Wear a Mask in Public!

[This is a long, long message. So, get a cup of coffee, a soda (or a scotch) and settle down.]

The City of South Miami has now issued Emergency Order #2. This requires that people wear some form of covering over their mouths and noses when in a public place like a grocery store, pharmacy or restaurant facility;

In addition to the collection sites that have already been in operation:

FIU has opened a COVID-19 testing site in partnership with Miami-Dade County, the Florida Department of Health, and the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition.

The drive-thru testing site is located at the fairgrounds. The entrance is located on Southwest 107th Ave and 17th Street. Testing, which is available by appointment only, takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. Appointments must be made by calling 305-499-8767. The call center opens at 9 a.m. and takes appointments for the following day until all 300 slots are filled. The call center then closes until the next day at 9 a.m. To qualify for testing, a person must be at least 18 years old and have symptoms associated with COVID-19.

There are several ways to get food, if you need to. One is that daily, dinners are being offered free at:

Other sites for picking up food are listed below. Number 11 is the closest - about 8 miles - from South Miami. Number 8 is 13 miles and number 1 is 17 miles away.

In South Miami FARM SHARE will be giving bags of produce on Saturday, April 18:

I may see you there, because I'm going to be one of those putting items in your trunk.

There are two civic service requests that I ask all of you to fulfill. (1) Complete the census. You can do it from you computer: https://respond.census.gov/qspp/login

The message in the pink box below is hard to read. Here's what it says:

"Important notice regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Because of the recent Cororavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we realize you may not have immediate access to the records you need to provide exact responses to the questions in this servey. If this is the case, we accept your best estimate. All respondents are strongly encouraged to respond online.

Your response is especially important right now. it helps accurately measure the American economy so that policymakers and government officials like yourself can understand the impacts of this Coronavirus outbreak."

(2) The Florida Department of Health has asked that everyone please complete their survey: they say: We also encourage all Floridians to take the COVID-19 Community Action Survey by visiting www.StrongerThanC19.com.

Katherine Fernandez Rundle in Community Newspapers on April 9 said about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration:

"The advance functions like a grant, since it does not have to be repaid." She was reporting about a constituent who told her: "he said that the process was relatively easy for an existing business owner. He applied for EIDL on the SBA website (SBA.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronoavirus-relief-options/economic-injury-disaster-loan-emergency-advance). [He provided] simple information, like the business tax I.D. number, information about gross sales (and probably documentation) and cost of goods sold (and probably documentation).

There appears to be no downside to exploring this option for small businesses, as the funding may preserve a family’s dream and preserve local jobs. We should not let these trying times steal our hopes and aspirations. We can get through this together, just as we always have."

The First National Bank of South Miami has been teaching business owners how to apply for the PPP (Payroll Protection Program) and helping them through the process. One of South Miami's small business owners was surprised and delighted with their help and speed of approval for his loan/grant.

Watering restrictions are in effect now.

Outdoor Water Restrictions in Miami-Dade County: Watering is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• Hand-watering with one hose fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle is allowed for 10 minutes per day for landscape stress relief and to prevent plant die-off.

• Restrictions apply to all users of any water resource within Miami-Dade County, whether from publicly or privately owned water utility sewer systems, private wells or private connections to surface water bodies.

Residents and businesses with an ODD-numbered street address (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9):

- Lawn watering is permitted on WEDNESDAYS and SATURDAYS before  10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

Residents and businesses with an EVEN-numbered street address (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8*), no street address, or who water both even and odd addresses within the same zones, including multi-family units and Homeowner Associations: - Lawn watering is permitted on THURSDAYS and SUNDAYS before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

Residents should choose from one of two "watering windows" (before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.) on their designated irrigation days. For the most efficient use of water, residents should avoid irrigating during both time periods on the same day.

Some exceptions:

- Restrictions don't apply for car and boat washing, pressure cleaning of paved surfaces, decorative fountains and water-based recreation (e.g. swimming pools, water slides).

- Users of 100 percent reclaimed water are exempt from restrictions, but encouraged to conserve water.

- Low-volume irrigation, including the use of drop and micro jet systems that apply water directly to plant root zones, is not restricted but is encouraged to be reduced.

- New landscaping can be watered during the corresponding hours listed above every day,except Fridays, for the first 90 days it is installed. Save the receipt with the date of purchase. When unable to water during specific hours, call 311 to apply for a variance.

Working in my yard is, of course, one of the activities that I have found myself doing more often. My yard feels more like a jungle, sometimes, than a garden. To that end I was very interested in an article that was forwarded to me by a neighbor who is very eco-friendly.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/09/how-to-rewild-lawn-garden?CMP=share_btn_link

If you are like me, you are either finding new things to do, or going a bit berserk. Here is a diary that documents what I mean by berserk:

Subject: My Self-Isolation Quarantine Diary

Day 1 – I Can Do This!!  Got enough food and wine to last a month!

Day 2 – Opening my 8th bottle of Wine.  I fear wine supplies might not last.

Day 3 – Strawberries:  Some have 210 seeds, some have 235 seeds.  Who knew??

Day 4 – 8:00 pm.  Removed my Day Pajamas and put on my Night Pajamas.

Day 5 – Today, I tried to make Hand Sanitizer.  It came out as Jello Shots!!

Day 6 – I get to take the Garbage out.  I’m sooo excited, I can’t decide what to wear.

Day 7 – Laughing way too much at my own jokes!!

Day 8 – Went to a new restaurant called “The Kitchen.”  You have to gather all the

ingredients and make your own meal.  I have no clue how this place is still in

business.

Day 9 – I put liquor bottles in every room.  Tonight, I’m getting all dressed up and going

bar hopping.

Day 10 – Struck up a conversation with a spider today.  Seems nice.  He’s a Web

Designer.

Day 11 – Isolation is hard.  I swear my fridge just said, “What the hell do you want now?”

Day 12 – I realized why dogs get so excited about something moving outside, going for

walks or car rides.  I think I just barked at a squirrel.

Day 13 – If you keep a glass of wine in each hand, you can’t accidentally touch your face.

Day 14 – Watched the birds fight over a worm.  The Cardinals led the Blue Jays 3–1.

Day 15 – Anybody else feel like they’ve cooked dinner about 395 times this month?

I wonder what you ARE finding to do.

You could be keeping a diary similar to the above, or, like the de-stessor provided by the City of South Miami HR department:

You may be doing some of the many on-line exercise programs. Our South Miami's Parks and Recreation department is also holding virtual fitness classes, including Silver Sneakers. Here is the URL: http://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/social_annotation_v2?permalink_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmyemail.constantcontact.com%2FVirtual-Fitness-Classes-Now-Available-.html%3Fsoid%3D1121024554474%26aid%3DmN1GdAzw1dQ&image_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.constantcontact.com%2Fae535420501%2Fd4d7c935-d6ff-4a35-aab4-78beefbbe80e.png&fbclid=IwAR2iU9POLdeSt7zq-zQcoMHal3Am1ymqwiX0ez_vSyIplOREInpGDkwZrTc

What I wish that all of us would do is check on our neighbors. Call or email them. Find out if the seniors who live next to you need you to run some kind of errand for them. When you are out for your evening stroll, you can still chat with people even when you are six feet distant from them. In addition to finding out how they are, ask your neighbors for their contact information.

Did you know that some children - especially the younger ones - don't know how long a distance six feet is? Now might be a good time to teach them about feet and yards. Help them learn what a safe distance is.

I have seen some wonderful examples of teaching that are on the Internet. Here is one that an elementary art teacher gave as an assignment: make a face with food. Click here to see a wonderful reading of Dr. Seuss's ABC.

Before the last really interesting way to spend time during long hours at home, I want to let you know that I read the following. It was sent out by the AARP Tax-Aide program.

"The IRS added a Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here webpage on April 10 which takes individuals to an Intuit entry screen where the individual must enter personal information so they can receive their EIP electronically. We have not yet tested this."

When you get to the web site, scroll down to you get to a blue bar that says: Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here.

PLEASE SEND ME A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND TO DO WITH YOUR TIME AT HOME THAT HAS BEEN FUN OR REALLY SPECIAL: sally.b.philips@gmail.com

With that I'm bringing this endeavor to a close with the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nORRgU8sGdE&feature=youtu.be

Take care, be safe, stay healthy!