The Minnesota Noices

Hardware Stores (and masks)

Yes, I have abandoned the “day count”. There’s a lot of them now (days) and they are starting to be a reminder of how long I have been away from the fam. Speaking of the fam, I have a ticket to go to the US on May 9, spend 2 weeks there getting ready for our move (since the house sold) and then we all come to Sweden on May 23. Hopefully. If the planes are flying.

Anyway, in order to prep for this (essential) travel, I needed to get set up with some kind of mask, both for myself and others. I looked all around for where some might be, and ended up finding hardware stores. So I went to one today. Swedol is a really big hardware store. It is kind of like a Northern Tool (for those in the upper mid-west). It was clean, had a huge selection of tools and stuff, and was nicely organized. It looked like all the tools were high-end brands, but seemed pretty reasonably priced. It was outside of the center of town, in a more industrial-y area, but it was still a short bike ride. Basically everything is a short bike ride here. I took some snaps of Swedol.

I found the masks, but they only had one kind of lightweight FFP2 or FFP3 mask left, and they were valved. Valved masks are more comfortable for the wearer because they let the moisture from your breath escape while blocking particles from entering. BUT, they do nothing to protect others from you as your (basically unfiltered) breath goes right out. Then I realized I was in a hardware store, and thought, “hell, I can MacGyver something here”. So I got some FFP3 filter inserts and some white electrical tape. I can tape over the valve, or tape an insert over the valve. I can also use the insert inside a t-shirt mask (which might be more comfortable). In any case, I think I am OK, and here is my Swedol haul:

Now I just hope the planes are flying.


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