Here's a cheap way out...

Why bother with fighting the line at Walmart when it opens at 7 a.m. to try and fight for one of the 9 bottles of hand sanitizer? Why pay someone on Amazon 16 times what it cost in January?

Here's a better idea: just make the stuff yourself. That way you can get it in whichever scent you want or no scent at all. Plus you won't run out, you won't go broke, and you won't have any bruises from the battle.

Here you go:

Hand sanitizer recipe

What you’ll need:

3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent)

1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol)

10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice, or nothing if you don't want it to smell.

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a big glass bowl, if you have one with a pouring spout like a measuring container that's best. Don't use plastic. The alcohol won't really be a good idea to put in that.

Mix it all with a spoon and then beat it with a whisk (or a handheld mixer) to turn the sanitizer into a gel. It might foam up a little. That's okay, it'll settle down.

Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it “Covid Killer".

There you go. Saved you 11 bucks and maybe an argument with someone woman who didn't understand that the fact that you were standing in front of it meant you wanted it.

#TylerIVTherapy #ShreveportIVTherapy #FeelBetterFaster

A little bit goes a LONG way

Maybe the only really good thing about this little virus problem we're having, other than finally understanding why Grandma hoarded everything and reused aluminum foil, is that we've all learned how dependent we are on one another and how helping each other just a little can go a really long way.

A lot of people really want to help, but just don't know what they can do. They don't have a bunch of N95 masks lying around they can donate, and they aren't millionaire rich enough to donate a bunch of money anywhere... hell nobody would know where to give it if they did.

Well we've got some ideas for you. EASY ideas. Here's our list.

1) #TipAnyway is what we're calling it. This past Sunday we would've gone to a place called We Olive & Wine Bar in Shreveport for some appetizers and a bottle of wine. It would've been about 60 to 65 bucks and we'd have tipped $15. Well, we couldn't because... you know. So, we sent a tip by Venmo. Fifteen bucks.

Now you're asking, "what the hell difference does that make?" There are bartenders, wait staff, hair stylists, nail salon employees and a zillion other service people who are sitting at home right now wondering if the government is going to help them pay their mortgage or rent. Lots of them are looking at their guitars and their golf clubs and wondering if they should sell them.

Your fifteen bucks a few times a week, if we all do it, will not only keep those people out of panic mode, it will make it easier for them to get back to a normal life and contributing to the economy when this is all over. Try it. Find your favorite place online, grab an email address for the owner, and #TipAnyway.

2) Remember when you used to stick those plastic things into a box next to your TV and watch movies? Hahahaha... some of us still do, but lots don't. Either way you've probably got a TON of DVDs you don't watch now and probably never will. Guess who doesn't have Netflix, or Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video, and hasn't gotten a new DVD in forever? Your local nursing home. That's right. The residents in those places aren't getting visitors anymore and as dreary as things were before this for lots of them, they're much worse now. If you have a bunch of DVDs you aren't watching, put them in a box, call the nearest nursing home, and leave them on the porch. Hours of entertainment for folks who need it. Beautiful!

3) Your local burger, or taco, or steak place is selling online and on the curb and doing pickup, but we both know that ain't gonna pay the bills. They're also sitting on a LOAD of food they would usually be selling that's going to go bad. Well, most of those places have started selling the "raw materials". Hamburger joints are selling ground beef. Steak places are offering great deals on steaks.

How about, instead of fighting the crowd at the grocery store for the very last package of ground beef, and dodging fists to get it, you buy a few pounds from your favorite local burger joint? Keeps the food from going to waste, keeps them from eating the cost, keeps you out of a crowded store, and keeps their business afloat. We bought three MASSIVELY thick ribeyes from our local place last night and grilled them (to perfection if I do say so myself) last night and we felt AWESOME about it and enjoyed the hell out of a well-priced cut of meat.

4) Plan your next vacation awfully close to home. There's a cabin, a bed and breakfast, an amusement park or attraction really near you. Someone who works there or maybe even owns the place lives right near you. When this all breaks loose and we can all go about our lives we're all going to want to get the hell out of the house and spend a few days vacating. Why not do it close enough to home that those dollars are pumped back into your local economy? At the very least don't go overseas. It's time to hunker down and help your neighbors. Even those maroon bastards in Tuscaloosa. ;-)

5) We're seeing people put up Christmas lights to spread good cheer. Why the hell not? We love it. You know what would be even better? Once you're back on your feet financially, go to a LOCAL store and look for something made right here in the U S of A, buy it, wrap it up in Christmas paper, and give it to someone to make their day. Maybe you'll get something too, but man, either way think of how you'll be helping everyone financially and emotionally with just a little gift.

6) Simmer down. You once came home from a REALLY expensive vacation and you were exhausted. You even said "one of these days I'm going to take a two week vacation and just sit on my butt, take naps, watch TV, piddle around the house, and REALLY relax for a change." That's all the heck the more you're doing right now, relaxing and piddling, so treat it like that dream vacation you've always wanted. Rearrange the closet, weed the yard, and nap, nap, nap. What a great deal this really is for our batteries. Recharge away!

Hang in there. Chin up. We'll all be fine. Wash, wash, wash your hands and holler at us if you need anything, even just a kind word.

#FeelBetterFaster #InThisTogether

Ali / Frazier?

Okay, maybe not the Greatest of All Time, but for just a minute let's think a little bit about boxing.

So we've got two evenly matched fighters. The Champ and the Challenger. The Champ has faced many, many challengers, and whipped them all. Just keeps beating them down. The Challenger has a different style though, and he's violent.

Under normal circumstances the Champ should knock the Challenger smooth out, right? Of course. But what if the Champ got lazy?

Here we are, a few months before the fight and these guys are EXACTLY even. The Challenger is going to bed at 10 every night and getting up at 6. He's getting a full 8 hours every night. He's cut back a little on alcohol, and if he drinks he isn't binge drinking. He's enjoying the occasional glass of wine, or a beer or cocktail. He maintaining his weight, and he's staying away from crappy processed foods. Matter of fact, he's loading up on good proteins, and he's eating an anti-oxidant rich diet with things like extra virgin olive oil, lean fish, and green leafy vegetables. This guy is drinking 100 fluid ounces of water a day, and getting plenty of Vitamin B, C, and D. He's going outside and letting the sun do its work for the D, he's getting Vitamin B injections, and he's drinking plenty of orange juice and STILL went to Rapid Recovery for a Fresh Squeeze IV. The Challenger is doing everything right. He's lean, he's getting the nutrients he needs, he's hydrated, he's well-rested, and his attitude is great. He's in tip-top shape.

The Champ has been in great shape, but he's not really paying great attention to the little things these days. He's eating too much fast food and not enough at We Olive. Almost everything he's eating these days is either processed, fried, or fatty, or all the above. He's drinking a little more alcohol, and a lot less water, and he's staying up pretty late. Matter of fact, he's not getting to sleep until around midnight, and the dogs are waking him up at 6. He's lucky if he's getting 6 hours a night. He noticed his morning urine is yellow instead of clear, but hey, what does that really hurt?

Now we're 2 weeks from the Big Fight, and the Champ gets serious. He starts pounding the water and cuts back on the crappy foods, and tries to get more sleep. The Challenger cruises along with his usual program.

The Champ expects he might knock out the Challenger in the first round, but that damned Challenger is stronger than the Champ expected. Adrenaline carries the Champ through the first few rounds, but what happens when that fight gets into the the 6th? He starts to fade. Not the Challenger though. He seems to have something in reserve.

The Champ is huffing and puffing in his corner, getting all the help he can from his handlers, but in the back of his mind he knows it's his fault. He'd have won this fight, and maybe early on, if he had taken care of himself the way he was supposed to.

If you haven't guessed it, the Champ is your Immune System, and the Challenger is a virus. You've won one fight after another against every virus this planet has thrown at you, but you won for a reason. You were stronger than the virus. When you were 20 and you were lean and active and went outside you didn't need to watch what you ate or anything else. Now that you're the seasoned veteran, you've got to do the little things to stay stronger than the Challenger.

If you aren't getting enough sleep, eating right, staying hydrated, and getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals, you're going to be in for more fight than you want when the Challenger enters the ring. If you get knocked around a little it's nobody's fault but the Champ's if you don't train like the Challenger.

#IVTherapy #TylerIVTherapy #ShreveportIVTherapy #Coronavirus #Covid19