Computer Chips and Ketchup...

This pandemic has been a really crazy time.  Our nation went from being outgoing and friendly to couped up in our homes and afraid to do anything besides disinfect anything that we touched, wash our hands many times a day and use a hand sanitizer when we cannot wash.  

We began wearing masks.  In the beginning, only surgical masks were good enough but once hospitals could no longer get masks for their staff because normal folks were buying up boxes and boxes of the surgical masks, homemade masks suddenly were okay to wear and ladies who could sew were making many, many homemade masks for the hospitals, family, friends, and neighbors.

Then there was a shortage of toilet paper AND paper towels.  Folks were going to the grocery store and warehouse stores and buying up large amounts of both commodities being faced with weeks or perhaps months of being confined to the homes with family members who were usually gone during the day and there was a significant fear of running out of the ability to wipe our butts!  (one word... bidet!)

Throughout the last year, we have had shortages of hand sanitizer because they had run out of bottles to put the stuff in.  We ran out of alcohol for cleaning.  Bleach became something to keep our eye out for.  Disinfecting wipes for surfaces like kitchen counters and bathroom surfaces became very hard to come by.  Facebook groups popped up to put out notices when a member came across any of these things.

I had ordered a freezer right around my birthday in June.  None of the stores in Fairbanks had a single freezer on their floor or in the warehouses to sell, as the people had purchased every one that was available not only in Alaska but all around the country.  They would sometimes show up on Facebook Marketplace from people who were moving and not taking them when they moved.  These generally were gone within hours of the posting. The one I ordered arrived just before Thanksgiving and it was not the one I had wanted, as the one I had ordered was discontinued and I did not get any of the surpluses as they went to other folks.  It was crazy!!!!

Applesauce was another thing that I could not get.  I would order it from the grocery store for pickup and week after week after week... and week after week after week I was told that they did not have any in stock.  Then I finally placed an order with about 6 different brands and sizes in the hopes of getting one, only to find that I got every bottle that I had ordered.  My only comfort is that I did not have to worry about my applesauce needs for the next several months!

I never would have thought that over a year after the first wave of COVID-19 hit that we would still be encouraged to in our homes, wearing masks has become just a way of life.  But here we are, wearing masks when we are around people that we are not sure about, we are using the disinfecting wipes in our kitchens, bathrooms that are shared with other people.  Things are beginning to open up a little.  Some too fast with new surges of cases of COVID showing up.  Some more slowly so that we can at least get food and items that we need or want to make our couped-up lives more liveable.  Funerals can now happen with limited numbers in attendance.  Big weddings have been reduced to smaller affairs.  Church services are happening with restrictions on numbers in the sanctuary and whether they can sing hymns or not.

Today CNN reports that we are now having a ketchup shortage.  It is not so much a shortage of the ketchup itself, but rather the little packets that are used in the fast food and casual dining places that the ketchup comes to the table.   Perhaps you should plan on taking a bottle of ketchup from home when you plan to eat out so you can put the condiment on your fries or meatloaf.  And you might want to stock up on the ketchup itself because others will be buying bottles and bottles and bottles that may have that food group off of the shelves for weeks or months.

CNN also reported a shortage of computer chips that has General Motors going on a slowdown in the production of cars.  Of course, the many folks who have been unemployed or laid off are probably not looking to buy a new car, but should they want a GM car, they will have to wait for the chip to hit the factory.

All of these shortages can be blamed on factories being closed during the early part of the pandemic.  Could be some of the hurricanes and storms that hit areas across the south.  Could be the ship that blocked the Suez Canal for a time not allowing any ships to go from one place to another.  Could be the Texas winter storm that shut down their entire state because they were not connected to the National Electric grid.

It just serves to show us that no matter how big the world is and how much stuff is being made all around the world, we are all connected by even the smallest things.  Worldwide we are dependent on things that happen in countries that we have never heard of or been to.  

It is really important that we learn to deal with and appreciate all manner of people... within our country, in all of our states, and towns and cities... and our foreign neighbors and friends.  Our future health and well-being depend on this. The hate and contempt that exists in the hearts and souls of many will only serve to tear down and destroy the life and freedoms that we once enjoyed.