Since everyone I know seems to be stuck at home I thought it might be fun to talk about what we are doing to keep ourselves and our doodles occupied during this challenging time. I would also love to get some new ideas about what to do with both myself and the dogs.
So far I have:
Pooper scooper'd the yard better than ever before.
Played scent work outside with the dogs
Combed and brushed all the dogs
Downloaded a season of a mindless guilty pleasure TV show from Amazon
Ordered a 5D gem by number art thing from Amazon.
Eaten everything
Driven through the automatic car wash a couple times.
Continued to procrastinate on laundry.
And I'm a homebody! I like to stay home. It's just the psychological effect of knowing that I *have* to stay home that's hard. Just like when you think of all the things you need to go do when there's a snow day. I can't imagine how all of the extroverts are taking this. I think the unknown duration also makes it challenging. First we are going to "socially distance" ourselves for a couple weeks. Now my state has canceled all classes through the end of this school year! I just got notification that my Scent Work trial at the end of April has been postponed until the end of June. Don't get me wrong, I know this is important. But I also think it's okay to feel disappointed about the things that we're missing, and worried about some of the fall out.
Let's keep one another company!
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I'm retired and home much of the time anyway, so things are pretty much normal for me, lol. I'm still going to stores when I need something; today I went to the pet supply store and GNC. Yesterday I took Jasper to the dog park. 4 people, 4 dogs. We humans practiced social distancing. The dogs, not so much. :D
I am tackling a few household chores I've been putting off, like cleaning the blinds. They were furry.
Hahaha...there's no point in cleaning hairless blinds!
I read today that dog fur can carry the virus--I have no idea if anything about that has been proven or if someone was just making it up, but the idea of a dog park might not be a good one.. I did some yard work and ended up picking off two deer ticks--yuck! Its bad enough we have to avoid the virus but now ticks too! I am removing the wallpaper in a bathroom, which is a slow tedious job and should help to keep me busy over the next month or so--will be painting the walls, so there is a lot to do and this seems like the right time to do it. My dogs are older and they sleep a lot, so they are just happy to go out to the yard with me or sleep near the bathroom while I peel the paper away bit by bit. My problem is that I miss my kids and grandkids so much--and not having any idea when I will see them again is making me very sad....having my three doodles for company helps..I have a hubby home with me too--but he is not much company!!
I hate ticks!!! But it sounds like you have a project! Removing wallpaper is up there at the top of my list of worst projects ever, so good luck! One of the things I looked for in this house was no wallpaper. I spent a year, I think removing it from my old house! It was awful.
Can you facetime your people? It's awful. The thing that breaks my heart is the idea of the elderly in nursing homes, and their families can't visit. It's just so incredibly sad.
so true--I have a mother-in-law who is 91 and is assisted living and hoping we will visit soon--not going to happen--and a neighbor in a nursing home who I was visiting every other day--I just wrote her a letter and mailed it with a card and will do that once a week--its hard for the family to not be able to check on these older folks too--sometimes, things need attention! I can face time but my new granddaughter is only 4 months old and I will miss a lot of milestones.
Before the big social distancing recommendation, I quit bringing Boca into the office out of fear that my clients would pass things on her fur. I'm glad I did that. There's a lot of emotion and face touching in my office. And A LOT of petting (wiping hands on) Boca. At least I am now mostly home with her as I work!
From the Washington Post:
"...
based on available evidence, there’s little reason to avoid petting, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. (If practicing social distancing, make sure the owner is on the other end of a leash at least six feet long.)
“We’re not overly concerned about people contracting covid-19 through contact with dogs and cats,” said Gail Golab, the AVMA’s chief veterinary officer.
Environmental contamination via surfaces appears to be a secondary route of transmission, and “the virus survives best on smooth surfaces, such as countertops and doorknobs,” Golab said. “Porous materials, such as pet fur, tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contract them through touch.”
Here is what I just found:
Environmental contamination via surfaces appears to be a secondary route of transmission, and “the virus survives best on smooth surfaces, such as countertops and doorknobs,” Golab said. “Porous materials, such as pet fur, tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contract them through touch.”
Because other diseases are known to spread between people and animals, the association recommends that people always wash their hands before and after dog petting.
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Yeah, I'm really not worried about getting anything from my friends' dogs, lol.
Why are you not seeing your children or grandchildren, though? They're not saying that families can't see each other in one another's homes. I mean, my daughter and grandson live with me. What's the difference?
If they live with you, you do not have to worry about where they have been if they are staying home--if they do go out, like if your daughter goes out to work, she should change her clothes and shower when she comes home...
BUT, my kids are not close by and one is a doctor--he was supposed to come home for Easter but would not dare take a chance of exposing us--and now he can not travel more than 100 miles from his hospital just in case. My older daughter is a veterinarian so she is working, but mostly with cows on dairy farms--she has the two kids that are our only grandchildren, but she is very afraid that she might be exposed to it somehow and infect us--as people over 60, she does not want us to get it. My second daughter is working from home and is the "safest" but just last week, she went to a choir rehearal and now one of the women there has the virus--so much for safe!
So, they won't be visiting for the duration of this pandemic and that makes me sad!