In the weeks BV (before virus), we would go to our regular grocery several times a week to pick up a few groceries, toothpaste, soap, dog treats and anything else that grabbed our attention as we strolled leisurely down each of the aisles.

We live just a few minutes away, and these visits are partly to buy stuff and partly to get out of the house.

We would often see friends here and stop to chat.

Now, grocery day is completely different.

We have a sheet attached to the refrigerator and list items we need as we run out of something.

On Monday, Susie gets on the computer and clips the items on MPerks and checks out the sales.

She prints those out and puts it on the kitchen counter. Then, we transfer the list on the fridge to this sheet and add any last minute choices from the sales.

I will then sit in my chair while watching Monday Night Football (I wish!) and arrange the needed items into the proper order in which we will add them to our cart when we go shopping. On Tuesday morning (and Thursday) Senior Hour runs from 7 to 8 a.m. Supposedly, only older people and those with compromised immune systems are allowed in the store. This keeps us seniors from mingling with a bunch of young, sick people.

We arrive a few minutes before seven. The first week or two, people were lined up outside, standing six feet apart on the measured duct tape lines on the pavement. Lately, only 10 or 12 people are waiting for the store to open. Usually, the manager is standing inside and unlocks the doors early to keep a line from forming outside. We put on our face masks and wipe down the grocery carts with the Lysol wipes we brought from home. The carts have already been sanitized, (they are often still wet), but I’m not taking any chances.

I quickly walk down the aisle to pick up a loaf of my favorite bread while Susie heads for the produce. Potatoes, carrots and tomatoes are added to the cart as I push it along the lunch meat section. She picks out bologna for me and pickle loaf for her, while I grab a roll or two of hot sausage on my way to select some burger or roasts. I again meet up with her while she is selecting eggs (for my baking needs), sour cream and milk.

We turn the corner on the far aisle and select her yogurt and assorted cheeses.

Having done all of this, we can slow down slightly and began going down only the aisles that contain things on our list. (We have the aisle number listed on our grocery sheet.)

If we see someone we know, we wave as we pass and ask them how they are doing, barely waiting for a reply, or just saying, “Call me.”

Canned fruit and vegetables are in one aisle. I need crushed pineapple for several different desserts. Depending on how much baking I’ve been doing in the preceding week, I add sugar, flour, vegetable oil, spices, chocolate chips, etc. to the cart.

We are stocked up on pasta and don’t need cereal, so we skip those aisles. Susie puts some Pepsi in our cart, while I pick up a couple flavors of Crystal Light drink mix. Unless we need frozen foods, we are already done with this side of the store.

If we need more dog food or treats, we grab them when leaving the cheese section, so we don’t have to backtrack. A quick walk across the store and we pick up soap, hair spray (I may need that soon if I can’t get my hair cut), toothpaste, aspirin and other OTC medicines.

On to the checkout lanes.

Usually, we would stand for a while because the lines are always busy. Now, with just a few people in the store and several lanes open, we often have our pick of empty checkouts.

A couple of minutes later, we are out the door and heading for our car. Susie rips her face mask off and starts to breathe again. She is claustrophobic and hates wearing those things. I wear masks often while doing my woodworking and am used to them.

In and out in 30 minutes. It used to take at least an hour.

I want to thank the grocery store and its management for creating this time for us older folks to shop with less worry about contracting the current virus and for having sufficient staff to get us checked out with minimum contact with our fellow shoppers. I hope it isn’t necessary for long.

The author may be reached at [email protected].