Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[SnapdragonQ]

Spent the day cooking and trying to recover from being stressed out all the time. :T I learned how to make egg custard from scratch, and a lactose free version with coconut milk that's super easy and tastes amazing.

A few people bailed on my holiday plan for tomorrow but that's understandable. We're going to put some games online to hang out with people from a distance if they want to. And we're still eating our fruit tart and twice baked honey cakes and planting seeds and celebrating even if it's just my household.

Would you mind sharing the recipe or a little more about the custard? My kiddo is super allergic to milk so we are an almond and coconut milk family. I make a semi custard semi tapioca that uses a lot of eggs, but have yet to try a traditional custard because I'm basically using the tapioca in place of the corn starch and I don't have to bake it.
I tried dutch babies with mixed results, but those are on my list to work on.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

LovingMyHens...thank you sooooo much for the resources!!

 

[blackandtan]

Would you mind sharing the recipe or a little more about the custard? My kiddo is super allergic to milk so we are an almond and coconut milk family. I make a semi custard semi tapioca that uses a lot of eggs, but have yet to try a traditional custard because I'm basically using the tapioca in place of the corn starch and I don't have to bake it.
I tried dutch babies with mixed results, but those are on my list to work on.

I use this one, no baking, it cooks in a pot in about 5 min. I use lactose free milk but I’ve also used it with almond milk with no problem

 

[igorsMistress]

There is one reason coronavirus is a big deal, as opposed to the deaths caused by treatable chronic and acute diseases like diabetes and influenza: coronavirus affects the rich and powerful.

Celebrities and the people we have in government now could not care any less about the 45,000 people a year who die because they don't have health insurance. They don't care how many people go bankrupt and become homeless due to medical debt. They don't care about all the kids and elderly people who die of the flu every year. That doesn't happen to their own kids and parents, because they have money, therefore, why would they care?

Now there is a virus that affects them too. I'm trying not to root for the virus. It's hard when our government is giving billions of dollars of our tax money to for-profit Pharma companies to develop a cure, and those companies have said out loud that they will not make the tests or treatment available to the poor. Thanks for giving my tax dollars to billionaires to save the lives of other billionaires. They are also giving TRILLIONS of dollars to banks right now. That money would be more than enough to forgive all student debt in America or to deal with our constant public health crises. It didn't even do anything and will never go towards helping regular Americans. All it does is make our currency worth less, making the average American a little poorer.

If someone knows a defense of that spending, I would like to hear it. Really. I don't understand how this is happening. Is it true that they are also currently cutting funding to Medicare and Medicaid?


We need medicare for all. I'm not asking for handouts. I'm asking for these corrupt Pharma people to stop using our tax dollars to develop medicine, and then marking it up to such a degree that huge portions of the population can't afford it. Should people be making profits by withholding life-saving medicine from the most vulnerable in our society? What is the good of having a government at all if it only hurts people and does nothing in their time of need? Our government seems to exist now only to help the rich.

This makes me think of the NBA and a guy I saw from CA I think. He said that the rich shouldn't get tested just because they can afford it.

 

[igorsMistress]

To me, that's the problem with Obamacare. Medicare for all is a much more radical step. I don't know enough about the complexities of our system to understand beyond: medicare for all cuts out the middle man (the health insurance companies). Health insurance companies would still exist, but they'd be for elective procedures. Everyone would have the amount of care required to keep them healthy and alive. It wouldn't be free, we would still have tax dollars pay hospitals and doctors and all that, but there wouldn't be an extra person to pay. Obviously insurance companies have to bring in a lot more money than they give out, in order to exist. That's not a good business model when lives are on the line, and nobody is regulating how much they can charge for things.

From what I understand, the current system is basically money laundering. Insurance companies tell hospitals what to charge for things, for example, $50 for a box of tissue paper, $100 for a bottle of Tylenol. Then they say to the patient, don't worry, we'll cover you... hey look at how much money you saved? But they were the ones who overinflated the price to begin with. And their deductibles make it so the patient is paying more than enough to cover the ACTUAL costs, so their premiums are really just lining the insurance companies pockets. Is that mostly correct? Again, I know just enough about this system to notice it seems corrupt, but I don't know any real details.

You have to look at the bills and make sure billing coded everything correctly, sad but true.

 

[2 many chickens]

Hello everyone, 78 cases today, jumping up and up everyday. Lawd.

 

[Trevorusn]

And yet, the snow is still falling and spring is "here" lol. This is not smallpox, this is not bubonic plague. We will be alright, it will pass. I'm more concerned about bumblefoot and wry neck than pandering to media fright mongering.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

So I've started rationing feed a little bit.
I posted on another thread about a week ago in regards to stretching feed in general. In the past when I would return home from selling at the farmer's market with some eggs that did not sell, I would hard boil them then mash those into some feed just to use them up, because my fridge was already full of eggs for ourselves.
(Yes, I would give eggs to those in need as well, but I had at one point 60 layers...so lots of eggs!)

I never noticed an appreciable drop in egg production but it did conserve feed even though that wasn't my goal. So now, to keep from having to go out just for feed, I'm starting to mix in some eggs before my feed stock gets low.
Though instead of hard boiling them I'm just mashing a few into some dry feed and letting it soak up the moisture, then feeding that...mashed shells and all, to the girls. I only have 12 chickens and a young roo right now but all are laying full steam ahead.
I've also started putting up the feeder at night to discourage any feed loss to mice.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

The latest update from TSC about 5 minutes ago:

(direct quote)
"Dear Neighbor,
With the rapid changes across the nation due to the coronavirus (COVID‐19), I wanted to update you on the proactive steps we are taking at Tractor Supply to serve you, your family and your animals' needs today and in the longer term.

We know you view Tractor Supply as critical to feeding and caring for your animals and pets, just as the grocery store is to your family's needs. We feel a tremendous responsibility to you, and knowing this, we are taking the following steps:

• We are adding Team Member hours in our stores to ensure we can provide legendary customer service.
• We are adjusting our store hours to ensure our Team Members are available to help you. We continue to be humbled and proud of our Team Members across the country and thank you for the kindness and care you are showing them. Effective Sunday, March 22, our revised hours are:
• • Monday — Saturday: 8 a.m.‐6 p.m.
  • Sunday: 9 a.m.‐6 p.m. (Sunday hours vary by store ‐ check online for your store's Sunday hours)
• We are increasing our inventory supply for essential products such as livestock feed, equine feed, pet food, water and propane.
• We are extending two weeks of paid leave to our Team Members if they are experiencing any concerning symptoms in order to ensure their health and well‐being as well as yours.
• To make shopping easier for you and to ensure your products will be waiting for you when you arrive, our website, TractorSupply.com is enabled with Buy Online Pickup In Store. Once you order, we will have the product waiting for you in an hour, and we can hold it for you for up to 2 days.

We are committed today, tomorrow and in the future to continue to be your most dependable retailer of choice so that you can continue living life on your terms. Thank you for your loyalty and support.

I hope you and your family remain safe and well."

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I really don't think the media is trying to pander "fright" to us. At the very heart of it, this is news and they are reporting it (it's what they do). Yes, they do have a tendency to be a little over the top, but take it with a grain of salt and a big dose of maturity. Few of us live in a vacuum so it is important to know that an epidemic is all around us and to take certain precautions. If you are convinced that this is no big thing, then you have the right to feel that way. Just be certain that your cavalier attitude doesn't spread the virus to those with compromised health issues. It's not the end of the world. And life will get back to normal after awhile. Stay healthy and safe.