Little things, long weekend ahead, classes, mask use today

Yesterday evening was a relaxing evening at the farm. As Mama and Victoria both went live online for their Color Street businesses, I stayed outside and worked. I have to build a small shelter for the calf so we can get her out of the goat enclosure, so I worked on that until I ran out of materials. The calf really likes the shelter and I hate to have her without a place to hide when bad weather comes over the next few months. It will not be large. I am only covering part of the stall I originally built to keep her in when she was separated from the goats early on – but it will be a permanent cover. I will have that done this weekend and she will be excluded from the paddock with the goats as soon as I am finished. That should leave me and Mama a lot less mess to clean up in the goat shelter. As the calf gets bigger, so do her bowel movements. We hate for the goats to have to walk in the manure that she liberally deposits within that shelter.

I also put the last board on the porch of the little coop. It required some special cuts to make it fit properly. Now that is complete, and I hope to seal the porch with some sealant this coming weekend. I have had a 5-gallon bucket of the sealant for a couple years now. More like five years, so I do not know if it is still usable. If it is, it will finally get used over this coming long weekend. Mama and I are trying to spruce thing up around the farm, but it is a time-consuming chore that is largely never-ending. I guess that is what I love about the farm. At some point, it may become too much for us, but for now we are able to manage the ongoing workload and still enjoy most of the activity it requires of us.

I will be teaching classes both tomorrow and Thursday. That will finish out this short week. I am looking forward to a little bit of a break from work. It is not that I am dissatisfied with work. It is only that I would like a little bit more time to get some things done around the farm. If I could routinely take two days per week to devote my attention to the farm, I feel like I could get so much more done. That time will come eventually.

There are some serious questions being raised about the use of masks to halt the spread of the COVID virus. It is more of an emotional issue than a health issue, so it is difficult to formulate an effective argument against the use of masks. However, I was sent this post this morning by someone at my work who wanted me to thoughtfully consider the postulations of the author.  Although I do not know the author, I include it because I do not think I could have said it better.

“N95 masks: are designed for CONTAMINATED environments. That means when you exhale through N95 the design is that you are exhaling into contamination. The exhale from N95 masks are vented to breath straight out without filtration. They don't filter the air on the way out. They don't need to.
Conclusion: if you're in Target and the guy with Covid has a N95 mask, his covid breath is unfiltered being exhaled into Target (because it was designed for already contaminated environments, it's not filtering your air on the way out).
• Surgical Mask: these masks were designed and approved for STERILE environments. The amount of particles and contaminants in the outside and indoor environments ensure people are CLOGGING these masks very, VERY quickly. The moisture from your breath combined with the clogged mask will render it “useless”. IF you come in contact with Covid and your mask traps it, YOU become a walking virus dispenser. Every time you put your mask on you are breathing the germs from EVERYWHERE you went. They should be changed or thrown out every “20-30 minutes in a non-sterile environment.” Ultimate Answer:
*N95 blows the virus into the air from a contaminated person.
*The surgical mask is not designed for the outside world and will not filter the virus upon inhaling through it. It's filtration works on the exhale, (Like a vacuum bag, it only works one way) but likely stops after 20 minutes, rendering it useless outside of a STERILE ENVIRONMENT.
*Cloth masks are WORSE than none. It's equivalent to using a chain link fence to stop mosquitos.
• Cloth masks: I can't even believe I'm having to explain this, but here it goes. Today, three people pointed to their masks as they walked by me entering Lowe's. They said “ya gotta wear your mask BRO” I said very clearly “those masks don't work bro, in fact they MAKE you sicker” they “pshh'd” me. By now hopefully you all know CLOTH masks do not filter anything. You mean the American flag one my aunt made? Yes. The one with sunflowers that looks so cute? Yes. The bandanna, the cut-up t-shirt, the scarf? ALL of them offer NO FILTERING whatsoever. As you exhale, you are ridding your lungs of contaminants and carbon dioxide. Cloth masks trap this carbon dioxide the best. It actually risks your health, rather than protect it. The moisture caught in these masks can become mildew ridden overnight. Dry coughing, enhanced allergies, sore throat are all symptoms of a micro-mold in your mask.”

I will do what I must to comply with the laws and local regulations, but I will not voluntarily wear a mask. You will have to make you own choice on the issue.