Sew Many Masks

I have been making masks, lots of masks. I have run into a situation, though. I ordered a large roll of 1/8” elastic at the beginning of March from eBay. The dealer advertisement said, “In Stock in the USA.” After nearly three weeks of waiting, I got a notice from the company that the USPS sent it back to them, asking if I would like for it to be resent to me or if I’d like a refund. I opted for the refund (I had to jump through some hoops for that), and ordered it from Amazon instead. I am STILL waiting for the elastic to arrive from Amazon. They did send me a note saying that they were concentrating on essential deliveries first, however. With all of the mask making going on all over the world, I would’ve considered elastic essential, but then I suppose their supplies are down, and this is coming from out of the country. Covid-19 has caused an elastic famine.

Then Saturday night, my sewing machine broke. I sent an email to the sewing machine shop where I bought it, asking if they were open and able to repair it. In the meantime, I started looking for a backup machine online. I have a list of people I promised masks to, so I needed to keep sewing, and I also knew that if they were able to repair it, I would have to drop it off and be without it for a few days. I would definitely need another machine (Just an FYI, everyone is sold out of sewing machines too.).

Sunday morning, I took a risk and went to a local Walmart and prayed there was a machine I could get. When I looked online, every store was out of stock. I asked an associate where the sewing machines would be, and he took me directly to the aisle in their store saying along the way, “I’m not sure there will be any, we’ve been sold out for a while now.” It turns out they had ONE sewing machine. It embroiders, as well as a huge list of assorted fancy stitches. It was more than I was planning on spending, but I have a granddaughter now, and I’ll be able to decorate some things for her (I had to reason myself into the purchase). Well, that is, as soon as I figure out more than just the straight stitch.

By the time I got home, I had an email from the repair shop; they have very limited hours but would be able to accept my broken machine on Tuesday. This is a crazy, crazy time!! I know before we come to the end of it, we will ALL have stories to tell.

Before you ask, I have no idea how many masks I’ve made. Several sets have gone out, and hopefully, on Thursday, I’ll get that elastic and send out more on Friday.

Going For A Walk

Pandemic. Movies have been made about this possibility and now we are living through one. I truly understand the need to stay at a distance from others to lessen the possibility of sharing the germs, but staying inside 24 hours a day is not a good plan for some of our brains (and I have one of those brains). I'm not going to cite any studies or trials on this; rather I'll share a little bit about what happens to me.

I am what I call "a part-time introvert". That part of me actually has no problem with staying inside and away from people. However,  the more I stay inside, the more I want to stay inside. The more I stay away from people, the more I want to stay away from people. Then I feel my brain change – I can go from living life to simply existing, and that is where the anxiety waits for me. Therefore, I also need connection. Yes, Facebook and the computer keep us "connected" but for me, I need a real voice, a back-and-forth of conversation, an exchange of ideas and thoughts. I need adventure, no matter how simple. My brain needs to stay active and open. Four walls close me in and the more I stay in those walls the more I fold into myself.

Of course, there are a lot of things you can do inside: TV, reading, cleaning, sewing… the list goes on, but I need to walk out the door, out of my house and experience a tree, smell a flower, dig in the earth, and listen to the birds. I was able to spend a couple of days with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter this week. The weather was nice so we all got out for a walk. We all needed that to clear our brains and connect with the earth.

Everyone stay well, keep your distance, and look for an adventure. Though separate, we are all in this together.

Here are some pictures I took on our walk:

Birthday Celebrations: No Big Fuss

This year my birthday was on the second to the last day of February (I only get to say that once every four years!): February 28 — the same day as my brother's birthday. No, we aren't twins. Joel was born two years after me.

When we were young, it was often a challenge having the same birthday. There were times we received presents to share, and we also shared a cake. When we were little, we would blow the candles out together; in later years, they would be lit for Joel to blow out first, then re-lit for me. We always shared our birthdays.

Now that we are adults, we are no longer together for our special day. In fact, this year, Joel was in Germany with his son. We texted while he was sitting in a Chinese restaurant, eating his birthday dinner. No big fuss for him this year but he said the food was excellent.

There was no big fuss for me either. Steven happened to have the day off from work, so we spent the day together, walking around the Southern Spring Show in Charlotte. We bought a beautiful handmade cutting board made from reclaimed wood. From another vendor, we purchased some balsamic vinegar infused with strawberries. We came home and I made a white pizza for supper: no big fuss, just a calm day with my husband.

Actually, as I sit here and recount the day, I realize that in a way, Joel and I do still share our day together. Every year we talk and have a bit of a celebration conversation. February 28 is something we will always have in common, even when we are separated by an ocean.

Going Down a Rabbit Hole

A memory marker is something that reminds me of a story. Memories that may be way in the back of my brain that I’ve not though about in years come flooding back when one of my senses gets hit with something that reminds me of that past event or story.

It happened this morning. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a picture of Gumby. Gumby is a stop-motion animated clay character. When I was a kid, Gumby and his side kick, Pokey, came on every weekend on tv. Seeing that picture this morning was a memory marker that took me down a rabbit hole – come go with me.

When I saw Gumby, I thought of a particular episode when Gumby asks his mother if he can have some crackers and milk. That reminder took me to my father: he loved Premium saltine crackers with hard cheese or sometimes just a little butter. When I was a kid there were times my father and I would sit and have a “coffee break” together. Daddy would pull out the Premium saltines and some cheese or butter. He would pour himself a cup of coffee (from the percolator not a coffee maker), I would get a glass of chocolate milk, and we would sit and have a “coffee break” together.

That memory lead me to the black and white sandwich cookies he would buy. They were always in the house. He would get a couple, put them in his pocket, and we would walk around the yard a bit before sitting to have a picnic with those cookies. He continued that tradition with his grandchildren; my kids and I named those cookies “Grandpa cookies.”

That memory directed me to my new granddaughter, Jubilee. When little Jubilee says, “Grandmommie, tell me a story,” I’ll be sure to have a cookie in my pocket.

Little Foot has arrived!!

I’m a grandmother!! Little Foot arrived surrounded by excitement from the entire family. Even though we were all scattered  from coast to coast and in different time zones when Little Foot was born, we all rejoiced together.

Steven, Carmen, and I were in the waiting room of the hospital in the wee hours of the morning anticipating the birth of a tiny one. Genette and Abe (our daughter and son-in-law) had decided to keep Little Foot’s name a secret until she was born. Abe kept us informed throughout the night by coming out and updating us every hour while Genette was in labor. Then when baby arrived Abe relied on modern technology: texting.  My phone buzzed: Little Foot had arrived and mother and baby were ok. Still we had no name.

As we were on pause for nearly an hour in the waiting room a notification came across the loud speakers, “Code Blue 4th Floor. Code Blue 4th Floor”. We were on the 4th floor, so my heart sank and I began to pace, I sent a text back to Abe asking if all was ok; he did not reply. I waited. About 15 minutes later Abe came out and said, “Are you ready to meet your granddaughter?” I took a deep breath and calmed myself and prayed for the recipient of that Code Blue.

After some hugs, we all went back to meet our brand new special little being. Genette and the baby were lying in the bed together.  We all ooo-ed and ahhh-ed and then Genette said, “Are you ready for her name?” and of course we all were!

“May I introduce to you Jubilee Elizabeth Dahlby”.

Jubilee. What a gift for Christmas this year. With the ups and downs of the past couple of years we were all ready for a little Jubilee, and that is exactly what we got.

Here are a couple of pictures of little Jubilee.