Keeping Safe and Busy at Home

I hadn't done much sewing for a long time, and then suddenly...the coronavirus pandemic! 

My first two masks - one that ties, and one with elastic.

When the pandemic began, face mask patterns were posted all over the internet.  How else were we going to get any, when they were difficult for medical facilities to find?  But how could we make our own when the craft and fabric stores were closed?  And the craft and fabric departments of the big box stores like Walmart were pretty much emptied of appropriate materials.

I got out my sewing machine and found a couple of barely-used sheets in the linen closet, and a little seam binding, medium-weight interfacing, thread, and elastic in my sewing supplies.  There was only enough interfacing for four masks, so I got online and found some on Etsy.  I had to move fast before it disappeared!  I found a FEW packages of seam binding at Walmart.  The guys wanted masks with ties rather than elastic, so that ate up the seam binding pretty quickly.  In the end, I was able to make thirteen masks.

Since I was in the sewing mode, I got out some old "craft cuts" I'd stashed in the antique dresser in our guest room and unearthed a few months ago.  Craft cuts are lengths of cloth with toy or decor patterns and instructions printed on them.  These included a flowery teddy bear, a Humpty Dumpty, two fairly realistic loons, two cuddly "Victorian" sheep, and a coyote and cactus.  I thought why not FINALLY get around to making these items (I've had them in my stash for only about 25 years) and getting them out of the dresser and into the paws of The Grands.  All I had to do was buy a monster-sized bag of Poly-Fil(tm) to stuff them with.  There were two at our local Walmart - what luck! 

Humpty Dumpty was super simple.  The loons were a little more involved, but not much.  The bear was a BEAR to assemble!  So.  Many.  Pieces.  And lots of easing to do to make the pieces match up correctly.  He still has no face at this time.  I had to order black embroidery floss online; there was none to be found in the stores.

I'd post pictures of the stuffed stuff, but I'm still working on them - only the coyote, cactus, and sheep to go.  And the bear's face, of course!

Staying Home and Social Distancing - What I'm Doing

With the coronavirus crisis, we're staying home like everyone else, except for periodic foraging trips to the grocery.  I cook - a LOT.  I clean.  I actually bleach my kitchen counters and sink, something I never did before.  I'm taking a short-term online American history course from Hillsdale College.  I'm trying to learn Tai Chi on YouTube.  I make to-do lists and try to check things off.  I scroll through FaceBook.  I'm working on painting watercolors.  I'm knitting hats for the 2021 NBA All-Stars volunteers.  I'm crocheting chemo caps.  Not all at once, of course!

We're also watching a LOT of television.  Thank heaven for cable TV while we're staying home.  Turner Classic Movies and MeTV really get a workout!

There are daily visits from the likes of Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Blondell, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, Clara Bow, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Ruby Keeler, and a zillion others.  I especially like the movies on Silent Sundays - I"m glad we can DVR those - they start at midnight!  Not that I wouldn't stay up all night to watch them, but...!  Not a good idea, when I'm doing home health care right now, and medicines need to be doled out at specific times.

There's a boatload of MeTV to watch, too - Leave It to Beaver, The Flintstones (!), Green Acres, Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show.  And we've officially turned into Old People - after dinner, we watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!

Oh my.  We're turning into our parents.  I guess someone has to.

On top of all this, because of CDC recommendations, I've started making face masks for us.  I cut up material yesterday, and today I started assembly.  There's a nice pile to work on, as you can see.

So, plenty to DO.  I had long lists of things I wanted to do after retiring, but now my lists are somewhat different.  

But...

IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY.