Masks have become the issue du jour here. We may be allowed out after May 11th if we are wearing one. 'The Font' goes to place an order at the local pharmacy. The three pharmacists are standing behind the counter. There is no one else around.They have upgraded from cotton face masks to yellow tinted plastic face shields that come down to their chins. This gives them the look of affable blast furnace workers. It also makes conversation difficult. You can speak to them but their reply comes across as a strangulated waah waah sound. 'You won't be allowed out without one' the chief pharmacist seems to say. There again he could have said almost anything. 'The Font' is none the wiser.
Humans may be bristling under the constraints of lockdown but the canine world is delighted that their family is on duty 24/7. Unrestricted walks, ear scrunches and quality kitchen time. What could be better ?
The first poppies of the year suddenly and flamboyantly appearing in the verges.
At the right time of the day even a daisy can glow magisterially in the first of the suns rays.
The best thing to have come out of lockdown ? : https://www.facebook.com/ultra106five/videos/641919023256864/
19 comments:
I think I prefer today's wildflower shots rather than the fisheye version - the daisy is very elegant. Masks are an interesting topic. People in Japan wear them as a matter of course, sometimes to avoid allergies, sometimes just because they don't feel like putting on makeup or want to avoid social interactions. I find them uncomfortable, both physically and psychologically, and have never used one until recently. The theory with the virus is that the mask you wear will not protect you (unless it is medical grade) but it may protect the other guy, so if we both wear one, we are protecting each other. Once I got that through my head, I started to feel guilty not wearing one and now that I am wearing one, I find myself getting annoyed at others (mostly Western men, anecdotally) who don't. We still can't be sure whether they are working, as the numbers in Japan are not reliable. They have even gone down a bit in Tokyo over the past few days, but at the same time the government of Osaka is soliciting unused raincoats from its citizenry for use as PPE. We are about to escape to the seashore for a few days - this is the first time Cherry's been well enough for Frisbee in quite a long while. She now associates getting in the car with going to the vets, but when the light goes on in her head where we're going this time, she's going to be a happy girl.
The research on the masks seems to be that they are, as Lisa notes, a good barrier against germs going out, and depending on the material, also a barrier against germs coming in on droplets. The aerosols are the big question--how fine are they and how far do they float is still up in the air (ha ha). We all let fly some aerosols when speaking but the worst is when we're intubated--not a situation most of us need to worry about, and the risk is on the person doing the intubating vs. the recipient. Even surgeons don't wear the fancy masks, and homemade fabric masks are supposed to be just as good as surgical masks. The surgical masks are lighter weight, which makes sense to reserve them for medical workers who have to wear them all the time while working. For going out to run errands, a homemade cotton mask isn't so uncomfortable. What I don't like is that nobody can see if you're smiling. I think it will lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Even my husband can't get masks for his chemotherapy sessions. There just aren't enough to go around.
Here is a link to instructions for simple no-sew DIY masks (in the video at the top, but good explanations in the article): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/well/live/coronavirus-face-masks-guides-protection-personal-protective-equipment.html?searchResultPosition=6
Even a humble flower looks great close up! The videos being produced during lockdown are great. So many talented people out there.
Hari OM
A genuine smile causes the eyes to twinkle and the ears to lift. Though there is definitely lots of conflicting thinking about the wearing of masks, overall, as long as they are properly cleaned after each wearing, the benefits will outweigh the negatives - and there are some wonderful home made designs going around! YAM xx
Good to see flowers, however mundane, especially ones like knapweed which won't appear here in Scotland for months!
As for masks, I am anxiously waiting for a design suitable for those of us with year-round runny noses...
Cheers, Gail.
Ha! Thank you! The Family Lockdown Boogie made me smile this morn. That reminds me, I need to come up with a clever homemade mask for a facebook competition amongst friends tomorrow. Be well!
Good thing Sophie doesn't have to wear a mask. Creating one to fit that magnificent schnoz of hers would be a challenge.
Outstanding daisy photo.
haha we love that video. They made it here in our town and are locals! NZ is doing well we think with numbers falling and only 19 testing positive today and we are looking to step down from lockdown hopefully next week. So no masks for us now, but things will take a long time to get back to normal.
Unfortunately I couldn't get the video to play.
Yesterday, for the first time since before lockdown, I went into town. I took Inca to the vet for one of her annual shots, went the ATM, and then decided to drive along past Lidl. About 20 or so cars in the car park. As we're allowed only one person in a car, the supermarket was quiet and the social distancing seemed to be working well. Almost everyone was wearing a mask, and we all wore gloves which we'd picked up at the entrance. It's the first time I've been out of the house, other than the twice daily dog walk, since lockdown - so something of a novel experience! I found it quite amusing, as well as reassuring, that in almost every car I passed, the driver wore a mask. We all looked like bank robbers!
Like Lisa, I found the mask extremely uncomfortable, and every time I put my head down, it rode up over my eyes!
Lovely close-ups of Sophie and the daisy.
Is it weird that I still wear lipstick under my mask?
We are living through the mask debate here too. Time will tell what is recommended.
I have never seen Sophie look so happy! Gorgeous pics of her.
She has her flock with her 24/7. What's not to like ?
Standards must be maintained !
People wear them in cars here when driving alone . What's the point of that ?
Lockdown seems to be fraying a little at the edges here. Haven't seen a car in weeks and now four pass us this morning.
NZ has done really well.
And a mask would make foraging in the grass verges difficult.
The only practical masks we've found are those in DIY stores to be worn when applying glue. Large enough to cover the nose and strong enough not to be inhaled every time you try to speak.
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