When are things going to reopen?! That is the million-dollar question!
The Governor of Massachusetts has announced the strategy for reopening our state and keeping everyone safe and healthy. There are four stages:
Stage 1: Start – Limited industries resume operations with severe restrictions. Stage 2: Cautious – Additional industries resume operations with restrictions and capacity limits. Stage 3: Vigilant – Additional Industries resume operations with guidance. Phase 4: New Normal – Development of vaccine and/or therapy enables resumption of “new normal”.
We can’t wait for the state to increase the reopening of places!
As we know, during every phase it is still important to follow the usual health and sanitation guidelines like washing hands regularly, covering your cough or sneeze, and staying home if you are sick.
Golf is reopened in MA, and here are the safety rules laid of by Mass Golf to ensure that everyone can have fun and stay safe!
-Security personnel can be delineated by each club (ex. A pro and the head starter) and will be present to enforce social distancing. There can be no other employees working at the recreational component of the golf operation. -All staff must wear face coverings while on property. -Course facilities including but not limited to the clubhouse, golf shop, restaurant, bag room and locker room must remain closed. -No caddies allowed. -No golf carts allowed, except as outlined below: -The use of a motorized cart may be permitted for any individual with a disability who is seeking a reasonable accommodation to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A golfer who wants to use a cart should provide documentation or otherwise certify in writing to the golf course that he or she has a disability that requires the use of the cart. -Any carts used must be cleaned and sanitized after each use. -The course operator may not use non-essential employees to handle the renting and/or cleaning of the carts. Only security and groundskeeping personnel are permitted on the premises. -Push carts may be used. Players must either carry their own bag or use a push cart. -All golfers must maintain proper social distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. -Groups of players are restricted to no more than 4 players at one time. -Members-only clubs can allow guests as determined by the security personnel on the golf course. -Private clubs that allow non-members to make reservations can do so at their discretion. -Maintenance personnel are permitted to work on the golf course. -Tee Time Policy must be 15 minutes between groups. -Golfers must stay in their car until 15 minutes before their tee time and must return to their car immediately following play. -Online and remote payment options must be utilized. -All golfers must use their own golf clubs. Sharing golf clubs or rental golf clubs is not allowed. -Flagsticks must remain in the hole. Hole liners must be raised so picking a ball out of the hole doesn’t occur. -Bunker rakes must be removed, and ball washers must be removed or covered. -Practice putting green, driving range, and chipping areas must be closed. -Facilities must have readily accessible hand sanitizer.
It’s OK to golf! The sunny, warm weather is finally here and we can’t wait to get out for a round of golf! The good news is that golf is a safe outdoor recreational activity because it is easy to keep distance from others on the large fields! National golf organizations are implementing smart strategies and safety precautions to keep everyone safe while still being able to enjoy golfing!
While golfing, make sure to practice general COVID safety measures such as: wash and sanitize hands often (a pocket sized bottle of hand sanitizer is perfect to take out on the course!), avoid close contact with others (rule of thumb is about 6 feet), cover coughs and sneezes, and it’s a good idea to cover your mouth and nose with a mask.
Psychological benefits of golf: “It’s been well studied that exercise does improve mood, wellness, happiness, improves sleep, which is really important. It’s also been shown to improve or decrease anxiety.
Today, May 15th, has a number of fun national days to celebrate! You can head out for a bike ride to celebrate National Bike to Work Day or stay inside and stuff your face full of your favorite treats to celebrate either National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day or National Pizza Party Day! No matter how or what you are celebrating today, it will be a great day!
National Bike to Work Day encourages us to bike to work, but it also raises awareness of cyclists as they commute to and from work each day. As more and more people take to bicycles for transportation to and from work, it’s important for both cyclists and drivers to share the road safely. Both must be aware of the traffic laws and follow them. More and more communities are adding bike lanes to improve safety. Some of the benefits of commuting to work by bicycle include physical fitness, fuel savings, smaller carbon footprint, and automobile longevity. Overall, National Bike to Work Day promotes the bicycle as a healthy and safe alternative for commuting to work.
May 15th is also National Endangered Species Day. This day provides the perfect opportunity to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species. This day encourages learning about wildlife habitats and the actions necessary to protect them. This say is designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a “consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation.” If you are looking for a way to celebrate this day, many conservation groups, zoos, and wildlife organizations hold a variety of events focused on saving endangered species as well as improving conservation and education. Feel free to donate to a conservation group or wildlife organization today and use #EndangeredSpeciesDay to post on social media!
If you’re trying to satisfy a craving today but aren’t sure what you’re hungry for, try celebrating National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day or National Pizza Party Day! National Chocolate Chip Cookie day commemorates baker Ruth Graves Wakefield who was the first person to ever add chocolate chips to a cookie. While cookies may be the first treat to come to mind, imagination is really the only thing limiting how chocolate chips can be used in baking. Whether you bake up some chocolate chip cookies or melt them down and begin dipping, be sure to celebrate! Make sweet treats to share or just for yourself! And if you lack a sweet tooth, today is also National Pizza Party Day! Since pizza is one of America’s favorite foods, it comes as no surprise we would celebrate a day that features a pizza party. Pizza parties bring friends together and are a perfect way to celebrate! Open up Zoom and join all you friends by digging into your favorite slice, or host a baking party online and see who can come up with the most creative pizza topping. The opportunities are endless when it comes to pizza and friends.
Hummus is not just a dip. It is a food that speaks to the soul.
Hummus can be eaten any time of day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack. It is a perfect plant based protein for those looking to cut down on animal products.
A big bowl of hummus (with pita bread and a salad) is a great meal within itself.
With breakfast – slather it on your toast, or fry an egg with brown rice, eat with hummus.
Lunch – substitute mayo or mustard with hummus – much healthier! It can also be a main component in a wrap or sandwich – try a hummus wrap with sliced tomatoes, avocado, and sprouts. Swap out ketchup on your burger for hummus. Eat it with roasted potatoes.
Dinner – Hummus as a marinade for fish.Take a spoonful of hummus and dilute with olive oil and vinegar (or lemon juice) to make a tasty salad dressing. With chopped veggie sticks. Substitute hummus when making a nondairy ‘cream’ sauce for pasta.
Take your hummus game to the next level and top it off with ground beef sauteed in onions and spices like garlic, paprika, pepper and a hint of cinnamon!
Dessert – stores are now selling dessert hummus, try the chocolate kind! Indulgence without the guilt, plus protein!
At Private Home Care, we are strong proponents of a Mediterranean Diet, which features hummus. Hummus is a rockstar food, not only because it is delicious, but it is full of nutrients! Because it is bean-based, it is high in fiber, which help to keep you feel fuller for longer.
Hummus is a bean spread typically made out of chickpeas, tahini (crushed sesame paste), lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
A 3.5 oz (about 1/3 cup) serving of hummus contains:
Calories: 166 Fat: 9.6 grams Protein: 7.9 grams Carbs: 14.3 grams Fiber: 6.0 grams Manganese: 39% of the RDI Copper: 26% of the RDI Folate: 21% of the RDI Magnesium: 18% of the RDI Phosphorus: 18% of the RDI Iron: 14% of the RDI Zinc: 12% of the RDI Thiamin: 12% of the RDI Vitamin B6: 10% of the RDI Potassium: 7% of the RDI
An odometer is an instrument that indicates the distance traveled by a vehicle. It may be electronic, mechanical or a combination of both. The word odometer comes from the Greek words hodos meaning path or gateway and metron, meaning measure.
Odometers have helped understand the lifespan of cars and gives vehicle owners the ability to pay attention to their car and do maintenance. Odometer Day was created to remind people of this fact, remind them to check their odometers and take better care of their cars. For example, you should check your oil every 3,000 miles.
Odometers were first developed in the 1600’s, where the device was a road carriage with a drum, and with each time their measurement of distance was met, a drum was hit by a wooden figure. Arthur P. and Charles H. Warner developed the first odometer for the automobile in 1903 and was patented as the Auto-Meter.
How to celebrate odometer day: Take a drive in your car and see where you end up. Get in the habit of tracking your miles and reset your odometer after each drive. By keeping track of your mileage, you’ll be able to better care for it and track how efficiently you’re using gas.
Private Home Care reminds everyone that a healthy car means safe passengers!
Observed annually on May 12th, National Limerick Day celebrates the birthday of English artist, illustrator, author, and poet Edward Lear (May 12, 1812 – Jan. 29, 1888). Lear is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry, prose, and limericks.
The day also celebrates the limerick poem. Limerick poems were popularized by Edward Lear’s book “Book of Nonsense” in 1846. A limerick is a very short, humorous, nonsense poem. Within a limerick, there are five lines. The first two lines rhyme with the fifth line and the third and fourth line rhyme together.
People love limericks because they allow you to be creative and let everyone be a poet! Limericks offer a fun way to still be poetic, without taking themselves too seriously. Not every poem has to be 100 lines long without any rhyming. Limericks live a little and make you laugh!
How to celebrate: write your own limerick, take a poetry class, or even take a trip to Limerick!
What is your favorite limerick? (Let’s keep it clean everyone! 🙂 )
In honor of National Nurses Week! Florence Nightingale is known as the mother of nursing, but did you know that she was a revolutionary in her time as well? Born into a wealthy family in London, she was expected to marry and be lady of a manor. She had different ideas, and defied society’s expectations when she moved to Germany to study nursing. During her time saving British soldiers in the Crimean War, she managed to cut the death rate by 2/3 by drastically improving sanitation conditions. Queen Victoria awarded Nightingale for her heroism, and she became a world leader in nursing and public health.
These moving pictures depict what day to day life is like for a nurse at a COVID-stricken NYC hospital.
“Many evenings, at seven, Chaplin can hear the cheering and honking, the nightly tribute to the “essential workers” who are keeping the city alive. The sound often makes her tear up with gratitude, but she is wary when she hears platitudes about the “heroic” work of health-care professionals. She doesn’t want to be glorified all of a sudden. “This is what we trained to do,” she says. “This is what we do. That was true a year ago, and it will be true a year from now.””
