Q&A | Extended warranties, French toast, and continued masking
On today's menu: two non-controversial topics, and one controversial one.
(Will I regret including the last one? We shall see!)
I have learned (or think I have learned) that those home warranty and many appliance warranties are a total scam and waste of money for a homeowner. I’m not looking for anecdotes on either side, but a Kristen point of view!
-Jenny
Long ago, I read an article in Consumer Reports about extended warranties, and yeah, their conclusion was that most of the time, these are a waste of money.
Of course, there are times when an extended warranty really pays off, but their research showed that those situations are the exception and not the rule.
So, I pretty much never buy extended warranties.
I would much rather take that money and put it into a savings account, basically self-insuring my purchase. Then if it breaks, I have some money set aside for repair/replacement, and if it doesn't break, then hey, I still have all my money!
Incidentally, sometimes when I shop on Amazon, they offer me extended warranties on the most hilarious things. Like, I could be buying a pack of pencils, and a pop-up will offer me an extended protection service. 😉
Now, if someone else is paying for the extended warranty, then of course I'd say yes to that. We got one thrown in with a house purchase, and it did actually come in handy because the air conditioner broke almost as soon as we moved in!
That said, my experience with home warranty companies has been a little annoying; they don't usually make it super easy to use their services. It reminds me a little of how rebate companies typically make the process rather clunky.
But you know me...I will persevere and I will politely make the company pay. 😉
Anyway, in sum: I give extended warranties a thumbs down, unless someone else pays for the warranty.
Do you do something for the French toast special that you featured? It looks divine.
-Jane
My best tip for French toast is to cook it in a respectable amount of fat. 😉
The French toast in the photo you mentioned is a batch I cooked immediately after cooking bacon. So, those pieces got nice and browned in the bacon drippings.
If I haven't cooked bacon first, I usually melt butter in the pan and then cook the French toast.
I have a nonstick griddle, so it's not like I NEED to use butter or bacon grease to keep the French toast from sticking. The butter/bacon grease is purely for flavor and for the crispy texture it provides.
I know that you were a proponent of masks and that you got COVID in January. You've mentioned that you no longer wear a mask, and I'm wondering what made you decide to drop it? Are you concerned that you might get COVID again, or do you consider it to no longer be much of a risk? I'd appreciate your insight. Thanks!
-Marie B.
First off: I know this is a controversial topic. I'm not telling anyone else what to do; I'm just going to explain my thought process. And you do not have to agree with me; regardless of where you fall in this debate, you are welcome here.
Yes, I was on board with the masks earlier on in the pandemic, particularly when:
- less was known about the virus
- we had no vaccines
- there weren't really treatments for Covid
- basic cloth masks were a little more effective
I was always respectful of and compliant with mask requirements, and I am still rolling with what the CDC and private institutions are recommending and requiring, so I mostly do not wear one now.
My current thoughts:
I always wear masks when it's required
There are still places that require masks, like some medical offices, and I always comply.
And if my college switches back to requiring masks, I will wear one. It's not the end of the world. 🙂
I have no idea what the masking situation will be when I enter the nursing workforce, but I will be happy to comply with whatever the rules are then too.
I've had four shots, plus a case of Covid
(I got Covid in January, during the huge Omicron wave, and so did my girls.)
I think I have done what is reasonable to reduce my risks; I know I could contract Covid again, but at this point, it's probably about as risky for me as getting the flu.
Obviously, I don't want to get it any more than I want to get any other kind of sickness. But I'm not particularly worried about it now.
I know there is a school of thought that says we should all wear masks into perpetuity, to protect the vulnerable among us.
I do care about the greater good, of course, and I consider that my series of shots has been a contribution to the greater good.
Also, I consider things like staying home when you're sick in any way, (or at least wearing a mask when you're sick) to be contributions to the greater good. The same goes for using at-home Covid tests.
But at this point, I don't think I buy into the idea that:
- permanent public masking is a good solution for things that are endemic
- permanent masking is free of downsides
- there is any chance there would be sufficient public compliance to make this effective anyway
(Feel free to offer an opposing view in the comments!)
I am respectful of people who choose to continue wearing masks
I think people who, for whatever reason, would like to keep wearing masks should be free to do so, and I don't think anyone should give them grief about it.
We don't know anyone else's story, and besides, someone else wearing a mask is their business. It's not hurting anyone else.
I'm open to changing my mind if things change again
If the pandemic scene changes greatly, then who knows, perhaps I will voluntarily wear a mask again. I remain open and flexible!
If I lived with/frequently saw people who were more vulnerable, I'd be more careful
Like me, my girls have all had four shots + Covid. And we don't have regular family/friend contacts who are vulnerable.
But if I had a family member in a nursing home or a family member who had cancer, for example, I'd modify my behavior more than I do now.
___________________
Basically:
- I'm not worried for myself when it comes to Covid
- I'm always going to be respectful of rules about masks
- My heart's desire is to be respectful, kind, and considerate to others, and those principles are going to guide my Covid-related behavior
___________________
I don't foresee any issues with us discussing home warranties and French toast, but please, please, please, before you comment on the masking issue, consider that you are speaking to a wide variety of people who are guaranteed to represent pretty much every perspective on masking. It's fine to share your viewpoint, but if you make statements that are derogatory, rude, or dismissive, I'm going to unapprove your comment.
It was a WHOLE MESS here and on my social media in 2020 when we last discussed masks, and I am not trying to repeat that. 😉
So....I'm now cautiously hitting "publish".
I was just wondering about how you make your French toast last night, while I was making some myself.
In our current situation, I don’t have a strong opinion on masks. My family still wears masks in higher risk situations, like places where it’s crowded or where there’s a higher concentration of sick people, plus when it’s required of course. We also are extra careful for a week or so before visiting older relatives.
I'll keep my responses brief:
(1) No to almost all extended warranties, for the reasons you mentioned.
(2) The French toast looks great, but it's just not a thing I make.
(3) As long as I have to produce a negative COVID test every time I visit DH, I'll keep masking in all public places.
I completely understand why you need to be careful! I'd do the same thing in your shoes.
@A. Marie, yeah, I’d do the same with masking if visit to loved ones required a negative test!
@A. Marie, That makes perfect sense!
I'm pretty much where you are on masks. I've had 4 vaccines, but never got covid. I have no problem wearing a mask in a medical facility, of if I am near someone who asks me to where one, such as my monthly in-person work meeting. My boss prefers everyone wear a mask, so, fine, no big deal. But for the most part, I don't wear one since rates aren't bad where I live.
Please continue using the phrase "a respectable amount of fat". Thank you.
Noted. 😉
@Anne, I'm going to integrate this phrase as much as possible in my daily life. 🙂
@Anne, YES - butter and bacon fat rule - LOL!
@Ruth,
Honestly, I wish that I could just buy bacon fat! I'm not a huge fan of eating bacon (I don't dislike it, don't love it) but I do love cooking things in bacon fat!
@Ruth T, My supermarket sells it. I don't know how much they clarify it, though. If it's too clarified it won't taste as much like bacon.
Could you ask friends or neighbors to save you some?
@Ruth T, Let's be friends and I will eat all the bacon you cook! Problem solved!! 🙂
I was thinking it wouldn't be hard to find a friend willing to pair up and solve this dilemma!
@Ruth T,
I found bacon fat in a plastic tub at my local Rural King farm supply store! I always save my own and thought to myself, "Who would buy this product?" Now I have an answer !! 🙂
@Ruth T, did you ever try smaltz? Render fat from chicken, you can also try goose fat. Both are really nice. This is the Jewish response to the bacon problem.
@Bella Lewin, I like to use schmaltz (and yes, that's where the word came from, word lovers) when making chicken pot pie. Also, duck or goose fat makes the best roasted potatoes of all.
@Emily U., Ms. Bestest Neighbor and I are bacon buddies. She generously furnished me with a full can of bacon fat last year when I was (good heavens) running low. And she's not even a Southerner!
@WilliamB, My father-in-law would find bacon ends at the grocery store that had very little actual bacon, fry them, and then use the bacon fat with bacon crumbs to pop popcorn.
@A. Marie, I am one step removed from my grandmother, who kept a coffee can on the stove top and just kept pouring on the latest pan of grease remains (some bacon, some not!). Never refridgerated it, never cleaned it out. She died one month away form her 100th birthday and I would bet you that at the bottom of that can was some grease from 1950. I keep bacon grease and schmaltz, but not co-habiting in the same jar, but always in the fridge. I don't love bacon but as long as the husband is still with me, the bacon grease jar will never run dry.
@Lindsey, oh good grief...refrigerated.
@Bella Lewin, I have saved turkey fat from the Thanksgiving bird and yes, it is wonderful!
@Lindsey, I used to save all my bacon grease but I was not good at keeping track of when I put it in the fridge.
Is your bacon grease jar ongoing? Do you ever clean it out? Do you strain the grease when you put it in?
I am so curious about this but never though to ask the internet, ha.
@Ruth T, You can (sorta). My son buys something at the grocery store that comes in a container like the soft spread margarines.
@Ruth T, azon sells Bacon up. It's just the bacon fat. On low sodium diets bacon is way to high but I can still get the flavor for my veggies &now french toast,thanks Kriste
@Lindsey,
I must be related. I have my jar of bacon grease, that I keep adding to. But for me, it is under the stove where it is handy. I never thought to refrigerate it.
When we bought our current home a little over ten years ago, our rock star real estate agent told us to buy a home warranty. "Told" is perhaps a little mild: she pretty much sat beside me and pushed the papers and pen into my hand. It's with a particularly good company and has paid for itself multiple times over. We now pay about $67 a month to keep it in force, which is peanuts compared to the recent month when it covered having both our washer and dryer rebuilt within a week of each other.
I was an early and faithful mask wearer because I worked in a Covid-care setting. Ironically, I caught Covid at home from my son, who was sloppy about wearing a mask in public. This was about nine months into the pandemic, when there were not yet vaccines. My family and I have since had the vaccines and all the boosters. I still wear a mask where required and where I feel it is sensible. Although many medical offices don't require them now, I still wear one there.
I continue to mask in situations where there are a lot of people, such as airports and airplanes, and stores. And of course where it is required, at medical establishments, the dentist's office, while visiting people in assisted living and rehab facilities, and while volunteering for Meals on Wheels. I also mask around my great niece since she is three months old and not able to be vaccinated yet. Other than that I don't mask often. I have had the full course of vaccinations, four jabs total, and had Covid in July. I will get the bivalent booster in about a month, four months after my infection, as recommended.
I see little masking these days and yet Covid numbers are very good. I know a new variant might change all this and my behavior but I'm enjoying the situation for now.
A friend's teenage son recently came down with a head cold. He masked around the house as a courtesy to others living in the house and his mom thought that was very thoughtful.
@K D, That is very thoughtful! Kudos to that teenage boy.
@K D, the word “jabs”, instead of vaccination, immunization, etc., though, has such a negative connotation. I wonder if you knew that.
I know that "jab" is a common term used in some other areas, such as in the UK.
@Jen,
Given that the covid shot does not induce immunity we cannot call it an immunization.
@Jen, I sure wish media would quit publishing photos of syringes filled and ready for use! (and not just for covid). Hate that!
@Natasha, the vaccines do create immunity. They originally hoped it would be enough to prevent sickness but the virus mutated. It does prevent death so it is still helpful. Another benefit is that a booster helps many to overcome long covid.
@Jen,
In the UK it is the only word anyone uses. No more negative connotation than "vaccine" has, here. Which is to say, definitely some! But not because of the word.
And here I thought the controversial subject was going to be the extended warranties. (I'm interested to see if this post gets more comments than the one on Walmart.)
In one of my business classes, we learned how to do the math for the optimum length (from the business' perspective) for an extended warranty. It was shockingly easy to determine the inflection point of "this is when it starts breaking." IOW, it's not a coincidence that things often break soon after the warranty expires.
On to masking. I'm toward the stay-masked end of the spectrum.
Before my mother died, I masked assiduously. I avoided eating inside - including in a tent because if it has walls and a roof, it's inside people! - and when I was on the train or plane, very politely asked those near me if they'd consider wearing a mask because my mother was immuno-compromised. (Most people did.) The only time I didn't wear one was with close friends who I knew were vaxxed and at work, which requires vaxxing.
Now I wear a mask on transit and inside where a lot of people cycle through (supermarkets or physically small museums); but I don't if the inside space is more open or less popular (physically large museums) and I will eat inside.
As always, I will follow the rules of wherever I am, mask when asked to, mask if I'm a bit sick or around someone vulnerable, and match the most cautious person in any group I'm with.
@WilliamB, I’m sorry you lost your mother. My mom died during the pandemic as well. She had cancer (diagnosed May 2020), so we were extremely careful … always wearing masks in public, never eating in restaurants, avoiding crowded situations (even with masks), staying away from unmasked people, and isolating ourselves as much as possible the week leading up to a visit (my kids had online school that school year). One of my kids also has asthma, so we had a lot of motivation to be masked and vaccinated.
@WilliamB, I love this "match the most cautious person in any group I’m with"! Thanks for phrasing it that way!
@JenRR and @WilliamB, so sorry for both of you. I also lost my dad (step-dad) due to covid in August 2020.
@Brooke, I’m sorry you lost your step-dad.
@Brooke, I'm sorry about your step father. May his memory be a blessing.
A big no to extended warranties. Most things come with a company warranty that should cover lemon breakage.
If you wish to wear a mask, do so. Had “original” Covid and felt bad about 3 weeks, never figured out where I got it but had to be in a town that required masks 100%. Will wear where required but would very much oppose a return to everyone having to mask up. Most of the studies I’ve read have concluded masks prevent the sick person spreading Covid, as long as your wearing a N95, but don’t really keep you from contracting.
@Jennifer G, N95 masks actually protect the wearer from inhaling airborne germs, such as TB or COVID. I’m a nurse, and am required to wear one while caring for these patients. Surgical or medical masks prevent the wearer from spreading respiratory diseases, and offer partial protection against acquiring respiratory diseases, but are not as effective as N95 masks.
I’ve dropped the mask too for similar reasons. But I think I’ll always wear one if I have to be in public while sick with any kind of illness from now on. I had to meet someone the other week while recovering from a daycare cold. Masking made everything so much better.
Also, people should look into ENOVID. It’s going through a last round of clinical trials in the US but it available over the counter in Israel and New Zealand. It’s a nasal spray that stops the virus from replicating. You can use it for high exposure situations like airplanes. Hoping this becomes widely available!
@Anne, ENOVID sounds great! I will have to do some more reading on that. Thanks for sharing.
@Anne, I'm sorry to say we don't actually have ENOVID in New Zealand! Just vaccines and masks, and anti-virals for people who are elderly or have particular medical conditions. It would be amazing to have a product that worked like that though!
Love this article.
1) I agree on the warranty issues. However, there are things that have motors that could break and that's why my husband insists on warranties. But only for those kinds of big purchases.
2) Love french toast. My husband doesn't like the way I make it, so I usually only make it for myself. But I am trying to stay away from bread and sugar, so french toast is on hold for a while. I fry it in butter!
3) Love, love, love your consideration for masks and people. "My heart’s desire is to be respectful, kind, and considerate to others, and those principles are going to guide my Covid-related behavior." Wish everyone could be respectful and kind towards people that want to wear masks; that is their own decision. To each his own but don't push your decision on me.
I was in Hong Kong when Covid hit, the land of masks. They were wearing them even at the early stages when it was believed to only be connected to one market in Wuhan. We had to wear masks pretty much everywhere and it felt weird not to have one on. Fast forward to now in rural Maine. I'll wear one if asked, but in general, I don't. I'm a nurse who works in a residential facility and we are not required to wear them there. My husband and I are both vaxxed and have both had Covid. He's had it several times--he's a teacher and kids are kids. At this point, getting Covid seems to be about on par with getting any bad cold/flu virus. If that changes, I'd change my tactic if needed.
Kristen -- what griddle do you have? And your French toast looks amazing!
I never do extended warranties for the reasons you mentioned and I mask pretty much identically to the way you do. I have been vaccinated and have also had COVID. I stand firmly on not giving people grief for wearing masks if they choose to and not being oppositional when masks are required. Kindness, respect, and consideration are things I work toward as well.
I love your approach to life and others. 🙂
I'm so glad to be able mostly to ditch masks. I hate wearing them--they make it hard for me to breathe. Of course, I wear them when required. (I also have serious doubts about their efficacy--in Europe, before the pandemic, even some surgeons were ditching masks in the OR because of doubts about masks.)
I haven't gotten my latest Covid booster yet, but will soon. That said, I spent more than a week in the hospital with Covid in 2000, before vaxes were available, so I figure I must have some antibodies from that too.
2020. sheesh.
And i've had long Covid since then but thank goodness, treatments for it are coming soon.
@Rose, Would you mind sharing how long Covid has affected you. DH is diabetic, has high BP, has had a stroke, 6 bypass heart surgery, A few bouts of pneumonia and pulmonary edema issues - all within the last 5 years. We both had COVID back in December and we try to anticipate if a sniffle will turn into pneumonia or if a long walk is made extra difficult because his lungs are inflamed. I would just like to hear some examples of things for which we can be on the lookout.
Anyone else is welcome to share as well. Knowledge is power and all of that.
@Jennifer, Oh my gosh, your poor husband, that's awful!
My long Covid symptoms are the common ones of tiredness, weakness, post-exertional fatigue, dizziness, headaches, anxiety. The problem is that those are also symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, which I've had since January 1990. Covid exacerbated the symptoms I already had. For instance, I have to pull myself up by my arms to get up, walking up a flight of stairs exhausts me, I can't even get up the beach dunes by my house now without a cane, etc. I know 86 year olds who are way more physically active and fit than I am. It's very bad. I can't stand for more than 15 minutes. and so on. Two new treatments are being tried: one, naltrexone, usually used for alcohol dependence, and two, rivaroxaban, which is anti clotting drug. Research indicates that both long Covid and CFS patients have micro-clots in their blood, which may starve muscles of oxygen.
@Jennifer,
"Hyper-inflammation caused by COVID-19 may be mediated by mast cell activation (MCA) which has also been hypothesized to cause Long-COVID (LC) symptoms"
@Rose, I am concerned for you when you describe your sutuation. Probably many people are offering unwanted advice and so on, but still: has it been ruled that it is ME? From what I know long covid and ME have overlapping symptoms.
I hope you will feel better eventually and would urge you to be weary of PEM. You do not want to be one of those people who end up worse for listening to the "exercise and you'll feel better" mantra. It does not go for everyone. Warm regards!
Yes, I've had CFS* for almost 34 years now, I've seen every specialist in the book. Two years ago after having Covid, I lost what little stamina and health I had. Believe me, I've had post exertional malaise since 1990 too. People, including doctors, take the illness a little more seriously now and I don't get lectured about exercise and not that many people laugh about it any more either. Nothing like having your life plans destroyed by bad health, but also bad health that is widely considered a joke.
*I know in Europe it's called ME but I refuse to call it that because it's NOT myalgic encephalomyelitis. In the 90s, all activists could bleat on about was changing the name from CFS because it wasn't taken seriously enough. So they came up with ME, which sounds more scientific but it's really not that illness.
@Rose, On I think another blog, I saw a recommendation for "The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness" by Meghan O'Rourke. She combines research, her experiences, interviews with experts, attitudes that frustrated her, and her observations on being chronically ill without diagnosis for many years. It certainly gave me some things to think about.
@Heidi Louise, Thanks so much! I'll check it out.
@Rose, wait- doctors in the OR wear masks for totally different reasons than COVID-19, and have for about a hundred years. Are you saying that European doctors aren’t wearing masks during surgical procedures anymore? I’m a registered nurse and feel the need to clarify this.
@Rose,
Thank you for sharing your symptoms. It was validating. I caught covid in December. I had all the available boosters then. I've had muscle weaknes just the way you do.
Margaret
We have had extended warranty on expensive household appliances in the past and on a number of occasions they served us well. But financially we are in a better place now than we were 20 years ago and we might make other choices now.
Your mouthmask bullets had me nodding in agreement. I had covid (again) only recently and contracted it during a weekend away. In hindsight I wish I'd worn a mouthmask during (public) transport. Quite many people who were on the weekend with me, fell ill afterwards so I'm not sure if that would have been sufficient. I am relieved no one in our family caught it from me. We are cautious with a view on our elderly relatives.
@J NL, just another story I wore an N95 mask on an airplane, maybe one of 5%, in May. And I got covid. I was bummed about this and will not wear a mask on the plane again.
@karen,
I would think social distancing is the most effective. All through 2020 we lived a very secluded life and I did not even get common colds. As soon as we had work done to our house I started sneezing and coughing again, although the workers had their morning coffees at a presumably safe distance.
I could bear to live socially distanced again, for a limited time, but it is not a situation that is is natural to humans. And then I have the good fortune of being an ambivert. More outgoing colleagues and relatives felt really badly, when most of the time I felt rather snug at home.
@J NL, “mouth masks”? Meaning not covering the nostrils?
@Jen,
Erm I do mean the mouth/nose mask, I did not make myself clear.
Although I have seen masks used in very many different ways, but that would be an entirely different blog post, especially if complemented with pictures.
@J NL, ah, yes!
@karen, so, if you wore your mask correctly on the plane, that means you were infected somewhere other than the plane! It doesn’t mean masks are not effective! Glad you’re OK.
Just from my local observation (I'm in a Great Lakes region state), people are still getting sick from Covid regularly. My husband is a professor and he has students at least every two weeks or so saying they're sick. Thank goodness he is doing most of his advising and meetings remotely. We are both vaccinated. He is currently immunocompromised, and so I double mask when I go to the grocery store or library, or anywhere, really. I wish people would mask if they have family members who are ill--my husband went to meet with somebody about a research project, and the guy wasn't masked and told him that one of his kids was home very sick with what sounded just like Covid. Sigh.
This is anecdotal, of course, but since my family started (and have continued) to mask in public, nobody has gotten even so much as a sniffle. We all had Covid in 2020, and it was horrible, but since then, nothing. I think personally that masking is smart during flu season, and I think it's sad that it's taken a worldwide pandemic like this to make people think a little more about being smart about health and hygiene.
Like you, I don't mask right now, but will follow the guidelines set because it doesn't hurt me to wear one. (it was hard to get used to the first few weeks, I must admit) DS works in a sinus/nasal clinic in South FLA and they still mask every day and due to the nature of their care, he said they won't stop anytime soon.
I see a fair amount of people daily who mask and the paranoia in me is wondering if they know something I don't and should I mask again. lol DH and I were hit extremely hard and now we just worry about the after effects - him for heart and lung issues and me, still not smelling or tasting above 25%.
Warranties - total waste of money in my book too.
No for me on warranties.
No on French toast, I like pancakes.
I wear a mask. If there is any chance I can do anything to stop the chain of contagion I will. After seeing an 8 month old twin girl die of covid this year and knowing around 400 people are still dying every day .....
Plus I've read the studies about the large number of people who die within a year of having covid and I know a few who survived covid but it broke their once healthy self.
1. No to extended warranties - the only times I'm ever tempted are for computers, but I always talk myself out of it lol.
2. I can't remember the last time I ate French toast! But since I don't eat pigs, sadly we would have to make do with another kind of fat anyway. Second the motion to continue using the phrase "a respectable amount of fat"!
3. Between living with someone who takes immune suppressants and having a sister with long COVID, I have personal rules about masking. I do not eat out, and I mask in specific situations. So inside with a lot of people, I mask. At work, I mask when I'm away from my desk as i feel the the layout and ventilation are sufficient, at my desk but I work around people who travel a lot and there is often someone at home with COVID. I have not caught it and plan to do what I can to stay that way. I also avoid travel as much as possible and don't eat around others when travel is unavoidable (like for work). I am often the only person with a mask and am comfortable being the weirdo - if my DH gets sick he is at high risk for a stroke or other serious complications. And long COVID has made my sister's life so much harder than it should be; I wish I could carry more of her load ...
Extended warranties- I agree although we did not purchase the extended warranty on our dishwasher and the piece of junk (KitchenAid! The only one we could find during 2020) died on us at one year and one day or something ridiculous like that. So we had to pay to get it repaired and the repairman said that the part that burned our always burns out on these. I wish we had gotten the extended warranty on that!
French toast- absolutely! Though we really enjoy overnight French toast which is basically a bread pudding situation. Still not health food!
Continued masking- I wear a mask if masks are requested. I’m in the same place as you with being fully vaccinated, not being afraid personally of getting Covid and just staying home if I have any symptoms anyhow.
Based on the studies I’ve read that the CDC has referenced, cloth masks are the least effective option. So we don’t wear those anymore. For those concerned with transmission, get those N95 masks or whatever they are called and wear a new properly fitting one.
My son’s school doesn’t require masks and I’m really grateful for that. He has some speech issues and they are definitely not helped by universal masking.
I have actually been wondering when it comes to masking whether that would potentially be better or worse for my immunity. Growing up my Mom was always of the opinion that we needed germs to help develop a good immune system so I wonder if masking would prohibit that. Any thoughts?
@Emily, I wonder about that too! I've stopped masking except in places where it's required, and have had several protracted sinus infections this year. Granted, I have an infant who is in daycare, so my exposure to germs is essentially doubled, but I feel like my immune system would have maybe handled these illnesses better if it hadn't been so coddled the past two years? When I worked in a public library, I never got sick and I credited it to being coughed on by people all day. #notadoctor
@Emily, I’m don’t have a good answer for you, but I think it may depend on the person. My son was hospitalized with RSV Feb 2020, and since it takes 8-12 weeks for him to recover from anything we were super cautious about leaving the house during the pandemic until summer 2021. (Only adults went to indoor public areas for the first 8-10 months). Since keeping my kid away from everything for so long he hasn’t gotten a bad virus yet. Pre Covid he was hospitalized every 3ish months for colds or respiratory viruses. Having the chance to heal and grow allowed his immune system to start functioning properly.
Also, even pre-pandemic nurses always wore masks (and usually gowns) in my son’s room to protect from getting whatever viruses he had. There’s evidence that masking protects from at least some viruses, so I guess it’s a question of whether being protected from viruses is good for us or bad for us.
@Emily, I have also had similar thoughts. I feel as though I am catching everything I am coming in contact with. I was sick for about a month and a half this past summer, and am currently sick. In the past I have been generally healthy and only caught a cold/virus about once a year. This summer I had two back to back and now again.
@Emily, whether we build immunity to a disease depends on the disease. Some don't change much and our immune system "remembers" the disease and we retain immunity. Measles is one of those. For others, the disease bacteria or virus change so much that even if our immune system remembered the previous incarnation, that doesn't help (or doesn't help much) against the current one. The common cold is one of those.
@WilliamB, actually that's not what I remember about the cold. There are about 300 cold viruses. The reason you catch a cold is because you haven't had that specific virus before.
@Emily, in many ways your mother was right.
However, it may seem silly to say, but in order to build your immune system, you have to survive the illness. We have excellent evidence that masking helped and continues to help stop the spread of COVID, which did (and continues to) kill large numbers of people. In that sense, masking is very good for one's immune system, because your immune system can't get stronger if you die from a serious illness.
Exposure to germs can build our immune systems, too. When you get the cold virus, you build antibodies to that particular cold virus, and you are unlikely to get it again. The cold virus mutates quickly though, which is why you'll get another cold next year.
Vaccines are the best way to expose ourselves to germs (either live germs, injured live germs, or parts/copies of germs) that build our immune system. They act like a "dress rehearsal" for our immune system, which is why we sometimes feel ill after having a vaccine.
@Emily, This is something I’m pondering lately especially since I’m reading about increased RSV and flu cases because of weakened immunity. I am similar to Kristin in my mask wearing. I got a cold from my daughter a few months ago and it took me 6 weeks to recover and I still am dealing with a few lingering issues. I know it wasn’t COVID. I’m wondering about the impact of weakened immunity on illnesses I can’t vaccinate against.
@Kaitlin, I believe the nurses were using masks to avoid exposing your sick child to other contagious illnesses that may have overwhelmed his already stressed immune system, rather than simply to protect themselves from his RSV microbes. It’s important to understand the “whys”, I think, to make sense of the whole issue of using masks.
@Rose, Thanks for sharing that. I appreciate having accurate information.
@Emily, I was writing out a long response that disappeared, so I will simply say that unless your Mom is an MD specially trained in Communicable Diseases, I would seek a different opinion when it comes to life-and-death health advice! Meant in a friendly way, of course!
@WilliamB,
There's also some research that shows that measles erases some of the immune system's memory for other things, and also some more recent research showing that covid may do the same. So things a person may have built up immunity against before they got covid, they may no longer have immunity against afterwards. That may account for some of the increased level of circulating illnesses and colds since the lockdowns have been lifted.
On the mask issue is...when my husband makes a comment (to me) about someone still wearing a mask (he obviously has his opinions and only comments to me), I always say to him - "We don't know their circumstances. Maybe they have a low immune system, maybe they are on chemo or someone they love is" And I truly feel that way. I'm done with masks (I've had 2 vax and covid) but I am not one bit bothered by someone who wears one. It's not my biz.
However! On the other hand my heart breaks for my (great) niece who is 10. She is vaxxed to whatever # she can have) and she still wears a mask - all the time. She is so afraid of catching covid that she refuses to take it off if she's not at home. That just makes me so sad. She lives with her mom and grandma and they are all vaxxed and don't wear masks anymore but she just will not not wear hers. No one should have to live in fear like that, especially at her age.
@kris, I have a great nephew who is mildly autistic. He wears a mask everywhere even when visiting our family. We all accept it, but like you, I feel sad that he still is fearful.
@Bee,
My friend's 15 year old (healthy) granddaughter is afraid to quit wearing a mask, as well. She is one of only a small handful in her school still wearing a mask. It is sad, as you said.
@JD,
I don’t know if this is the case with this particular teenager, but I read that some teens don’t want to stop wearing masks bc they feel anxious about exposing their full faces after two years. There is even a term “mask fishing” which somehow means that someone is covering up facial flaws by wearing a mask. I can definitely see the appeal as a teenager, I probably would not want to take it off either.
@Bee, a lot of people living with autism tend to stick to the rules, so if your nephew heard that mask are the was to go it might be why he still likes to wear one.
I'm not vaccinated and I haven't had Covid. I do enter facilities where you either have to have a vac card or a negative test to enter. This requirement was very recently lifted in general but still applies in one section. Masking is still required in some areas as well as physical distancing.
Every person I know that has gotten sick has been fully vaccinated, fortunately no one i know has died but a couple of the cases were pretty severe.
I'm not an advocate of putting weird stuff into my body and don't feel that these were really 'vaccines' in the medical definition of the word. I think the shots they are developing now are more true vaccines and will be more prophylactic.
In general, I'm not an advocate of government dictating peoples' everyday lives especially in such a wholesale manner.
I wear a mask with no problem when required, but unless it is a fitted N95 really don't believe in their efficacy overall. And the way 'most' people wear them defeats the point of wearing them at all.
@Allison, what do you mean when you say these shots aren’t “vaccines” from a medical perspective? Or what is the difference between the current vaccines and true vaccines?
@Allison,
Thank you.
@Allison, yes, thank you. As much as people would like to memory hole the discrimination agst non-vaxxed folks, the scars still remain. In that group I'm including med/religious/all exemptions - no one seemed to care if there was even a reason folks didn't take the jab.
There are several peer reviewed studies re: myocarditis etc. that are published in highly regarded publications, but they are censored by the msm. I know that someday that info will be widely available, but in the meantime, I just wont and hope that people do their due dil before using experimental meds (the jabs are still EUA; trials will not be done/published until 2023 at the earliest).
@tricia, so the studies are secret and I can't read them? Well that's not helpful.
@Kaitlin, thank you!
@Tiana, thank you!
@tricia, what’s msm and EUA?
I’ve been more relaxed about masking in the last few months, but I definitely plan to ramp it up in the colder months when most of us are inside, more often.
Two reasons:
1. There’s new data out that show Covid-19 is not as transmissible via surface contagion - it’s more likely to be airborne. All those trips to Target….Aldi’s…
2. The two (vaccinated and boosted!) people I know who have had Covid-19 in the past several months have been hit horribly - one was in ICU. The other was out of commission for weeks.
@Kathy L, it is interesting that the two major outbreaks of covid that struck the region where I live were in the summer of 2021 and 2022. In Florida people are inside much more often in July and August.
@Kathy L, I thought we knew definitively in spring-summer 2020 that the surface contamination, or the possibility of food-borne transmission, was not the problem with SARS COVID-19. Is there additional new data saying the same? If you have a link, I’d like to read. Thanks. Remember all the things people were doing at the beginning, thinking that they were helpful? Well, it was terrifying then and no one had ever experienced this before! Even doctors were giving very strange advice. The stories I could tell- but I think we want facts more than stories and opinions for this topic. I worked at a County Health Dept. COVID-19 response phone center in 2020, and the stats, and advice were changing hourly!
And I’m sorry to hear that your friends recently suffered severe cases, presumably from newer variants of the virus, which they hadn’t been vaccinated against, or they were very unlucky, but the point is vaccination = less likely to die. Same thing here central Midwest. But, even if they didn’t die, quality and length of life are affected badly, sometimes heart-breakingly so.
Hope everyone has learned a lot. I know I have.
Some of you may remember our dishwasher issues, in which a new one stopped working just after the one year factory warranty expired so we purchased our first extended warranty on the next dishwasher, which immediately had problems as well. They had to work on it several times (and it was a Bosch) but what I found was that each time they worked on it, even during the factory warranty period, that amount came off our extended warranty. They refused to replace the dishwasher, saying it could be fixed. So the last time it failed, they refused to even fix it, said we had about $150 left on our warranty amount, and sent us a check for that amount with a letter saying in effect, "Here's the rest of your money, don't call us again." So that was our one and only extended warranty.
As for the whole house warranties, we were quoted over $100 a month to cover all our stuff, and the appliance repair company that both warranty companies used would have to come from the other side of the state to do the work. We had to use this same company on our dishwasher's warranty already, and some techs were good, some weren't, but it was always a pain getting an appointment and we never knew how long we would wait for them to show on the day of the appointment. We opted to just handle the repair and replacement costs ourselves.
French toast: Love it. I haven't been making it in the last few years, since I avoid bread, but I'm finding I can eat some of the gluten-free loaves out there, so I may have some French toast again. I cook it in butter.
Masks: the nursing home where my husband is living just dropped the mask mandates, and earlier dropped the face shield mandates that had been required to wear with masks. They will re-institute both if needed. They test employees and residents every day and visitors are all screened. Many of the employees wear masks anyway. My husband is a Type 1 diabetic, but he is not immunocompromised, he's immune dysregulated (his immune system is not weaker; it's that it is attacking his own cells as well as viruses, etc.) Of course we've taken precautions with him anyway, just in case. None of my own doctors/dentist require a mask on patients anymore. The VA, where he still goes, does require them.
I have no problems with anyone wishing to mask, although I don't, normally. I will mask anywhere it's required, of course. I will have to say that I find myself sighing at the incredible number of people I see wearing masks incorrectly - under their noses, sliding loosely on their faces or falling under their chins repeatedly, and I'm including some medical personnel in that description. I've even seen people walk around a store or other place indoors, keeping their mask folded up above their mouths because they are eating or drinking the entire time they are in there.
@JD, I sometimes sneak my mask up a little if I'm required to wear one, just so I can breathe for a minute. (I breathe almost entirely out of my mouth.)
@Rose,
A little bit is fine - and I do that myself at times, to catch a good breath when I'm near no one- but keeping it up as I've seen people do makes no sense.
When everything started I was pregnant with my daughter. I wore and mask and I isolated. I did everything that I was told to do and I’m not vaccinated. That’s me and that’s that. I treat it as any other flu and I’m smart about it. I wear a mask where I’m told to and follow the rules. I think about what Paul said in the Bible. If someone doesn’t eat meat don’t go out of your way to eat meat in front of them. We are to think of others. I do, just not putting something into my body.
@Sarah S, I know you know that SARS COVID-19 is not “any other flu”. When you say “flu”, do you mean influenza viruses, which did and do still kill people? As a caring Mom, I know you want to be smart about your family’s health. I hope you and your family have continued health. Off to read about the Bible-Paul-meat-eating reference now, and thanks for sharing your viewpoints.
I think you handled that very diplomatically and very much agree with you on all accounts.
I had wondered about this too, and apparently it is not a concern: https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/05/all-social-distancing-weakening-our-immune-systems
However, there are other effects of social-distancing and such that do have an effect on the immune system. More info in the MIT article I linked!
@Kristen, Very! Good! Article! Bonus points for a reliable, trusted source!
Yes to French Toast with crispy bits!
I'm usually right there with you on the warranties, but I did get on for my new car. There is just SO MUCH electronic stuff on them now - the cameras and the sensors and all that jazz. Having to replace one of those things is going to cost a couple of thousand dollars, not doubt. I'd rather not have to take that sort of dent to my savings.
I'm vaccinated and boosted, including the latest one. I've never had COVID (knock on wood). I mask where requested, required, or crowded and enclosed (airports, planes, etc.), but otherwise I don't. I do wear an N95 around my parents if I'm not feeling well, because my dad has lung issues.
Am I the only one who misses the strict 6 foot spacing in stores and other lines? Don't creep up on me! Give me my 6 ft! 🙂
@Sara, Yup, I like my space too.
I have to wear N95 and a face shield to work in permanence, 40h/week at the moment, so you can bet your sweet tushy that outside of work I do not wear masks anymore! I have 4 Covid shots, I'm not super afraid of catching Covid (miracle none of us did so far - me, hubby and kids), at the same time I know it's just a matter of time before I do, so.... If masking was to come back mandatory, I would comply. But I also don't think that it's the way to manage an endemic and we cannot be expected to wear masks forever. I respect people's choice over this, live and let live.
1. Regarding extended warranties- my in-laws bought a washing machine and extended warranty for us. (My MIL’s love language is giving gifts.) We are a family of five, and put a lot of mileage on our washer. After the second call on the warranty, the company totally replaced it. So, I opted to get an extended warranty on the new washer, in part because if we don’t make a claim on it, they will convert it to a coupon for a new washer in the future.
2. Your French toast always makes my mouth water.
3. I appreciate your thought process about masking. I agree especially that we should always be kind about other people’s choice of whether to continue to mask.
@Sherri M., that is a great deal for the washer warranty.
I believe you've done a great job of taking the controversy out of a controversial subject. Being respectful of rules, fellow people, and the situation seems sound practice.
Thank you for such a clear response! You put things so well and respectfully. I appreciate your presence in my day!
I usually do not purchase an extend warranty either. However, I did buy one when I bought my refrigerator, because it made sense to do so. The warranty covered all parts including filters for 5 years. Reimbursements for the filters nearly covered the cost of the warranty. It seems to be a good deal. I think my actual out of pocket ended up being $40.
Masking is tricky. I wear a mask whenever I am asked to do so. I do not question why. I know that people have different comfort levels for different reasons. I have a friend who owns a business and asks that her customers wear masks when entering. Both her mother and husband have cancer. She is afraid she will bring home the virus to them. Complying with her request does not harm me, so I’m happy to do it.
Masks really upset my Rescue Pup. Especially those that change the look of your face. Such as masks that have a smile or a mustache printed on them. They cause her protective instincts to kick in. I’m glad to see those go.
I agree with you on masks. Good job explaining. I will happily wear one when needed or required. I currently happily do not wear one. I have had four vivid shots. And Covid with symptoms.
I work in a public HS.Some teachers and students wear masks. Some teachers And students do not wear masks.
If requirements change I shall mask daily.
"Treat others the way you'd like to be treated". We got all the Covid shots and boosters and still continue to wear masks. We don't have any vulnerable family members but others do. if I start masking "only" because of my family members, it shows how much I care for others!!! We don't know who's vulnerable and who's not and my choice of not wearing a mask may cause harm even death to a person- devastating a family. Sure, it's uncomfortable at times, but that's a price I'm happy to pay for greater well-being.
Oh, I am not saying I only care about my family members! I'm saying that my family members are the people I am around most often, and if I lived with vulnerable people or had regular close contact with someone vulnerable, then I'd be more careful.
@Farhana, excellent. Assume the people I am near have a condition wherein COVID-19 could harm them or loved ones, and act accordingly. Golden rule.
I buy warranties for bluetooth headphones. It seems they always give out early and it is nice to get a replacement pair. Maybe I'm hard on headphones because I wear them when I walk and do yard work in the hot SoCal summers.
We bought a new house this year and I am not impressed by the warranty. I have to pay $75 to get the service provider THEY CHOOSE to come out to the house and then I ended up having to pay $500 out of pocket to repair the heater because "oh, the warranty doesn't cover THAT kind of problem."
@Rebekah in SoCal, this has been our experience with the home warranty as well. $75 to come out and then nothing is covered. I don't have the skill or the patience to argue it out with them.
I'm going to go against the popular opinion with the warranties. I won't get it on little things but for bigger things I do.
When we purchased our car the guy sucked us in and told us he'd give us a lower interest rate if we got the warranty. We took it. Man we were lucky we did that because right around the time we paid the car off the transmission went. Car is worth something like 7-8k and the whole transaction for the transmission was 9k (which we didn't have)... covered under the warranty. Thank God because the last thing we wanted to do in Sept 2021 was deal with the headache of buying a new car amongst all the shortages.
We also bought a TV Sept 2018 after my husband's over 10 yr old TV went out. $3-400 TV the warranty was $80 bucks. A little less than 1 month before the warranty expired (and right before the transmission went on the car) the TV stopped working. They sent someone to fix. A week later the fix didn't work and they came out with a new TV. Gave them another $80 bucks for the next 3 years.
So I'm in the minority where the warranties have paid off so I'll buy them for the bigger ticket items.
I do prefer pancakes but will enjoy French toast (especially stuffed French toast) here and there.
I mask up where required but am glad we don't have to everywhere now.
You are probably going to get haters for the mask stuff, so just stepping in here to say that I am an MD and I fully agree with what you have said. I work in family practice. I communicate better with my patients when I can see their faces and they can see mine. Norway (my home country) has not been doing masks since the winter. I think your approach is very sensible!
(I have also had COVID and had all the vaccines offered to me)
@Sarah K, When I was in the Covid ward of the hospital two years ago, all the staff was double-masked, wore a face shield, had their hair covered and the usual scrubs and gloves. I apologized for literally not being able to tell them apart most of the time and sometimes not understanding what they said.
@Rose, I work in a hospital, still have to wear N95 and face shields, + gloves and gowns at time and I can tell you, we don't even recognize our colleagues when out and about without the mask. It's very (very!) weird to enter the lunch room and try to figure out who is who!
I almost always say no to warrantees, rarely worth it unless it is a major purchase that might cost a fortune to fix.
Love French toast, I wonder though, does cooking it in the bacon fat add a bacon taste? (Not that my husband would mind...)
Our masking routine is similar to yours. While we would prefer others mask up in groups, we do respect that it is an individual choice. If it really bothers us we will remove ourselves as best we can from the situation.
We recently got our third booster, the bivalent one, and are still being cautious. We had COVID this past August and it was not too bad thanks to being double-vaxxed and double-boosted at that point. Still, it took three weeks to fully go away and I'd rather not repeat that again. Also got our flu shots at the same time. Just felt achy for a day or two...no big deal and hopefully it will keep us healthy along with prudent masking and socializing.
I too am fully vaccinated and had Covid last January. Personally, I still wear a mask (1) in church, which is usually fully of people coughing and sneezing, (2) large stores with many people, Sam’s, Costco, Krogers and (3) where it is required. For me personally, I enjoy not catching everyone’s colds, flu, stomachs bugs, etc.! I may mask forever in these situations!
@Debbie H., I carry a mask in my purse and will quickly put it on if I hear people coughing and sneezing around me.
About the masking issue - I wholeheartedly agree with your logic.
I'm a retired chemist/environmental manager, and worked with statistics and risk analyses for 45 years. I think I have a pretty good handle on it. I've only had the original vaccine and the first booster, plus COVID twice since then, and decided that's enough for me. Both instances of COVID were mild, and after visiting my daughter and her family. And I ALWAYS come down with SOMETHING (usually a sinus infection) after seeing them. It's become endemic, so are just going to have to live with it. People have masked up during flu season. I don't really see much difference at this time.
Really lovely answers. I think it's also important to note that "loving others well" does not always mean erring on the side of mask-wearing, although it's often framed that way. Because, as you noted, long-term masking is not without downsides. There are people, particularly otherwise-healthy people with hearing and/or speech impairments, for whom masks create a very significant barrier to communication. And, we have evidence that masking can affect the language development of young children. So we really need to think about who we are around and what their specific needs are. What might be the most loving thing to do in a nursing home might not be the most loving way to do things in a preschool. I have a sweet friend who teaches third grade who cried describing the first day her students didn't have to mask and she could see their smiles. So I have no problem with anybody doing whatever they feel best about when it comes to masking, but I do think what is most loving or most considerate really does depend on the situation.
This is one of the reasons I waffle when I think about what is kind to the disabled community. They're not a monolith, and while masking and social distancing is helpful for some disabilities, it is not helpful to people with speech/hearing disabilities.
And yes, young children's development is also an issue.
@Kristen, I see both sides of it from the disability perspective because I have a kid who needs us to mask (respiratory issues) and a kid who can’t understand a thing when others are masked (HoH). There’s not one perfect answer to the masking question.
I actually thought about you when I was writing this post; I wondered what your perspective would be!
I'm just kind of done with Covid. I'm just about letting other people deal with their own medical decisions and will stay out of it.
I have a cough this week (not Covid, just a minor cold) and I got approval to work from home for the week. I know that's not an option for everyone but I think that should be the expected norm for those who can and who can provide it for their workers. Even if you want to have a full return to office, I like having the exception to work from home when sick (even if it is, as I said, just a minor cold.)
I'll also say that when I went to take my daughter to the doctor and there were several people in the waiting room hacking up lungs, I opted to go wait in the car and the staff texted us when we were ready to go in.
As for extended warranties, they are almost always a losing game. That said, there's often times to shop around for warranties. Places like Costco and Ikea will offer longer warranties on the products they sell than competing places.
The only warranties that we've tried to use have been flops so I'm not a fan. We had purchased an oven/microwave combo unit and bought the warranty. a few years later, it had an issue. They sent out three separate (useless and poorly rated) repair guys who all said they couldn't fix it. My dad came out and took a look and figured out what the problem was and we contacted a highly rated repair guy who was able to repair it (warranty company said they'd reimburse). Spent hours on hold and sent in the claim multiple times and they never reimbursed us. So frustrating.
We make french toast at least once a week - it's sadly one of the ways I can get some protein into my white carb loving child. My kids like it made with brioche bread (though we just use whatever we have on hand) and topped with freshly whipped cream.
I am where Kristen is on the mask situation. In general I don't wear a mask anymore, but don't mind putting one on if asked. My views on masking were really influenced prior to the pandemic when I visited a few metropolises in Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Kyoto). People wore masks readily on public transit and I think usually it was because *they* weren't feeling well and didn't want to spread germs, not because they didn't want to get sick. So more as a courtesy to others. This makes it easier for me to put on a mask.
Hi Kristen,
I'm with you, 100%! I just got my 4th shot on Sunday. I mask up when required (like at my doctor's office), and I am respectful to others who mask up. Otherwise, I am tired of wearing masks, and generally don't wear one anymore.
I mask in public because I have cancer and have been on chemotherapy for 16 months now. However, my daughter no longer masks unless it's required. The schools don't require them anymore and sure, there are still a few who mask but for my daughter, she did not want to stand out and hated wearing a mask all day. So we accept that there are risks, we are careful with our contact especially if she has a headache, is sniffly or has a scratchy throat (these things can be nothing but they can also be the start of illness for her). If she is not well (5 colds between May and August of this year), she stays in her room as much as possible and stays as far away from me as possible if in the same room. So far I've been very lucky and I hope that continues!
Also, a lot of kids have been out sick at her high school and so far she's okay, it may be that she had whatever is going around in that May to August period that she had 5 colds or that she built some good immunity then. I'm grateful because you can be outside and have the windows open in the warm months to avoid the germs but not so much in the cold months.
I also wear an n95 mask when I'm in public indoors. I do get some looks but I don't mind, just don't cough near me, lol (yes, I had this happen!).
Oops, forgot to add - I never ever buy extended warranties and I always cook French toast in butter. There you have it.
Hi, I worked in an industry that required we wear a mask while in the clean room so I understood the benefits and limitations of wearing a mask. I knew that a fabric mask would only filter out about 60% of the particles and almost none of the .01 microns size virus. An N95 mask will filter out 95% of that size virus but were impossible to come by. I wore the mask simple to not cause confrontations with others and hoped because we were both wearing it would be a little more effective. I came by my information from several studies. The first was a study done by the NIH by Anthony Fauci in 2005. It was actually about the adverse effects of masking during the 1918 pandemic. His conclusion on masks was that because people were wearing cloth masks without proper sterilization between each use they got infections from their masks and died not from the flu virus but from pneumonia. The second was a study done by Chapel Hill early in the C-19 pandemic that studied the effectiveness of different types of masks. They compared the kind of mask most people could find (59%). Cloth masks 61%, batik fabric 63%, N95 95%. I made myself batik masks and washed after 4 hours of use. Never pulled out of my purse and re-wore as I saw done on a regular basis. I realized the futility of mask use in September of 2020 when our city was smoke filled from wildfires. Smoke particles are .03 to .05 mircrons in size. If you can smell smoke it is getting thru the mask. Once again only the N95 properly fitted was effective.
In June of 2021 I still caught CoVID while masking up. I caught it again after a hospital stay in July of 2022. Again wearing masks and all around me wearing masks. So I am not convinced. Second case was less than the first one. So I tend not to worry about it any more I figure I have acquired some natural immunity. I will continue to take care with hand washing and wearing it when I have to in medical offices or when visiting someone who is vulnerable. But it is now endemic so I work at taking my vitamins and trying to stay well. I think hand washing is as important as any other thing I can do. I am the person who gets on a plane with cleaning wipes and cleans every surface I might touch. I also carried them to grocery stores and wiped down carts long before the general public, like years before.
I hope this does not come across as confrontational. I feel I have made an informed decision for myself and only myself. I am very data driven with every decision I make.
@Nancy H.,
I like your comment, good info.
The viral load and ventilation in hospitals, airplanes, and other places are also worth consideration.
@Nancy H., Your comment reminds me what a friend said at the beginning of the masking: when woodworking, he wore the best mask with filter available, and properly (because this man does everything properly and by the book). Even so, when he removed his mask, wood particles were inside. Viruses are much smaller.
I never got on board with mask wearing. I complied. Then last winter, I had an allergic reaction when wearing one of the disposable masks (the kind all places offer for free) at the eye doctor's office. The itching started behind my ears where the straps were, and I noticed it as soon as I got in our car after the appointment. The itch turned to a rash. It spread to half my body, and I spent the next 3 weeks dealing with it. I was miserable day and night.
I hate masks. I like to breathe. I like to see faces. I like for my glasses not to be fogged up. I think the constant visual reminder of masks causes such an increase in anxieties and worry, and those stressors automatically compromise our immune systems.
Because I have reacted differently to masks, mandates, being fearful about an illness, etc., I am certain some think I am crass or uncaring. But I am not; I just have a different idea about what I think is the healthiest way to live.
My opinion on masks is basically the same. I had Omicron in July. I've had 4 shots and will be getting the bi-valent booster soon. I wear masks on airplanes, but not to go to work or to go grocery shopping. If I have a cold and am in public, I wear a mask. Same with visiting immunocompromised people.
I wish that my kids enjoyed french toast more than they do (they would always rather have pancakes or waffles) because it's a great way to use up bread that needs used up!
We've had a varying relationship with masks. We masked for a very long time (prior to getting COVID around the same time Kristen did) and I would mask at times that I was the only person wearing one but was around people who were of retirement age. I had my kids wear masks initially because I wanted our library and Aldi friends to feel comfortable around our family, then my kids were eventually required to mask. However, my son's speech problems started to become apparent in February of 2021 when he was 4.5 years old. His problems are not with vocabulary or a speech delay, but with sound formation - getting his mouth to do what it needs to do to make the sound he wants to make. Masks were SO unhelpful and I feel pretty sure that they made it worse (having the pandemic coincide with such a crucial developmental time for him was terrible). I needed him to see what my mouth was doing to make a sound and I needed to see what his mouth was doing to make a sound. It was a lot easier for others to understand him once he was able to stop wearing a mask (I think the mandate was lifted in May 2021 here). So with his speech issues, we will only wear masks when required. We live in an area where hardly anyone masks anymore anyways, so it's not a big deal.
That being said, I can appreciate that others have very serious reasons for masking and try to be respectful and mindful to not get too close if they're wearing a mask.
Kristin, I read daily but rarely comment. I wanted to comment today to say that you always present issues with such grace, and I appreciate you for that. I love coming to a place to read about french toast and pandemic masking in the same post!
Aw, thank you for the encouragement!
And yes, we have quite a variety in today's Q&A. Ha.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comments Kristen. I think it’s very responsible! ❤️
I totally agree with your opinion about the mask situation. If I go where they are required, I will wear it and I do not mind if people choose to wear them where they are not required. I cook my french toast in butter mainly for the taste - YUM!
Thank you for respecting those of us who are vulnerable. Now that I am cancer free I am a little less afraid. But, only a little since I have other co-morbidities. So, I will continue, for now, asking people who need to come into my apartment to wear a mask. And providing them with one if they don't have their own.
We were pretty sure we had Covid in March of 2022, before there was testing. It was awful. We both use c-paps and believe that's what got us through the worst nights.
We have had 2 vaccines and 2 boosters. In August, 2022, we visited a relative who had just been on a bus trip to Vegas (Why???). We both got Covid again. It was milder than the first time, so now we're positive we had it in 2020, but it still knocked us out for over a week. We have kind of given up on mask wearing, except where requested. Sigh.
The experts are saying to wait on getting the next "boost" if you're recently had Covid. Okay, but how long should we wait? Ack!
Someone asked about getting bacon grease. I'm a vegetarian and my humans don't particularly like bacon, so I don't even cook it for them, but occasionally, a little bacon grease is the only thing that will do. Solution: I bought my friend a package of bacon and gave it to her, along with a small canning jar and asked her to save me half the bacon fat, which she was happy to in exchange for Free Bacon!
@Dicey, The recommendations I've seen suggest waiting 3 months after a previous COVID infection to get the bivalent (new) booster.
@Dicey, Huh. I use a CPAP too, because on top of everything else I have severe sleep apnea, but I could not, could not use it when I had Covid. Then again, I also had pneumonia and was on oxygen. And I've been using a CPAP since 2006, so it's not like I'm not used to it.
Also I prefer French toast to pancakes or waffles and I like my French toast cooked in bacon grease on my griddle, swimming in butter with plain white granulated sugar on top. There's something about the grittiness of the sugar combined with the butter and softness of the French toast that I love. My kids prefer maple syrup though.
@Rose, I love the grittiness of granulated sugar. I always cook my French Toast in butter - I'm Team Sweet all the way.
@Angie, just spoke with a doctor yesterday, and she advised that the recommendation to wait is primarily for those who had to receive IV meds to treat Covid. She recommended getting the booster since I’m fairly young and healthy, though I had Covid in June 2022 and august 2022
I mostly lurk and rarely comment, but I havent seen anyone mention the free extended warranties that are included with most Mastercard and Visa purchases. I worked for a major US bank until I became a stay-at-home mom to our children, and that was one (valuable!) perk that customers often didn't even know they had. It's a fairly standard, included feature on most credit cards (excluding some entry-level ones) that's really worth a google if you're unaware of it.
That's not to say it's ever frugal to pay unnecessary interest or fees, so we always pay our credit card bills in full each month, but we use them for the 1.5% cash back and purchase protection perks.
@Lauren, Thank you so much! I had no idea that some credit cards provide extended warranties. I'm going to check into this.
My favourite is "lifetime warranty" - I run when I hear that word. My credit card says it will double the manufacturer's warranty when I buy the item using it.
My brain needs all the oxygen it can get, so I cheerfully burned all my masks on March 21st, 2022.
I only insured what I cannot afford to replace with cash( my house) and have basic liability on my car.
French toast is called pain perdu in french( lost bread).
And I hate the masks. I am almost deaf and relying on lip reading for communication.
I could not talk to people for almost 2 years. I am willing to wear a mask but prefers others not too if they need a conversation with me. I stopped working for that very reason.
I totally understand the need to mask, but for me , it was a disaster.
It does seem like most extended warranties are just about useless. I bought a hot glue gun yesterday (on a Wal-Mart pickup order) and when I added it to the cart, it gave me the option of adding an extended warranty. On a hot glue gun! It was like $3.00 for one year on a $14.99 hot glue gun. I opted to take my chances and keep my $3.00.
I scrolled through the comments briefly and didn't see where anyone else had shared this link (sorry if I missed it and am double-sharing it). This lets you check by state and county for level of community spread and has recommendations for each level: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
It lines up fairly close with what you're already doing. 🙂
I've found it helpful in deciding when to mask. Like you, I always follow the rules and wear a mask when it's required, even if our community spread is low. A few grocery stores locally have put signs back up asking people to wear masks, so I always wear a mask in those stores and in most stores since I feel like the people working there don't have a choice. I keep a package of masks in my purse, so that if someone like William B were to ask me to wear one in a situation I had deemed low risk, I'd be able to put one on with no trouble. My husband works in emergency services and my sister works in health care, and I spent most of 2020 living in absolute terror that one of them would become deathly ill. I don't think I could live with myself if I knowingly subjected someone else to that level of fear for a loved one, so I'm never opposed to masking if it's required or if someone asked me to even if it wasn't required.
My personal theory is that masking/not masking will come and go, kind of the way flu season ebbs and flows. It seems likely (to me) that masks may become more mandatory/recommended again during the winter and then not so much during the spring.
I work in a high risk environment (elementary school) and interact with several different classrooms daily, so I am still masking for now. My seven-year-old son had long COVID for six months after having the infection, so I am particularly concerned about limiting his exposure. His symptoms (chronic headache and stomachache) which we believe were caused by inflammation in his lymph nodes finally went completely away after he got his booster shot. I am planning to get him another booster as soon as his pediatrician has it available and depending on how that goes and how the rates of infection this winter go, I may consider going maskless in the spring. I think I will always mask in very high risk scenarios (airplanes, urgent cares, very crowded indoor events, etc) in future though, because it just seems prudent to me now that it's relatively socially acceptable.
Haha, Kristen, you are so good at being cheerful. I admire that.
I remember that article about warranties, and I feel the same. My husband occasionally wants to get a warranty, but I remind him that it's rarely a good deal.
My husband and I, and close friends we choose to spend time with, all still mask, because we live in Florida (don't ask me to say anything more on this topic), my husband has serious asthma that leads to bronchitis in a heartbeat, and I care for my elderly father, who is quite vulnerable. This has been an issue of great concern to me and was a big factor in our moving to a place where our decisions are respected to a greater degree.
I like what you said about respecting people who continue to wear masks and the fact that you might not know their story. My daughter recently wore a mask all weekend at a conference she attended and knew that some people considered her as "the crazy afraid-of-covid lady". What they didn't know (and she didn't bother to tell them) is that she is currently undergoing treatment for cancer and wears masks to lessen her exposure to ANY kind of germs.
The next months should be interesting to say the least. Scientifically covid is changing who it kills. Minorities are now faring better percentage of population than whites. And with so many(majority) just fed up and determined to live a normal life covid has more subjects to play with and see what it can do even with vaccines, meds, previous immunity,, and better understanding of how to treat patients. It still kills mostly those over 65 and gives younger people reason to be cavalier but even that could change.
I mask for any situation with a crowd. (My husband went to a funeral, one of only a few guests who masked, and he caught the virus...) I mask if someone asks me to because it costs me nothing and makes someone feel easier about being around me. I continue to be amazed at people who see me wearing a mask and feel compelled to give me their unsolicited opinions about the evils of mask wearing. It has only happened three or four times so I have yet to develop a pithy rejoinder...
@Lindsey, How about "Why don't you let me decide for myself?"
I agree on all three points. No thanks on extended warranties (though I do love a good insurance policy otherwise), yes on cooking everything after bacon in the bacon fat (I think it’s cute when recipes say to remove all but one tbsp of fat, I’m like nah, I’m good)
Also agree on masks, I’ve got five shots in me (original 2, then 2 original boosters and just recently got flu and bivalent booster together) and I had Covid for Christmas last year. I also had a bad cold recently which wasn’t Covid, but felt similar. I’m comfortable with this level of risk even though I have an autoimmune disease. I also follow the mask to the level of the most concerned person rule, and also wherever required. So I wear it to some cases at work, and all of my medical appointments. I made my decisions with my family and my doctors, so I feel ok about it all. And I always have one on hand in case a situation is more crowded than I’m comfortable with.
I admire you for so many reasons, and this is one more example! Thank you for sharing your personal thoughts and reasonings. And thank you for welcoming others to share theirs. Polite and respectful sharing is what we all need. Peace be with us all, Dianna
Something not mentioned yet, I’m respectful of people wearing masks especially when I am not by keeping my distance around them. If I cough occasionally I turn away from people wearing masks and try to go around them with plenty of space. I wait for them to go through doorways without getting in their space so to speak. I will wear masks when required but am happy not to when not as you noted.
I do use hand sanitizer when available at the stores as I leave, clean the grocery cart handles before use and sanitize when I get back to my car. And wash up when I get home.
I don't subscribe to the extended warranty club either. I remember reading about that in Consumer Reports years ago as well. However! When we bought our RV (new) which is what we are currently living in full time (I was one of your first meet the reader interviews from, has it been, 2 years ago already??), we were so nervous about things going wrong with the RV, and we were so unfamiliar with what could possibly happen with RVs that we went ahead and bought a 6 year warranty! I felt silly at the time thinking I just didn't know if that was a wise thing to do but my fear of the unknown was bigger. 4 years later, we have used that warranty several times and have had things 100% covered with the exception of our deductible which is quite low. So this time it worked out! The repairman who works on our RV is always astounded at what our warranty covers!
I feel exactly the same way you do about masks. In addition, I'll add that my immune system can sometimes be "fragile" so sometimes I need to wear it to help myself (it reminds me not to touch my nose and mouth and eyes even though obviously my eyes aren't covered.)
I searched your blog but couldn't find a link to your French toast. Have you ever posted the recipe? I've made French toast a couple times but I've never been happy with the recipe. Can you share your recipe?? Thanks, in advance!
My mom taught me to save bacon grease so you didn't clog your kitchen pipes but she never cooked with it.
I am getting over having Covid. Hubby and I got all 5 vaccinations and now have 2 (!) vaccination cards. Hubby got it from a business trip and shared it with me and our daughter. I went out before I caught it and used a mask and then after 5 days isolation I continued to mask as long as I'm testing positive. It's been 13 days. I mask in doctor's offices. I'm kind of happy that it took us 2.5 years to get it but just when you think you're safe....bam! And I'm kind of happy that we finally got it.
I've never purchased an extended warranty on anything BUT I can tell you that I wish we had purchased the credit life on our new RV which we had not even made one payment on when my husband died. I ended up putting it back on consignment at the RV dealership where we bought it, and I broke even, but it was there for months and greatly impacted my monthly finances.
Also? bacon grease is like GOLD. You can add a small amount of it to so many things and it improves flavor and mouth feel. Life is short. Eat the bacon.
same boat as you on masks. all 4 of us had mild COVID in January and have had 4 vaccines. we take at-home tests at the slightest of symptoms. we are fine with wearing masks if we have to, if someone wants us to, or if the situation changes!
Could you possibly put a link to the pan you used for the French toast? I have been looking for a new griddle, and I like that it has sides and isn't just flat. Do you have any pros/cons about this particular one? Thanks for any information!
Sure, it's this one! https://amzn.to/3NeOYEc (affiliate link) I'm typing up a review of it right now so that I can answer your pros/cons questions, so look for that next week.
I like to make my french toast with raisin bread and use butter in the pan. It so delicious I will never make it with plain bread anymore. 🙂
We always have masks with us, just in case. We assess the need for them based on where we are (indoors/outdoors), how many people are around us, etc. Common sense is the rule! Our case numbers, right now, are low where we live, so we are grateful for that! Vaccinated and boosted!
Masking is a controversial subject, and you handled it carefully and well, Kristen.
I teach piano, and because my students come from many different schools, I went back to masking while teaching as soon as school started in September. I am conscious of not wanting to be a vector between schools. However, I don't require my students to wear masks now that the mandates have been lifted. I've been lucky since school started and have not gotten any colds, flus or other viruses, even though sickness (of various kinds) is rampant atm in schools here and among my students. I don't mask in many other places, although will of course put one on without argument anywhere that requires it. I also still ask people what their preference is if I see they are wearing one in my presence. I like how William phrased it and am happy to match the most cautious person present.