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.

Sjogren's Syndrome

Once a year in April, I blog about Sjogren's Syndrome (it's SS awareness month). I fight the battle against Sjogren's every day of my life. Sjogren's Syndrome is a systemic disease that causes extreme dryness; basically my moisture glands don't work properly. The dryness starts with the top of the head and goes all the way to my toenails. It is an autoimmune disease, and those who have it are one of the groups that are in the high-risk zone for complications from COVID-19. Sjogren's patients need to do all of the same things that everybody else needs to do to keep themselves well; they just need to be more diligent.

I realize wearing a mask, gloves, and sneezing into your elbow can be annoying, but I personally want to thank all of you who are taking extra precautions not to spread the virus. It is essential that we not only consider ourselves during this pandemic but also consider the health and lives of those around us.

My daughter came over to the house the other day; we visited outside in the front yard. We both wore masks, and she stayed more than 6 ft away from me. "I want to make sure you are safe, Mom. As far as I know, I don't have it, but you never know." She said. I work very hard to keep myself healthy; I know what a respiratory illness can do to me.

I've heard many times, "You don't look like you have anything wrong with you. I would have never known." This just goes to show, you should never judge a book by its cover. The person you walk next to could be fighting a battle every day, too, and if you knew their story, you might understand what it means to them when you are a little extra cautious.

Stay safe, be well.

https://www.cdc.gov/

Be the Turtle and Have a Cup of Tea

I don't know about you, but I've been overwhelmed! All of my gigs have been canceled because of The Virus (audible gasp from audience), just like every other storyteller I know. However, as I went online, I saw many of my colleagues being able to reinvent themselves quickly. They are making videos, posting stories, writing papers, gathering people into groups, and getting things online.

It felt like everyone was doing something to keep their business running except me. I felt like I couldn't breathe. It wasn't just because my income suddenly went down to zero, or that the world was being quarantined, it was that after seeing what everyone else was doing, I didn't know what I should do. Should I post lessons online, what would I post? Maybe I can reschedule my gigs for later, but how long will we be in quarantine?  I was so confused. I even thought that perhaps I should quit storytelling altogether.  It seemed as though I was the turtle standing in the middle of a 'herd' of hares (FYI a group of hares is called a "drove," but "herd" fits my mood better).

Then it hit me: I needed a cup of tea and a break from social media. After the second cup of tea and a cookie, I asked myself this question, "What have you been waiting to do until it was warm, and you had the time?" There it was. I needed to clean out and organize my puppet and construction sheds.  They had been waiting for me all winter. So I spent two days moving boxes around and getting sheds a bit more in order. No, I am not finished with them yet, but they are looking much better.

COVID-19 will cause us all to do things differently. I have found myself on loads of ZOOM meetings, sometimes 4-5 a day. I continuously get posts on what colleagues are doing. I have a computer, tablet, and phone, all of which are connected to the internet. It still overwhelms me – I feel like I can't keep up. But it is in those overwhelming moments I go back to that cup of tea and remember I have a direction: the puppet and construction sheds. 

What have you been putting off and waiting to do until you had the time? Writing a story, learning an instrument, going back and reading all of those notes you took when you attended a workshop? Take the time and do it. Read that novel, research that new story. Step back from what everyone else is doing and do what you need to do. I've realized that I might not win the race against all those hares, but I will most certainly finish it.

Give me a call, and we'll have a cup of tea online, which is an acceptable distance.

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:

The Elephant in the Room

Covid-19 isn’t really just an elephant–it is more like a whole herd of them.  This is a situation none of us has ever been through and it is certainly affecting the whole world.

Might I encourage everyone to be kind during this time? Give a call to your neighbor, FaceTime with friends, and text with your family more often. This is where technology can be a  benefit to all of us so we can stay connected.  I know I have been contacted about online groups starting in support of one another; I’m getting involved! Look at ways you can be involved with people who have a common interest.

Be kind to yourself too. Take a few moments to breathe deeply, watch a funny movie, play games with your kids, maybe build a fort out of blankets just because it is fun.

I find this clip from the Carol Burnett show hysterical and just in case you need something funny to watch, here is a story Tim Conway tells about elephants.