Welcome back to the barn friends. Pull up a milk stool, grab a cup of coffee and let's have a chat about all the current events going on.
Covid-19 has reached pandemic heights. We can't look anywhere without seeing the news, memes, and images of stores wiped out of essential products. It is honestly overwhelming and so many are reacting out of fear of the unknown. We here at the shop want to be a voice of reason, calmness, and correct information. We believe that the current happenings are very serious but with level heads and armed with correct information we can get through this together.
So... let me reassure each of you that here on the farm and in the shop we always take health precautions very seriously. By the very nature of our farm and business we ALL from the biggest in the shop to the smallest in the shop wash our hands and practice what we preach every day. Our shop is sanitized regularly every day, as well are ALL our tools. We wear hospital grade gloves every time we create anything in the shop. We never work in the shop or go near our product shelves if we feel even the slightest bit unwell. Your health and the quality of our products are of utmost importance to us. We homeschool and I work from our farm so we have limited contact on a daily basis, simply by the nature of our busy lives on the farm and in the shop. I just wanted to reassure you of the precautions we take daily to keep you safe...always, even before this nasty virus hit.
Let's take a second to chat about things that you can do to keep yourself and loved ones safe and healthy during this time. These are also the very things we are doing too.
1. Stay Calm and remove as much stress as possible. Stress weakens our immune systems and let's be honest... panic never helped any situation.
2. Get rest. Our bodies need rest to fight outside virus and illness.
3. Limit food that causes inflammation. Sugar..white bread.. you get the idea.
4. Eat healthy whole foods as much as possible. Support your local farms and small businesses that sell farm raised beef and pork, free range eggs, local dairy's that offer premium milk and cheese, and stores that offer garden fresh veggies. Limit the take out during this time.
5. Add a good multi vitamin, vitamin C and D, and Zinc. These are amazing immune boosting supplements and can be gotten locally or even ordered from Amazon.
6. Don't panic but have a sensible store of non perishable foods as well as the foods mentioned in number 4. Also be sure you have what you might need in case some falls ill during this time. A humidifier and essential oils like peppermint and eucalyptus help open airways and relax strained lungs. Basic over the counter medicines that we should all keep on hand. Also don't forget a good working thermometer. Basic cleaning products and lysol are also helpful to have on hand.
7. Get some sunshine and exercise each day as weather permits.
8. WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER.. you knew that one was coming didn't you? Washing your hands with a good quality soap that won't dry your hands is key to keeping you healthy at any time, not just now. Don't buy the antibacterial hype that you see in the stores. Basic soap and water do the same or better when used correctly and frequently. Remember to wash for a minimum of 20 seconds. The below link from the FDA is very informative about this.
9. Try your best not to touch your face. This is a hard one, but important.
10. If you feel even the slightest bit ill STAY HOME. Not only could you pass illness on to others, but your immune system is compromised and you could get something much worse than a sniffle right now.
I want to link some reliable sources for information on covid-19. Don't buy into media hype but also don't ignore the serious nature of this virus. REMEMBER.. level head and common sense. Panic and misinformation is absolutely NOT what we need right now. I also will include a link for those in Oklahoma, but you can easily find a link for your state department of health.
A couple small things I want to touch on before it's time for barn chores..
We have many requests to make sanitizer and sell it. We will NOT make this. It is illegal for us to make as it is considered a drug by the FDA and on top of that our business insurance doesn't cover it either. Please, friends DO NOT buy hand sanitizer from anywhere other than the store. Don't buy hand made sanitizer. There is much more to it than alcohol and aloe vera. Also, Everclear and other consumable alcohol will not kill the covid -19 virus.. Please do not purchase things like soap and skincare from business that do not carry insurance or who offer to sell you things unethically.
Lastly we will not price gouge or play on the fear and panic currently going around. We will sell our soaps to any and all who need it at our current prices or lower. We promise and commit to make the best possible quality farm to skin products to keep your family healthy and safe that are free of harmful chemical and synthetic ingredients.
We strive daily to be a business that you can trust and rely on to bring you quality, honesty, and integrity. We are here to answer any questions you might have via live chat on our website, email, phone, and our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.
Well friends we've come to the end of another great barn chat. I can't thank you enough for stopping by. I always look forward to your company. As the sun sets on the barn we hope you are healthy and safe. We will see you next time. I'll have the milk stool open and the coffee hot.
Jamie