What Am I Doing During The Pandemic?

Above is a storm just passing by my location in very rural Utah.  I thought it was headed directly for us this morning and and as noon approached I knew it would miss us.  I used my radar app but without much radar coverage in southern Utah you can’t see it coming.

The Corona Virus is analogous to a storm without radar, to know exactly where it is and where and when it will hit.  I also know that if that one storm doesn’t hit our camp, the next one could be the one.

Being a Fire Chief / Emergency Management Director for 15 years, I have worked through some life altering situations/storms.  Their impact were of short duration, of a week or so.  I follow so many news outlets on a daily basis that when I heard that the US had its first case of indirect contact of the virus being transmitted, 

I knew then our lives would never be the same.  I gathered my two vandwelling friends to discuss and I knew that I had a couple weeks to decide on a plan to live through the pandemic as long as possible before getting the virus myself.

My two friends and I formed an alliance to protect ourselves and each other.  What I didn’t realize was making that commitment to others drives a protective behavior.  Not one of us wants to be responsible for getting the virus and giving it to another.  We are as critical with ourselves as we are with each other.  We are a collective of self and joint overseers.  We have found holes in each other’s logic at times about risk of exposure.  We discuss the feedback and take responsibility for being part of the solution.

We have gotten to the point we may talk to ourselves to remember what we do something in advance or after the fact.

We collectively take anything into our care only after we have sanitized it.

I personally count the 6 sides of boxes, like crackers and as I sanitize each side I count to six.  I also remove my credit card from my wallet before going into store to prevent contamination of the wallet to open it as I approach the counter.  I use my credit card for as much as I can, but small items may take cash.  When I use cash I donate the change.  I take the bills and put in zip loc bag for later decontamination.

Are we crazy? No. We are obsessed though with protecting each other.  

We are concerned about going in grocery stores, but when your a Vandweller, there are not many options to this.  We maintain distances when we can, but the big thing is everything we take from the store is considered contaminated.  Yes! Everything!

Above is a bottle bought at Walmart that I put 91% alcohol in it to spray surfaces.

Therefore, oranges and bananas and other fruit to peal are contaminated and must be sanitized, way before being eaten.  It is done at the time it enters our clean space..  Fresh vegetables are are sanitized and not eaten unless cooked at over 160 deg F. 

What do we get in return for being obsessed about such things is we can socialize in close proximity, like my pop up FWC camper.

We watch news, eat together, discuss our days and so on.  We are all in 3 separate vehicles doing our own things when we want and doing joint things when we like.  We are a community with our commitment to each other.  

We are social creatures and our outside contacts are via social media.  

This doesn’t mean this is a perfect solution for other Vandwellers, but it is the system we created and one that works for us.  We also have someone else around in case something else happens to you.  I fell this year and dislocated my shoulder and I was very thankful for having friends with me.

Stay safe all.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com