6pm.
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65+ years ago and 4-5 am in the dark night of the early morning (NYC), I would be awakened by the milkman and truck delivering cases of milk; that is the noise from the GLASS containers of milk “jingling” around!
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Jingling glass bottles bring back wonderful memories. Australia moved away from glass bottles about 25 years ago.
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Last night I watched a long interview with David Ho, a scientist who is trying to tackle the pandemic. He helped develop effective treatments for AIDS some years ago. What he had to say last night is very depressing. It doesn’t seem as though a defense against Coronavirus will be developed anytime soon.
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Thanks for sharing his name. I’ll see if I can find the interview. One of our daughters is a consular officer in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The government there has taken an aggressive approach with a lot of success.
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You might be interested in this, Peggy https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/5790709/coronavirus-drug-library/%3famp=true
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Laughter goes a long way at a time like this. Well Done, Peggy. 🤣
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Laugh or cry? I always pick laugh.
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Love the IQ joke! And the cartoon! We need to keep finding the levity. I am going to do some more blogging it’s humor.
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That cartoon! I laugh every time I look at it. Bring on more humour.
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My daughter couldn;t find toilet paper. This late in the “two pack maximum, don’t be a jerk” era. Milk man! We had one when I was young, it finally fell through. What a concept, though. They were dairy run. I was probably a teenager before I knew there was more than one brand of milk!
Amazon does food runs here, along with a few of the major retailers, and they all do curbside pick up. All the stores are within a mile, or less, of my house so the $5 tip and delivery fee is a bit much. But then so is being dead, so…
Stay safe!
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We’re doing fine and my pantry and freezer will see us through a long period of time. Hope the wine holds out. The supermarkets will deliver, but you have to apply and meet certain conditions—old and/or infirm.
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Time to get out the Halloween make up and Uncle Harry’s walker.
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Peggy! I’m very happy to be back reading your work. I’m in the same boat as you – my pantry is always well stocked and I cook everything from scratch so I’m pretty comfortable that we won’t go hungry and that I do not need to make some sort of a crazed assault on our local grocery store. In fact, should the need arise, they have implemented a policy whereby the store is open only to the over 60s for two hours each morning. Happily my husband is well in that category. Sadly, I have a few months to go til my 60th so he can do the shopping. What can possibly go wrong ….. I love your delivery van. My mother still has a milkman in Oxfordshire and has always supported him buying not just her milk but all her dairy including eggs and various random delights that he has on his van that day.
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How wonderful to see you online again. It’s been too long. I’m delighted to know milkmen still serve parts of England. Our supermarkets are open for seniors from 7–8am. The cashier says it’s the only civilised part of the day.
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Thank you. It’s really good to be back in this thriving and supportive community. I browsed through other comments and will look up David Ho. Am also interested in your remarks about Vietnam (I remembered your daughter was posted there). I am absolutely convinced that countries need to take a tough approach if we are going to get any light in the tunnel. I’m no scientist but it seems obvious given that China is showing signs of some control having clamped down hard and conversely Italy is in the most dire straits having been very laissez faire as the outbreaks mushroomed until the PM had no choice but to lock down. As they say here, go figure ….
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Like you, I’m no scientist, but Vietnam has more than 95 million people and, so far, fewer than 100 cases of COVID-19. Great proof that a tough approach makes a difference.
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Regarding countries with low C-virus cases, was the question I put to a few friends.
And the reply:
>>Anti-malaria medication prevalent in India as well as Africa. African countries relatively low cases….not just from lack of testing but actually people getting sick from it. <<
The above might be true for Vietnam.. do not know for sure! And now India has imposed a 100% lock down of the entire country… 1.37 Billion People. Many of the poor people will be hit the hardest, not even finding a small amount of food. And clean water/source of water (traveling) is a problem as well.
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Who would have thought? The possibility has always been there, but never eventuated, till now! I enjoyed this. Still saddened by the behaviour of a few that has effected so many. But I’m sure we will get there.
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You are very generous to say it’s the behaviour ‘of a few’. Our newspapers and TV news show squadrons of people ready to swarm in when the stores open. One day I took advantage of the senior hour from 7–8am. How civilised.
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I bet those are farm eggs also! Thank you for the humor, and the update. I have been reading about some really sad deaths in Canada and the USA.
I don’t get it why people are not social distancing, these are not stupid people, I have to think most of these people are just not recognizing the risk to others and it’s not just about them.
Hoarders make me mad, period.
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The eggs are sensational and every so often I get a double yolk. Hoarders make me mad too.
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oh awesome! Home delivery! That’s so cute!!
I went out shopping today and my local shop wasn’t in too rough shape. Of course, pasta sauce and toilet paper are nowhere to be found (although I did see people leaving with packages of toilet paper!) but still lots of selection on canned items (limits of 2 per customer) and meat/frozen veg is limited but like it’s all good. In my store at least! But now I’m home and don’t have to shop for at least another two weeks so it’s all good!
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Great to know you are set up for a couple of weeks. Stay safe and sane.
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Same to you!
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I have never used home delivery, but my friends who do are being told it is now a 3-week delay here. We are still shopping once a week, getting just enough for those seven days. All the hoarders and profiteers should be ashamed, but they obviously have no idea what shame is.
Best wishes, Pete.
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They don’t know what shame is and their IQ is well in the minuses.
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The cartoon made my day! Thanks!
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I laugh every time I look at it.
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Incredible time we’re witnessing and enduring in living color.
All my best.
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Thanks Dave. Stay well. Amazing to watch all this unfold.
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It’s even more amazing to watch Rump lie constantly.
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I saw the tantrum he had against an NBC reporter.
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Now thanks to the Washington Post we’re learning tRump was advised by the military in January the COVID-19 was or was becoming a pandemic and he did nothing but publicly deny it was a threat for weeks.
Secretly I think tRump loves being hated, New Yorkers were hating him when I went there for Spring Break in 1979 and my multitud visits since.
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I think tRump wants to be loved., but he’s hated far and wide.
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Two days ago I witnessed a supermarket checker politely tell a person in front of me she could not check an item for the customer, it was three dozen eggs, two dozen only per customer now.
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Our supermarkets have it figured out so cashiers are less likely to be abused. Items that are rationed can be scanned only for the allowed number. So the cashier can say, ‘sorry, but the register won’t let me scan another one’. Takes a bit of pressure off them.
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👍🏻
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Thanks, Leggy 🙂
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You’re welcome.
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I still can’t get why people are going after toilet paper with such zeal. This crisis has brought out the worst in people. I hope you are keeping safe.
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Some of the behaviour has been appalling. We’re avoiding shopping and staying well. Hope you can do the same.
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I’m off for my regular weekly shop in a bit. I hope people have left me something to buy…
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I hope so too.
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Hubby just left an hour before the store opens to stand in line because we haven’t been able to find ANY toilet paper. Wasn’t panicking until now because we just took in two of our grandkids for at least 2 weeks. My daughter is a nurse and we watch them a lot. Trying to limit their and our exposure from their mom/our daughter.
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Good luck on the toilet paper mission. Bless your daughter, who is really at the coal face. And bless you for looking after the grandkids.
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Got our toilet paper….finally! lol
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Bravo!
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It’s a similar situation in the UK, bloody awful. My heart goes out to those who’re in dire need of supplies but just can’t get them. We’re told to stay indoors, but without home deliveries that’s a bit tricky. What about those (without sounding too stereotyped) older folks who can’t use the internet or don’t know how to order online groceries, what on earth are they going to do if they don’t have someone nearby who can bring them things? I hope you can get the things you need. Stay safe and well,
Caz xx
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Thanks Caz. Every week I help at a nursing home, running a little non-profit shop that sells essentials. That’s closed for now, but residents can let staff know what they need and I’ll go get it for them. As for me, I always have a well-stocked pantry. We’re good for many weeks.
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I guess my IQ is 126. It went up by six when I presented a six-pack to my daughter and her new husband as part of their wedding gift! We had actually purchased a case from Costco before the madness began.
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I love that toilet paper can be a wedding gift. Like you, I purchased a large pack before the madness began. Now with early morning shopping for seniors, I will stay ahead.
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Ha, ha different countries and different meanings. I do not think she gave TP as a gift.
A six-pack here is often beer, she said she got a case at Costco (big warehouse food and other products to buy). No problem, just a nice chuckle.. but a TP wedding gift would have been more practical. (Laughing with you!).
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It really was a 6-pack of TP, meant as a joke, but much appreciated. 😁
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And a wonderful joke.
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A Joke, Humm… THEN THE “DOUBLE YOKE” IS ON ME! Need TP to clean it off! Now that is also a joke!
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Hahahahaha! Gave me a good laugh.
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HA! That cartoon tickles me, because I’d totally do that, too. 🙂 As for grocery, I still like running out for a break from the kiddos, and yeah–who needs fifteen packages of lunchmeat? Yowza.
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Precisely. By the way, my ability to click ‘like’ now doesn’t work on comments either.
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How bizarre! It might be your search engine. I know that when I use Microsoft Edge, I’m suddenly way more limited as far as buttons and things compared to Google.
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I always use Chrome. No idea why this is happening, and frustrated that WP has not responded to my query. They did, however, send a survey asking if I was happy with what they did?
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Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome web browsers work perfectly for me! And I had recently upgraded to Windows 10 (took almost 2 months to tweak it however).
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I love the toilet tissue joke.
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I laugh every time I look at it.
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Yah, I think I have a lot of bottled up grief about this whole thing. Just seeing a picture of a house in a Canberra suburb made me want to cry. I guess I feel like I’ll probably never get back there, and so many people having such a hard time. We have a friend in India, a restaurant server. The restaurant has been shut down and he can’t get back home to family because of travel restrictions, and almost certainly has no savings, so he and his wife and child are stuck in a room in Rishikesh with nothing – for just one example.
I love that there is still milk trucks in Canberra.
And thanks for the cartoon! Anything that keeps us laughing is a good thing.
Stay well Peggy and Poor John.
Alison
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Oh dear, I feel for your friend in India. Glad the cartoon gave you a reason to laugh. I’m sure you’ll get back to Canberra one day.
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I hope so!
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We’re sending him some money. It’s a little way we can help.
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I am just curious why the toilet paper is on so high demand. It happened around the World. The first thing disappeared from store’s shelves is the toilet paper. Why? I would admit the food disappearance but I never understand what is going on with that thing..
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I am as puzzled as you are?
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True confessions: I’m a HOARDER. It started with my not liking to do laundry in my 30’s. So I bought enough underwear to last a month.
In my 40’s I developed a distaste for any kind of shopping so I bought enough food to last in the event famine arrived in a month where I refused to go to the store.
In my 50’s California had a devastating earthquake and we had no water supply which prompted me to buy enough bottled water to last for the next catastrophic event.
Lastly, I had stomach flu and stocked up on TOILET PAPER just in case . . .
I probably won’t have to go to the store . . . or wash clothes . . . until a vaccine is discovered.
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Thanks for the laugh. You have been way-y-y-y-y ahead of your time.
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>>I probably won’t have to go to the store . . . or wash clothes . . . until a vaccine is discovered<<
Be prepared to wait ONE YEAR OR MORE FOR A VACCINE!
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I’m PREPARED!
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Hello All,
I confess I AM A HOARDER OF FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS during this CoronaVirus Pandemic (kind of?) ! So if you want to toss rotten tomatoes and banana peels at me…. Try if you can. But my anti-malware and web add blockers can shield me LOL !
I have assumed that this Coronavirus Pandemic will last for a very long time and easily into July 2020… not only for 12+ weeks for suggested lock down/In shelter of people. To bad NYC within two weeks, is now the epicenter in America???! Being over 70 years old (but no outstanding health issues) I need to stay inside except to exercise and also walking my dog. I also redirected my Post Office mail and Veterans Medical supplies to my home address.
Living in The Bronx (1,439,725 million people), for the most part there has not been any shortage of food and items (mid-size and bigger supermarkets). Limiting of Toilet Paper and Disinfectant per person purchases is limited. Initially chicken on the shelves in short supply (but good now, meat no problem) a lot of pasta purchases and some limits on milk and eggs as well. BJ’s,Target and Food Bazaar are well stocked. Most of my shopping is at The Bronx Terminal Market (3 blocks south of Yankee Stadium, FYI if you are looking for some hard to find items).
Aside- Many people survive if they get this disease (60%), but for older people the fatality rate is more critical. And if people overcome being sick, the virus stays within their system for I think over 2 weeks or more SO PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM OTHER PEOPLE for a long time.
I hope that everyone, their relatives and friends stay safe! Especially LeggyPeggy, Poor John. their two daughters and dog(s) as well.
Sy S
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Great, You can be a charter member of my HPP society. (HOARDERS PROUD & PREPARED)
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Part II – To correct and add more info to my initial comment(s) on survival percent. However, these statistics may vary greatly.. for example these statistics are based on C-virus in China and not other countries.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/what-is-coronavirus-mortality-rate-covid-19
If I get coronavirus, how sick will I get?
A large study in China found that about 80% of confirmed cases had fairly mild symptoms (defined as no significant infection in the lungs). About 15% had severe symptoms that caused significant …
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Sy, even though your stores are well-stocked (most of ours aren’t), I am relieved to know that you are prepared at home. Means you can really distance yourself from those 1.5 million folks in the Bronx. Tomorrow I will need to go shopping for a few things, including petrol, but I will be keeping well away from others.
Thanks for the link. As an aside, I am emailing you a recipe for sourdough starter.
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I looked at curbside delivery here but it wasn’t available for a week so I just got some supplies at a quiet time, keeping my 6 ft distance as much as possible. We have plenty of vodka…for cleaning purposes of course! 🍸Keep well and safe. K x
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You clean with vodka? Great idea. I tried red wine once, but had to get the carpet shampooed. 🙂
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LOL!!!
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we now must trust others to pick out ripe fruit…oh well – if i have to. At least my prison has a sympathetic guard and a good chef. Be well. continue…
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I’m a brilliant cook. Do you like Indian (subcontinent) flavours?
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Peggy writes “I’m a brilliant cook.” WITHOUT A QUESTION!
I have known Peggy for many years and we first met on a cooking website, sharing ideas, comments and photos between ourselves and hundreds of other chefs. So I know for certain how good of a cook she is… For a better idea, see her “What’s Cooking on Page 32” Blog, https://cookingonpage32.wordpress.com/
Way To Go LeggyPeggy,
Sy S.
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Thanks Sy. Now I’m blushing.
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We don’t have a lot of delivery options here in southern Vermont, but many of our stores and co-ops are offering take-out service to your car if you call and preorder and pay. There’s a limit on the number of total items.
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Sounds like a sensible and considerate way of doing it.
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Yes it is, and it seems to be working for the time being.
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A very timely post. And I love having a way to calculate my IQ. At the end of this season of quarantines, I just hope I have an IQ left!!
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By the end of this, you might be out of your mind but, if you don’t hoard toilet paper, your IQ will be great.
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With 3 men in the house we have plenty of single socks for future use!
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Toilet paper crisis averted. You’re well organised.
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sure are!
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We are trying to buy local. No shortages in the neighbourhood stores where I live in Toronto. I’m avoiding Costco so I placed an order with them for a few staples. That was over a week ago and I still don’t have my order. We tried another chain as well and they told us right away when to expect the order….today at 4:00. We’ll see if it arrives but the was also placed 7 days ago. A little better than Costco.
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We buy local too. I’ve also avoided Costco. Interesting that you can place an order there. We can’t. Stay safe and well. As an aside, my like button has stopped working in most, but not all, cases. Argh!
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disinfect everything outside before you bring it into your home. be well. continue…
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I haven’t been able to buy hand sanitiser or disinfectant wipes, but a bottle of methylated spirits is just as good. Stay safe and well. As an aside, my like button has stopped working in most, but not all, cases. Argh!
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I’ve heard it or diluted kerosene is maybe even better
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Thanks.
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You are so fortunate to have milk trucks serving your suburb. I loved that service when I was growing up, but it ceased by the time I was a teen. Fortunately for us, stores in Mexico are still relatively full, and there has been little hoarding.
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I’m glad you can get supplies in Mexico. Very reassuring to know there isn’t panic buying. As an aside, as of today my like button isn’t working in most places.
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I placed my curb side pick up grocery order and due to so many people doing it we have to wait a week!!! I pick up my first order tomorrow and already put in for next weeks. I can’t get sanitizer either but I have used rubbing alcohol for years to sanitize my counters.
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I think there are long delays for home delivery here too. Rubbing alcohol is another great disinfectant, but I don’t have any at home.
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I have always bought toilet paper, whether I need it or not, when it’s on sale. I like Scott. So I am ok with that for a while. I notice a few of my neighbors using home delivery. Thinking about it myself. Stay well!
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Home delivery is a wonderful option. I prefer to check out the markets, but that could change. Stay well and stay sane.
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All so true Peggy. Thanks for the report. Keep safe, and Stay well!
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Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. Stay well and stay sane.
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How lucky you are Peggy to be getting home delivery. We too feel very fortunate to get a bounty of fresh fruit and vegs delivered to our door twice a week. Stay safe and healthy.
Peta
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Thanks Peta. Glad you have landed comfortably in Mexico. Such excitement.
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People hoard toilet paper like it is their main source of nutrition. Lucky you for the deliveries. Stay safe and healthy!
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Oh my, your comment made me laugh. There’s a cartoon going around saying the dog has eaten the family’s life savings—the dog is surrounded by shredded toilet paper. Stay well and stay sane.
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Thank you and glad you laughed. It is one of the few things that can brighten our day.
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Laughter helps.
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Luckily no panic buying here and plenty of t/rolls and tissues…Shop fully stocked and no queues..They take your temp b4 you are allowed in and not overly busy and certainly no arguments or nastiness ..Not so at the airport earlier..The answer they closed the airport for 3 days. Be safe 🙂
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Thanks. Glad you don’t have panic buying. Still a bit crazy here. Stay well and stay sane.
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We’re having trouble finding flour both white and whole wheat. I wanted to make bread, something I haven’t done in a year or two, but two stores were completely out. I’ll try again this week. Thanks for always being one of our faithful readers.
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Very pleased to be among your faithful readers. Hope you can find flour. I make all our bread—mostly sourdough. I have plenty of flour. Wish I could send you some.
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My recipe is an old one — whole wheat flour, oatmeal, honey, etc. Soooo good. And the reason I don’t make it much anymore? I eat it right out of the oven!!!
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Hahahaha. I know what you mean about tackling the bread out of the oven.
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Lol! Oh what a world.
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We’re all living a new reality.
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Glad to see the milk delivery! Reminds me of long ago.
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Usually I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing that I never stop myself from saying something about it. You’re doing a great job Man. Keep it up.
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Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
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love the cartoon, haha!
You are lucky to have this service!
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We are very lucky.
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🤗yes
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Very cute. For some reason, I can’t “like” this post and some of other folk’s as well. Don’t know why but just know, I do like it.
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That’s okay. Appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
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Enjoy that delivery! Quite envious, we have no home delivery here
Stay healthy, both of you!
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Thanks. We’re being sensible. So far, all good. Stay well, stay sane, stay home.
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I’m lucky enough to qualify for home delivery, Peggy. Some non-gluten things I get from the Health Food Shop though. It was only by sheer chance I bought 3 packs of (breakfast) puffed millet from the health food shop the week before lockdown. I so rarely go out these days, when I do, I tend to buy extra items from the Health Food Shops. Most things I can get online from the supermarket.
I dread to think of going to the shops again though. With an upgrade to my heart condition (to severe) and 2 new heart problems found last October, I doubt if I would survive the coronaviris. The last time I had a bad cough/virus was about 3 years ago starting on Easter Friday. I had been to the local library and done about 7-8 errands on my ‘to do’ list at the local shopping centre on the Thursday before Easter and I’m sure I picked it up that day.
It felt as though my chest would split in two each time I coughed. Once I started making some home-made chicken soup with lots of fresh garlic (2 bulbs, at least, in each batch) and fresh ginger, I started to improve more quickly.
I also remember the flu epidemic of 2004. I was the only person in my office who caught it, but I can well remember how ill I was. I was working for a private boarding school at the time and 1100 out of 1800 students were home ill. Some classes had only 2 students.
Remember Mr. Whippy the icecream truck jingle? I heard that music in the street at the top of my hill for the first time in 50 years last week. I actually wondered if a Mr Whippy icecream truck was travelling around the streets again.
I wish there was more than milk or eggs home delivered each day (as in your area). Would give some work to the jobless (in normal times let alone this pandemic lockdown). Fresh bread might be a good food staple to home deliver too. And how about veggie/fruit boxes like many organic producers have in ordinary days in recent years?
The more you think about it, the more possibilities. Bring back the 1950s.
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Oh yes, Vicki, there are loads of possibilities. In addition to milk and eggs, our milko also delivers cream, cheese, bread (from the local bakery) and fresh apple juice (in season). glad you qualify for home delivery. I’d be surprised if you didn’t. A friend (in her 70s) who lives north of Sydney has found a green grocer who will deliver. Thinking of you in these uncertain times.
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Thanks for your thoughts, Peggy.
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I must have a high IQ as we are still having ttrouble buying them!
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Thank goodness I bought a large packet of toilet paper before all this silliness began.
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That cartoon is hilarious. And life certainly has become cartoonish, hasn’t it. I’ve seen people at the supermarket, so smug with their carts overflowing with TP and other hoarded items. I’m embarrassed buying one package of TP these days. There should be a blog for Covid19 shaming, where you can post photos of obnoxious people. Like those hilarious pet shaming blogs. We may as well find humor in it. 😂
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I love your idea. Toilet paper shaming videos! Long overdue. Luckily I haven’t had to buy toilet paper because I bought a large pack before all this silliness began.
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We haven’t used the supermarkets delivery yet for over 70s! But we have used Canberra Eats new service to deliver us a meal from Kopi Tiam in Manuka. Very good. Trying to arrange for one takeaway meal a week with our neighbour to try to keep the restaurants going.
Coincidentally our neighbour just received 9 precious rolls of Kleenex toilet paper (for complicated reasons my essential supplier) from another neighbour for $8 at Coles. He offered to sell them to me if I ran short at $2 a roll. I may have to take him up on this.
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Oh for heaven’s sake. If I had Kleenex brand, I’d give you a couple of rolls.
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He wasn’t being serious!
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Good to know.
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yes, if…in NYC almost close to impossible…almost…u must keep trying until something opens up. be well and continue…
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I went to the supermarket yesterday. No toilet paper (luckily I didn’t need any) and yet the milk got delivered last night as usual. Stay well, stay sane, stay home!
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but no “like” no toilet paper. be well. continue…
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Egads, the stuff is manufactured in Australia and supply really shouldn’t be an issue. I don’t understand the weirdos who feel the need to hoard it. But there was a great story the other day. A fellow organised a team of 20 people to buy 132 packs of toilet paper and 150 bottles of sanitiser. Ebay shut down his sale page so he tried to return it all to the supermarket. He’s how ‘sitting’ on $10,000 worth of TP and hand sanitiser. No pity from me.
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I am a Hoarder of TP! I have enough to last for months and months; the 2 ply, the cartoon bear brand that starts with a “C” LOL. If anyone really needs TP, the can just Google or go to YouTube (type in “Toilet Paper Alternatives”) and see many alternative choices… plus other related TP information.
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In your case, I’m glad you are a hoarder. I don’t want you venturing into the wilds of New York City unless you absolutely have to.
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Great post! Thanks for the read 🙏🏾
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Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
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I LOVE the cartoon Peggy! LOL. After 3 weeks I finally got the last 18 pack of TP at Walmart. I was waiting for someone to pry the package out of my hands. They’d have to be cold and dead for that to happen. haha.
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That cartoon makes me laugh every time I look at it. I keep thinking I should buy a pack of toilet paper (down to the last four rolls). Apparently the cutthroat behaviour has subsided here, but I won’t know until I try.
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Hi Peggy! I have been thinking of you all often and have been reminded of your situation recently by a sixth grade blogger, who had a long film segment on her blog of Australia’s fires. The pandemic has pushed the environmental tragedies to the side. Here’s hoping you are well and in a process to recover in this difficult time.
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I must say 2020 have been a wild year, dishing out all sorts of challenges. We are doing well. Canberra has had 74 cases and 3 deaths. There’s been one new case in the last 10 days, so the city feels quite safe. I still have plenty of toilet paper. Hope all is well with you.
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Wild year, indeed. It’s finally a little warmer and Spring is slowly rolling along. The grass in the park is greening. That’s heartening to see. All in all we have a lower rate of infection. In particular lower than our neighbor state Wisconsin where a judge would not allow mail in voting to be extended and people had to go in person to vote. Hard to hear, but each state’s government goes their own way. We are very fortunate in our state to have the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, plus Medtronic Corporation. These are world class research health Institutions. Mayo is already testing with recovered patients’ plasma to help Covid patients recover faster. I am hopeful because there are so many people who are working to solve the problem of covid19. Stay well. 😀
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I have a lot of family connections to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Glad your governor is using her smarts. How lovely to see the grass getting greener. We’re moving into winter. B-r-r-r-r-r! Stay well, stay sane, stay home!
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thank you so much for this post. if you want to read different kinds of poetry and poems like love poems sad poems romantic poetry and poems button and slam poetry so please visit my website.
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Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. I see you are the king of poems.
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The toilet paper cartoon is the smartest I saw. Here as well people went ballistic with food shopping and baking powder and flour are still difficult to find like they would home make bread every day🙄
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People here are still crazy about toilet paper, flour, yeast, rice etc. Such craziness?
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Flour and yeast here too….crazy crazy crazy
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I had to go to three stores this week to find eggs and only one of them had toilet paper. Crazy!
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By next week, I will have to buy toilet paper. Hope it’s readily available in the stores by then.
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Good luck! Today Aldi had the softer kind, last week they only had the paper thin “Scott’s” kind. I wanted to buy the softer stuff but thought that was being a bit of a spoiled brat. I’ll wait until I need it.
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Good plan. I’m also waiting for the brand I prefer.
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I f I did not say it before, I am saying it now. Cute, fun post Peg! Keep well and safe!
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Thanks. Glad you like the post. We’re doing great. Staying well, staying home, staying sane.
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I appreciate your suggestions. The way to go Peggy! ❤️❤️❤️👍
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Enjoyed the write-up, and loved the cartoon. Thanks.
Do visit my website and give your views:
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Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. Appreciate the links to your blog.
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I, too enjoyed the post, and the cartoon! With this crisis going on, online shopping is becoming even more popular! Please check out my site:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/a_new_view
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Good luck with your site. I still do very little online shopping.
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meanwhile, your country is going about dealing with this pandemic far more sensibly and efficiently than we are here in the USA. We are being tossed to the trash by an evil, selfish imbecile. I came from FDR thru Eisenhower, Kennedy, Obama and now this vile clown. wow! continue…
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My heart breaks for everything that is happening in the USA. I have so many family members and friends there (you included). All so terrible to watch from afar. Stay well, stay home, stay sane.
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Here in the UK, against my wife’s wishes as she didn’t foresee any problems with shortages, several weeks before the shortages began I ordered a 48 pack ot toilet rolls from Amazon along with half a dozen packs of instant coffee. At the supermarket I bought half a dozen extra tins of tomatoes, baked beans, and extra couple of packets of pasta and rice, and a handful of other items. I didn’t fill my shopping trolley and empty shelves, and it was all done well in advance to make sure we had enough “essentials” should there be any problems.
Fortunately, most items in the UK are now back on the shelves and we are using our extra items in rotation, but we usually keep enough canned/packet goods in to last a few weeks.
It’s not just for us I was concerned, but for my wife’s 2 kids and their families in case they ran out of stuff, as well as her Mother in her 80’s who is housebound.
I hope that those people who have been buying up everything in sight with the hope of selling them on eBay etc for a fat profit get left with them! I think we have just been sensible, and fortunate enough to have had enough money to overshop a little before the shelves emptied.
The biggest problem here wasn’t the unavailability of goods, but the fact that the shelves were being emptied before they could be refilled. Fortunately that panic seems to be over, for now at least.
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Hi Tony, your approach sounds so sensible. Our supermarket shelves are almost back to normal. Like you, I have a hefty pantry, so didn’t need to buy much. I bought toilet paper on Saturday for the first time since this all began.
I loved the story about the greedy fellow in South Australia. He organised a team of people to buy 132 packs of toilet paper and 150-litre bottles of hand sanitiser. Luckily, Ebay shut down his sale site and he’s now stuck with $10,000 worth of the stuff. Justice is sweet.
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Oh love that story, serves them right! I understand from friends in the USA that they are still struggling to find essential items, but then I don’t think the supply chain has been as good there. The big turnabout here was when the stores started to limit how many of certain items you could buy, and then they also limited the number of people in a store at any one time. That gave staff time to restock the shelves.
It was a struggle for several weeks though when there was no toilet paper, kitchen rolls, tissues, hand soap, paracetemol, pasta, rice, eggs, flour etc. All good now though.
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The same happened here until the stores limited purchases on certain items and limited the number of people in stores. Some limits are still in place. Luckily, I was well-stocked on every count.
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What he had to say last night is very depressing. It doesn’t seem as though a defense against Coronavirus will be developed anytime soon.
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I think you’re right, any tools to combat the virus are a long way off.
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I’m late coming into this converstaion but I can say we all seem to have been going through the same craziness. Supermarkets where we live (near Lincoln, UK) have had similar problems with home delivery and queuing. I have to be honest and say that my husband’s a dreadful hoarder anyway, and he’s been doing most of our shopping for the past year, so we were already more than well stocked when the whole coronavirus started. Glad to know you and yours are keeping safe and well, Peggy.
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Hoarders have hit the jackpot this year. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I know you’ve had a very busy time.
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Peggy, we used to have milk delivered, but since moving house the service is no longer available. We usually do our food shopping every 10 days, our local supermarket is well stocked up and we have not experienced any shortages…not even for toilet paper. Cool cartoon!! I am a subscriber to your blog, but recently I have not received your posts. Not sure why, so I have subscribed again.
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Confession. I haven’t posted for two months so that may be why you haven’t received a notification. Just lost the inspiration, but hope to get going this week. Glad your supermarket has been well stocked. A credit to your community for not being crazy shoppers.
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So lucky we can get home delivery of all sorts here. but i wonder, as this thing spreads, for how long the food supply lines will hold. let us hope this thing can be contained…i know you guys in Oz are doing a far better job that the idiot we have here. so…anyway, be well and continue…
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Home delivery is becoming quite common these days, and I suspect it will continue. We aren’t having food supply issues and prices haven’t rocketed. And yes, Australia is doing quite well.
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It’s been a terrifying year the virus brought heartbreaks, deaths and delay i wish the world gets redeemed. the world needs to be as one to fight this common enemy COVID-19
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Yes, it is a common enemy and you’re right that the world needs to be as one.
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Hi Peggy, nice to know you’re quite well. We have met in 2012 in Bariloche, Argentina. I was with my wife and my elder kid that was a baby at that time. You were such a lovely and interesting person. Best regards from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Oh wow, how amazing that you found me. Thanks so much for letting me know you are here. I hope you and your family are doing well, especially in these unusual times.
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Milk delivery. Woohoo! The last time I had that experience, I was staying in New Zealand in 1976. 🙂 Just saying… (grin) –Curt
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You and Peggy are most welcome to visit here and have milk delivery in the 2020s!
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I never believed in online deliveries but now almost everything is online shopping. It’s convenient but not the same as going to the stores but of course safety comes first. 😳
Cheers.
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I buy very little online. Still going to the farmer’s market and supermarket, but being very careful. My city, Canberra, has been lucky through all this.
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That’s so cool. As long as we follow basic safety guidelines it’s fine. Cheers 🙋♂️🍀
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Hope you remember me, Peggy. I have been in and out of the hospital. I am 68 and my husband is 81 so we have been on lock down since March. We are very fortunate that my Aid and Physical therapist are also our best friends. They have been carefully shopping for us.
And Amazon – Well, I wish we bought stock in it years ago! We have spent thousands there. 🙂 Thank God we have all we need. I am unable to get out and help my elderly neighbors. I pray for them and for all that is going on now in the U. S.
Between the protests, riots, Covid, and our upcoming presidential election and devisive people, we are living in extraordinary times.
Thank you for sharing. ❤
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Oh Nancy, of course I remember you. It’s great to see you posting. I read on your blog that you had been in and out of hospital. So glad you have had someone to shop for you. Australia has been quite lucky through all this. We locked down early and have very few new cases. I agonise for my family and friends in the USA in these disturbing times. Stay well, stay home and stay sane!
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I’ve learned what’s been in the back of my cupboards!
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Me too. The cupboards are looking the barest they have been since they were installed in 1989.
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Dear Peggy, I don’t know why but I haven’t been getting notifications when you post. So I feel so guilty whenever you comment on mine and I seem to ignore yours. About hoarding. I am guilty. Because I live on my own I was worried that the lockdown was going to be total. So I went out to the Shepparton Outlet shop in Ballarat and bought red, yellow and lima by the dozen and powdered milk and pasta because I thought we’d be locked up for ever. But as it happened I had a supermarket within walking distance and I could duck out to get things quite easily. It was the uncertainty in the beginning and believing I was on my own. But in the end, the lockdown worked and we are now better off than most countries. I bet you worry about your friends in the US. They are having Hell for want of a more relevant word.
Lots of love from Ballarat.
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Don’t worry about hoarding. I reckon we’re in for a second or third wave. You’ll be glad you have stuff on hand. Stay well, stay home, stay sane. The US is in the firing line.
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Thanks Peggy. I am sane. I’m writing a book and the heroine has taken on a life of her own and I don’t know how to handle her.
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Heroines can be hard to control. And that’s a good thing.
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Lost sock woes – hilarious!!! (Please do not come true!)
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So far this winter (yes it’s winter in Australia), I have managed to keep my socks in pairs.
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Southern California here – nearly always some shade of summer. Warm and dry, hot and dry, hot and windy, extremely hot, fire danger, hot gusty winds, hot and muggy-and-unusual-for-California, (ha!) too hot to breathe. Should I ever wear socks, I leave it up to them to get back in the drawer. Unlikely I’ll need them again any time soon.
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I rather like having four seasons, but I prefer a short winter. Not so good at cold any more.
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Ha ha! Nice cartoon to end the post. Reading it as I am 3 months after you wrote it, hopefully, the hoarders have run out of energy to hoard and shelves are again full of stuff. Of course, it seems like we are living on a different planet as compared to early March. Stay safe!
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In the last two weeks, the state of Victoria has had a large spike in the number of Covid cases, and people have started to hoard again. The supermarkets across the country are once again limiting the amount you can buy of certain things. Complete craziness. You stay safe too.
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Nice cartoon. I like. Iam interested
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It is a fun cartoon. Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
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Home delivery is a real life saver these days! But I agree shops are getting bombarded with orders. I just ordered books (which has nothing to do with groceries or the virus) and even that took 2 weeks to arrive.
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Deliveries here are taking time too. Luckily the milk and eggs continue to arrive every Tuesday and Thursday.
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Funny about the cartoons. I wonder if you have any 2021 posts? I have searched but none? I hope you both are well and let me know what country you are now in. I am not always on WP since covid came as I have my other media sites please check me out on Youtube PinoySwiss abroad and you will see lots of covid free travels there. Say Hi too please thanks!
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Hi there, thanks for stopping by. You’re right. I haven’t posted in 2021. I really must get back to writing, but haven’t been in the mood. That said, I have plenty of old travels to write about. We are currently in Australia. Cancelled four trips last year. I’ll look for your YouTube site.
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Coucou
Merci pour ce super partage
En temps de COVID, c’est vraiment essentiel
Bone journée
Bisous
Anita
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Thanks Anita. We are very lucky to have our milk and eggs delivered.
Bisous, Peggy
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