Any-Occasion Greeting Cards As We Self-Isolate

As we continue to self-isolate, many of us crave connections with others more than ever, to recapture some of the intimacies we had in the “before time” or maybe to reconnect with those we’ve lost touch with. Sure, we no long send cards and letters to friends and family whether to commemorate a special event or just to say “hi hi.” But at this time, receiving a handwritten card emblazoned with a landscape image that provides travel inspiration and satisfies some of our wanderlust might be especially appreciated. Each of my any-occasion greeting cards features one of my landscape, nature and travel photos from my around-the-world travels, including India, Corsica, Nicaragua and Israel.  Some of the cards are vertical and others are horizontal. (This montage represents a sample of the many photo images available.) They can be purchased singly or as a set of 5 or 12 or more different images. (When purchased, you’ll receive a random sampling of the number of cards desired.)

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Healthy + Flavorful Food Items While Sheltering At Home

As we in New York continue to socially distance and remain in our homes, going out (wearing masks) only when necessary for vital groceries or medication, it’s become more and more difficult to order groceries online, whether from Amazon, Pea Pod, Fresh Direct, to name a few, that require scheduling at odd hours or making scheduling attempts over and over again, often to no avail. Yet, as we are sheltered at home for what seems like forever, we crave healthy and flavorful food and beverages. Below are some small companies that take the frustration out of ordering specific items while also offering plenty of sensory stimulation.

Angelic Bakehouse  produces a variety of wholesome breads, including the Sprouted 7-grain with 3 grams of fiber per slice. The ingredients include sprouted red wheat berries, quinoa, oat groats and rye berries.

Elmhurst 1925 is noted for their plant milks, such as unsweetened almond milk that, unlike most every other almond milk on the market, contains only two ingredients: almonds and water. Among their myriad plant milks are: cashew, oat and hazelnut.

Devocion Coffee works with farmers in Colombia where the beans are dried and then shipped to the roasting facility in Brooklyn, NY. Their network is so efficient that just 10 days or so elapses from the point of origin to the cup. The result: a flavorful brew.

La Tienda is a source of tasty Spain-sourced marcona almonds, including the no-salt, oven roasted product that contains 3 grams of fiber per 1 ounce serving. For anyone not familiar with marcona almonds, they have a different flavor, texture and shape compared with traditional almonds. Anyone who has traveled to Spain will delight in these nuts and, for those who haven’t, they’ll get an introduction to a healthy, tasty nut.

Cook Unity is a company delivering healthy, nutritious, flavorful meals prepared by private chefs. You tell them what you like — such as fish — and what you are trying to avoid — such as sodium. Each week you’ll an aesthetically pleasant set of meals arrives at your door in a zippered, insulated and chilled shopping bag. You’ll even be able to track the delivery vehicle as it approaches your neighborhood and leaves it at your door.

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Quebec Maritime Photo - 4

In Quebec Maritime in the village of Sainte-Flavie, some 100 wooden human-like sculptures pepper the shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The sculptures traverse the landscape from the water to the land, with some appearing and disappearing with the tide.

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Quebec Maritime Photo - 3

In Quebec Maritime, art appears in some unlikely places. This contemporary sculpture, Le Cheval Noir, can be found in the town of Trois-Pistoles. And there’s an interesting tale associated with a horse and the adjacent church that, of course, involves the devil.  

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Quebec Maritime Photo - 2

Quebec Maritime’s Parc Beauséjour that’s set along the Saint Lawrence River is idyllic for an urban cross-country skiing adventure. Numerous outdoor sculptures pepper the riverfront landscape. This scenic, placid park is located in the city of Rimouski. I wish I were there now. 

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Quebec Maritime: Photo

When the thaw started, several colorful ice fishing huts had been pulled off the ice of the Saint Lawrence River in the city of Rimouski in Quebec Maritime. 

As I’m self-isolating and self-distancing, I continue to create by posting photos from my previous travels. Each image inspires and calms me, helping me re-experience all the wonders the Earth offers us. And when this pandemic passes, each of these photos can provide all of us with ideas for future travels.

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Protecting Myself From Coronavirus

Many people are asking me what I’m doing during this

coronavirus pandemic. I’m certainly overly cautious,

especially given my background in microbiology, physiology

and epidemiology. Now, in New York City, we have to social-distance, and notgo out of the house, except for necessities. Given that I live in a distant NYC suburb without a car, I have to venture out on foot to buy groceries. Here’s 
what I do.

Whenever I have access to soap and water, I thoroughly

wash all the surfaces of my hands.

I carry Purell in my pocket and use it liberally when soap and

water is not available.

I don’t touch my hands to my mouth, eyes or nose.

I also carry Lysol wipes and use this on any surface I will be

touching.

I don’t get within six feet of anyone. 

Whenever I have to open a door or touch a handrail, I do

so with a Lysol wipe in my hand or I wear one cloth glove.

But the glove, of course, becomes contaminated and, once

I get home, I disinfect it by rinsing in chlorine. (I don’t let

the glove touch my bare hands or anything else I will be

touching.)

I use a diluted solution of alcohol on my iPhone if it was

somehow set on a surface that I neglected to wipe down with Lysol.

While I’ve seen people reusing N-95 masks or surgical masks

-- the latter are not effective against the coronovirus -- most

are single-use masks and are not to be reused. In addition,

if you are wearing a mask and you take it off, you have to properly

clean your hands that touched the mask.

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Dispelling Myths on Coronavirus

I've been traveling recently. And, whether I was on NJ Transit to Newark Airport or catching up with friends and colleagues on Facebook, I sadly have been confronted with a lack of understanding of science and infectious disease, in this case the coronavirus epidemic (pandemic). Here are some of the myths and facts related to the coronavirus outbreak:

Myth: If you got a flu shot and maybe the pneumonia vaccine, you're ok.

Fact: Not true. Though getting both the flu and pneumonia vaccines (if you are over 65) would reduce the likelihood of you getting either disease that would compound your problems, they do not protect you from the coronavirus.

Myth: Scientists will have a coronavirus vaccine in a couple of months.

Fact: Not true. The development of a vaccine that will be used in humans requires a number of steps that require clinical trials, first with a small number of subjects and then with a much larger sample size. That being said, it's likely we will not see a vaccine for at least a year or more.

Myth: Only old people get sick from the coronavirus.

Fact: Though we are not seeing very young children getting sick, one of the early cases of coronavirus on the west coast was a teenager. And now there are reports that large percentages (almost 40%) of hospitalized cases in the U.S. are in ages 20s to 50s. Though most of the deaths have been among older people. Anyone can get sick with the coronavirus, though most everyone will have mild symptoms. But anyone who is immunocompromised or has an underlying health condition (such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cardiac disease) -- especially if they are older -- has an increased risk of a more serious illness.

Myth: Coronavirus doesn't stay on surfaces for very long so there's no worries about touching a surface that hasn't been in use for awhile.

Fact: It's believed that the coronavirus can remain viable on surfaces for several hours up to a few days. But it depends on the surface and the amount of virus. For example, the virus may remain viable longer on metal than cloth surface. If you think a surface may be contaminated, use a disinfectant cloth (such as Lysol) to wipe it down and, of course, wash your hands with soap and water, or, if it's not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.

Myth: Taking vitamin C supplements, drinking green tea, eating garlic, or ingesting probiotics can help prevent coronavirus.

Fact: No. These natural remedies will neither protect you from this novel coronavirus nor can they treat the condition should you become sick. Neither will antibiotics work as a treatment since this is a viral infection, not a bacterial illness.

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Protecting Yourself From The New Coronavirus

Most people don't have a background in microbiology or infectious diseases. So, it's understandable why many are either in a state of denial or a state of panic regarding the new (novel) coronavirus outbreak that started in China and now has spread to numerous countries, including the U.S.


This virus tends to lodge in the lungs. It typically presents with fever, coughing and fatigue. Most people may feel like they would when they get a bad flu. But if someone is immunocompromised, is older and not well because of another condition (such as respiratory or cardiac problems), the symptoms may worsen to shortness of breath and require hospitalization.

Here's what you need to know to protect yourself:


Wash your hands thoroughly and often whenever you touch a surface of any sort or if you touch another person, as in shaking hands (which you should avoid).

When washing your hands with soap and water, do so for at least 20 seconds.

When soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Do not use a non-alcohol-based sanitizer.

Don't touch your hands to your face, including your eyes, nose and mouth.

In your home or office, use a disinfectant wipe or spray to clean surfaces.

Though there's no vaccine for coronavirus as yet and probably won't be for at least a year or so, you should make sure that you've gotten a flu vaccine as well as the vaccinations for bacterial pneumonia (pneumococcal pneumonia). Though neither of these vaccines will have anything to do with preventing the new coronavirus infection, getting these vaccinations makes it less likely that you are not otherwise medically compromised and that you'll have the need to visit a hospital or doctor's office where you'd be in close proximity to other sick people.

If you become sick, stay at home so that you don't spread any infection to others.

When you sneeze or cough, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue, for example, to prevent droplets with infectious organisms from spreading to others or to surfaces. Throw these tissues in the garbage rather than letting them touch a surface. Otherwise sneeze or cough in the crook of your elbow.

If you know people who are sick -- they have a fever or are coughing and/or sneezing -- don't get closer than six feet or so from them.

There is no need to buy any sort of face mask. The N-95 is what's used by health professionals who are treating sick people. And the Centers for Disease Control does not recommend these masks for the public. And the cotton-type surgical mask won't do much of anything in terms of protecting you should someone who coughs or sneezes near you. That's because it doesn't fit tightly to your face nor does it have small enough pores to prevent droplets from entering.

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