On last Thursday
(the day after I posted) we received another delivery for the food
ordered. Again cans were dented – 5 of the 8 cans we received. I
am sure I have mentioned that we don't ordinarily order things –
and this is one of the things we worry about.
After
we dealt the delivery on Thursday husband decided that it was time to
go to the supermarket. His logic was that if we went during dinner
time (around 6 pm) there would be less people there. Yes, we could
go to the special hours for those who are older or at risk, but we
are not morning people – we are barely asleep at 6 am when most of
the special hours start. We have a Walmart Neighborhood Market at
which we normally do a good deal of our food shopping. It is a
supermarket and related items – no clothing, gardening etc. He
went online and checked that items he planned to buy were in stock –
they were.
He
had me bring a can of Lysol spray and used it spray the cart – good
idea (no, no one was wiping the carts off and even if they were –
we had to bring from the parking lot to the store and would have had
to touch it to do so). His plan was that I would push the cart and
he would put the food in it – both wearing gloves of course. There
was no one at the door counting people in and out as we expected
there to be – nor anyone checking that we had masks on (we did).
The store when we went in was emptier than the Walmart we had gone to
for our medications looked from where we parked and looking in the
exit doorway. There were directional markings on the floor, but so
small I did not notice them and husband did not notice them until the
second aisle we went through.
I
had thought we were just there for “cold” items – but our first
stop was soup – as he looked for and found some varieties which had
not been available online – and the cans were not dented. People
ignored the 6 foot rule – and even bumped into us. (Okay, this was
the first aisle and we were going in the wrong direction – but
still – walk into people when there is room to pass them by at
least 2 feet?)
We
then headed to the meat department. We normally buy regular foods –
not organic. Only chicken breasts they had were organic – so we
bought organic – 2 packages of 5 breasts each – a reasonable
amount under the circumstances. Next some whole chickens caught
husband's eye. “Can you cook a chicken?” I shrugged. “I
guess it must be the same as turkey – just less time.” We bought
a chicken – He was going for two, but I was concerned that maybe it
wasn't the same roasting a turkey.
This
led us into the freezer department. He added a number of frozen
entrees for families that we had bought before - just not this many.
I found the frozen vegetables – they had green peas and green
beans that we needed (bought multiple bags of course – they are
small), but no carrots. We did find frozen mixed vegetables which
included same and I needed them for stews – so figured that was
good and bought 2 bags of them. He also bought 2 boxes of frozen
fried fish – something I don't eat.
As
we headed over to the cheese and hot dogs aisle he stopped in the
canned vegetables aisles – not really any vegetables we were
looking for left – except – canned potatoes. He had looked
online to order them and there had been none listed for delivery or
pickup in store. We bought 6 cans, they are great in stews. We
continued on – he bought 3 packages of 16 hot dogs – I did not
point out that at 2 hot dogs for dinner once a week for him – that
was 24 weeks worth of hot dogs. (I used to love hot dogs, but became
ill after having them once and since then – it is not even easy for
me to smell the while I cook them for him.) Added some American
cheese and real cheese without whey that can he eat. He found one
package of chicken strips similar to the chicken patties I eat when
he has the hot dogs, close enough and one is better than none. Also
bought 2 packages of presliced packaged turkey – good for dinner or
lunch.
Then
he headed to the household items. He uses baby shampoo to wash and
finish the pieces he weaves and need more. He has been getting some
weaving done while we are in the house – just set up his loom to
weave 2 dish towels – something he has not woven before, but seem
to be popular. A quick stop in the plastic bag aisle to pick up more
zip bags in different sizes and we started for the check out. Our
cart was the most full of any cart we have had in 40 years of
marriage – more than when I would buy for Thanksgiving dinner for
our two families and my regular weekly shopping at the same time. I
was feeling good – he had overcome his fear of going out and we
would probably not need to buy meat again for several months.
As
we approached the checkout he turned pale – he did not feel good –
really bad in fact. I told him to go to the car and wait. I checked
out. Also had the biggest priced order we have ever had. I went out
to the car he was terrible looking sitting in the driver's seat. He
pushed the button to unlock the back hatch door so I could put in 9
large bags of groceries. (I had made sure to put all the cold items
at the front of the order so those items would be bagged together for
when we arrived home.) The parking lot was on an incline. I was
holding the cart with one hand and trying to open the car hatch with
the other and it was not opening. I finally managed to wedge a foot
around a wheel so I could use both hands to open the back. He had to
drive home as otherwise he would have been sicker.
When
we arrived home sent him upstairs to lie down in bed. When we bring
things such as food into the house (including the orders when we
received them) I have been wiping them off in the porch with alcohol
sprayed on pieces of paper towel and handing them in the door to him
– he would then put them either in the fridge or a large towel
layed out on the kitchen table until I could decide where to put
them. Since he was not there I spread the towel on a small counter
between the door and fridge. I brought a bag of cold food into the
porch and started each item off and putting it on the towel – I had
to stack items on each other. When all the cold items were in the
house. I ran upstairs to check on husband.
He
had tested his blood sugar and it was low. Apparently between the
excitement/anxiety of being out and having trouble breathing through
the mask – he had burned off the blood sugar he had and low blood
sugar added to the trouble the breathing and anxiety made him ill. I
brought up a bottle of a sugared drink he uses when he has a low and
when he finished it, I left him to go to sleep.
I
looked at what was on the counter – I was not sure it all would fit
in the freezer where just about all would need to be stored. For the
moment I stacked the already frozen items in the freezer – it just
fit – and stacked the cold. Not frozen items in the fridge. I then
went out and brought in a bag of non- cold items at a time and
repeated the process of wiping the items down and putting them on the
towel on the counter until all of them were in the house. (Having
also done this earlier in the day with 4 cartons of food delivered I
was exhausted.)
I
looked at the clock and it was close to 8:45 pm. I went up and
checked on husband – he was between sleep and awake and not yet
ready to get up and come downstairs. I went back down and wondered –
after getting all this food delivered or purchased and stored –
what to make us for dinner as he would need to eat SOON. I started
water boiling and added some pasta – I figured it was easy on the
stomach and would give him carbs to offset his low blood sugar. At
around 9:15 I checked with him again – he realized we needed to eat
and I told him what I had done – he was unsure, but willing to try.
He came down and was able to eat and agreed it was a good choice. We
then also had some of the presliced turkey in sandwiches for dinner.
We
could relax a bit – we now have plenty of food for a long time –
well at least until he comes up with something else we need.
Oh
– On Friday the last of the orders was delivered – including 8
pristine cans – no dents – why? These were packed in their
cardboard base with shrink plastic holding them in place and small
plastic pillow filled air around them to keep them from denting –
the other cans had some pieces of paper as the only packing around
them and the other food in the cartons and they bounced around –
though at least 2 of them had to be dented when packed from the
extent of the dents.
THOUGHT
OF THE WEEK -
Fear
is a problem if it stops us from doing something we need to do (or
even really like to do). I was so glad that he overcame his fear.
Generally our fear is worse than the thing we are afraid of. I am
glad that we were able to go out food shopping for the first time
since mid-March – next time we know what to expect and it will be
easier.
Everyone
– hoping you and your family stay well.
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