Masks

According to our medical expert, Dr. Fauci,  they might be recommending the use of masks in the not so distant future.  Well, of course, in the beginning of all this they said we didn’t need masks but the masks went the way of the toilet paper and now there are none to be found.  So, the solution?  Make your own.

Anybody who sews knows this is just a matter of “hold my seam ripper”, “I am quilter hear me stitch” — whatever.  So, even though I have been away from quilting for a while I never got rid of any of my supplies — and I mean any of them.

So,  I went upstairs to the very unorganized closet full of unorganized sewing supplies and started rummaging.  Clearly that closet needs a good reorganizing but that is another post.  I thought I remembered having some pellon — I finally found the pellon — a whole bolt of it.  Why did I buy a bold of pellon?  I don’t remember but I am glad I did.  Then I realized I couldn’t find my quilting ruler or my rotary cutter.  I still haven’t found the ruler but I had another because I can’t just buy one of anything.  The rotary cutter has seen better days — the blade is completely rusted and I don’t know why and I can’t find the other three I once had.  So, I had to cut the fabric with scissors.  Imagine that — so totally old school.  I didn’t think I had any elastic but I found some and then I found some more every drawer I opened so I am good on the elastic front.

So anyway, after “phoning a friend” — messenger actually — and doing some google searches I found a reasonable pattern with a good visual.  I used a fashion fabric (gingham), the pellon, and a backing fabric of white muslin.  I cut it all 6X9, added 6” of elastic on each end and bingo, a mask.  I have made two — the second was easier, of course.  It fits me well and I am going to make a few a tad larger for the “boys” although this one fit my husband quite well.  I think my grandkids can wear the adult ones one except for the little squirt and I will have to figure out how much smaller to make it and I might use ties on hers just to make it easier to fit her.

Here is a photo of my work — I realize the pleats are crooked but this is my prototype and they aren’t crooked on the second one I made.  These are actually sort of fun and addicting to make.

At least it is a cheery color considering this day is anything but cheery.

Day 5Millionth of the Quarantine

Ok, that title is an exaggeration.  I know that.  It hasn’t been that long and it really hasn’t been than difficult.  I have plenty to do and plenty of craft things to play with and lots of puzzles to put together so I am good.

From the first day of my self imposed quarantine — the day after we returned from New Orleans — I have maintained my regular routine.  We are retired, we had stocked up on food and goods, we don’t have a huge social life so for the most part life just went on as usual without the normal after school pick up.

Then yesterday happened.  My husband wasn’t feeling well — not virus related — but allergy related.  He has been out in the yard cutting down two trees

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 The pollen is high and the photinia’s are blooming which bring a bumper crop of that little allergen as well.  So, I was on high alert.  From the moment I got up everything was wrong.  Finally late afternoon I realized what was wrong....

I never got dressed.  Or combed my hair.  Or put on makeup or shoes.  So, 4:30 p.m. found me in the shower trying to scrub off all the ick of the day — the bad mood, the worry, the fear — and it worked.  I cooked a favorite dinner of mine — tacos because on Wednesday, in Texas, we always had Mexican food in school and old habits die hard. We had dinner, watched a little tv, fussed at the dog and I went to bed improved but with new resolve.  Tomorrow (today) would be different.

So, I woke up before the alarm this morning which was good.  Instead of just laying there mulling over our current situation I got up and reverted back to my FlyLady days.  I got dressed to the shoes — fully dressed with makeup on, hair combed and jewelry — yes, jewelry except for rings because rings are supposedly problematic when trying to keep your hands cleaned.  I am not too worried about it though since we aren’t leaving the house and nobody is coming in.  My biggest source of grief is mail and deliveries.  I am a madwoman with a can of Lysol.

So, how did I do this morning?  I feel better than I did yesterday.  However getting dressed in the semi-dark when all you wear is dark clothes is a bit difficult — I have on a pair of navy LandsEnd stretchy pants (really comfy, heavy weight) and a black long t-shirt.  Now I was raised that you don’t wear navy and black together so in my mind I look somewhat like a short, round bruise.  But, I am clean, I am dressed and I am feeling ready to deal with the day and whatever that brings.

Apparently what that brings is the need for face masks.  So, this morning after I finish the Girl Scout patches I am going to go through my supplies and see what I have to make masks.  I found a pattern that uses Pellon interfacing as a filter.  I am sure I have some so I am going to try my hand at it.  How hard can it be?  I will let you know.

So, with that — I need a cuppa and a little watch at the news and then off I will go.  Be back later.

Quick Post — Max

It is difficult being away from the Bean — more for me than her.  She is doing great and thriving through this new normal.  She has learned to ride her bike, she has done all her schoolwork and is keeping up with her class in good fashion, she is earning Girl Scout badges hand over fist and she is reading — to me — over the phone.

Currently we are working on this book —

It is about a little yorkie who is finding his way in the big city with challenges at every turn.  It is a really good story and of course I identify with it because of you-know-who!  Bean is reading two chapters to me everyday, over the phone.  I sit here, close my eyes and visualize her words — like a movie running through my mind.  It is going well and I am enjoying it.  There are several books in the series and we are going to read them all, depending on how long our confinement continues.   

I like how this is creating a memory, keeping her busy and strengthening our relationship in spite of the physical distancing.  

We are going to find our way through this — I am just thankful we have the means through technology to maintain and strengthen our relationships in spite of the isolation.

An On We Go

We returned from New Orleans on Saturday, March 14.  On Sunday I did a grocery shopping and then entered a self-imposed quarantine because I had been around SO many people while touring NOLA. I was a little out of my comfort zone but I had no idea that NOLA would turn into such a hotbed of Covid-19.  Of course, it has been over 14 days now since our return and, even though we are free to roam from our own quarantine, we have been told to shelter in place for who knows how long.  It is a bit daunting and I won’t lie, in the beginning I was freaking out and feeling like a caged animal.  However, with time I am realizing that my day to day life really hasn’t changed much except for the occasional Target run, grocery shopping and picking up Bean from school.  Other than that it is pretty much business and usual.

However, after the initial shock of the whole situation has worn off — I mean, who has the plague anymore these days?— I decided to revisit some old hobbies and interests.  One of these is cross stitch.

I used to cross stitch all. the. time.  I used to even sell my finished stuff on eBay.  I still have a box of finished items waiting to be put into pillows or frames or something.  But, that doesn’t matter.  What does matter is the activity itself.

About 6 years ago, on a trip home to San Antonio,  I wasn’t feeling well and chose to spend the afternoon in the hotel room while my family did the whole tourist thing.  I grew up there and didn’t really need to do that so I slept.  On their return my family had bought me a tiny cross stitch kit of the Alamo.  I started it then but didn’t finish it — I was REALLY sick — and I just finished it last night.  It is tiny — like 2X3 — and couldn’t have over 200 stitches in it if that but I pretty much had just put it aside and I am glad I picked it back up.

So basically, I reconstructed the Alamo!  My daughter also brought me a kit from Boston of the Old North Church.  It is small too and I did finish it and will share a photo at another time.

When I travel I have a certain criteria for souvenirs — books on the area, a Christmas ornament from the area, and a cross stitch kit of the area.  So, as we were walking (or in my case, limping) around the French quarter my daughter discovered a needlepoint shop.  Of course I was in there in a flash and the needlepoint canvases were gorgeous but I don’t enjoy needlepoint as much so as I wandered through the store I discovered a corner in the back full of cross stitch patterns.  The name of the shop was The Quarter Stitch and I loved it.

Please excuse my drippy cup but I am enjoying a cup of tea as I type.  So, I digress.  I bought two patterns there — now they didn’t have the threads with them but I hoard embroidery thread so I am good — and here they are —

   

They are small and will make a cute grouping with the other small ones — I am going to create a “vacation” wall of tiny cross stitch pictures — nobody can accuse me of being a minimalist!  If you like needlework, check out the website for this shop — total eye candy — and in person it was heaven!

My criteria for buying souvenirs are — a book, a Christmas ornament and a cross stitch kit from the area.  I will share the other souvenirs with you later. 

So, that is what I have been up to during this difficult time.  What about you?

Yoo Hoo! Hello! Just Checking!

Hello everybody!  Just checking in to see how everybody is doing.  This is certainly surreal, isn’t it?  I don’t really know what to say about it — I am terrified, I am doing a particularly wonderful job of staying in because (1) I am terrified and (2) I am an introvert and staying in is easy for me, I do it all the time.  I am waiting for us to be locked down completely for two weeks soon.  I don’t know that for a fact, I just have a feeling.

But, since I can’t do anything about it, let me tell you what I have been up to for the last couple of weeks.

Last week, spring break here, we went on our annual Girl Scout Spring Break Adventure to New Orleans.  Now my daughter and my husband had been to NOLA before but I hadn’t and, of course, neither had Bean.  So, Monday of Spring Break we traveled by car from DFW to Shreveport and then from Shreveport to NOLA.  I have to say that Louisiana looks a lot like Texas.  When you get closer south, of course, you get more swampy areas and it looks more like the Texas coast but, on the whole, if I didn’t know I was in La. I would have thought I was in Texas.

Lake Pontchartrain is huge.  I mean scary huge.

It looked like the ocean to me.

We visited the unusual cemeteries with their wild and crazy histories and stories.  I am going to do some reading about Marie Laveau — the VooDoo priestess of New Orleans.  I saw her tomb and people would leave things — hair ties mostly — I don’t know why hair ties but, well, ok.  She is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 — a very old Catholic Cemetery which is built in the style of the area — all graves are above ground because Louisiana is so near sea level.  So, they have this process — But you are going to have to research it yourself because it is gross.  I am sorry but I am having problems getting my pictures to load but Nicholas Cage has a tomb there in the shape of a pyramid.  Look it up — it is very strange and very close to Marie Laveau’s tomb.

We spent two days in the French Quarter which was very interesting to me.  I am from San Antonio, Texas which has a very prominent Spanish/Mexican influence.  I grew up with it, it wasn’t “unusual” to me.  However, upon entering the French Quarter I was struck by how, well, French it was.  The buildings are old, there is wrought iron all over the place, the doors are narrow and shuttered.  The thing that struck me was the ornate vent coverings in the foundations.  I wish I had taken a picture.  They are oval wrought iron and very ornate — but apparently you can buy them at Home Depot but the ones I saw I think were very old.

The first day we were there we went to the World War II Museum and it was amazing.  It is housed in a couple of buildings and  it is huge.  There was so much to see and read and hear — it was sad and grand all at the same time.  My knees were giving me a lot of trouble so I didn’t do as much walking as it required so I didn’t get to the see the Pacific exhibit which was the most interest to me because my dad was in the Pacific. I will go back one day though and do some more looking.  I think I will buy my dad and my father in law a brick for the floor to commemorate them.

The last day the family went to the zoo and I stayed in the hotel room icing my knees and ankles.  I didn’t do well with the walking and I figured I would just hold them up.  They took a lot of photos though and it was an absolutely lovely zoo.  Not sure why I can’t get my photos to load.  I will have to figure that out.

So you are probably wondering how we did with fighting the Coronavirus while we were there.  I drove everybody pretty crazy.  I was the keeper of the hand sanitizer.  I took Bean to the restrooms mostly and I just about annoyed her making her wash her hands and open doors with paper towels.  I was absolutely rabid about it and they all got pretty annoyed with me.  I am sure they were glad I didn’t go to the zoo.  It has been 12 days since we arrived in NOLA and we are all fine so I guess we came out on the good side.

I bought souvenirs but I will take photos of those and show you in

What a Challenge Coronavirus Is!

Ok, it is no secret to anybody who knows me that I am food challenged.  I don’t like meal planning, I really don’t like going to the grocery store, I have weird eating habits, I am not a great cook and let’s just say that part of domestic life is just a real challenge for me.

So, enter coronavirus.  I live in Texas where they decided to offload a number of the people on the affected cruise ship.  The people aren’t in the city where I live but they are in my hometown and now there is a crisis that one of the people was released only to find out that she really is positive for the disease. So, back into isolation she goes after she visited the mall, ate at the food court, tried on some clothes, stayed at a nearby hotel — in essence just spread herself all over the area.  It wasn’t her fault, she thought she was clear.

I digress.

The news media, as well as state and federal health officials, are telling us to prepare to be isolated for awhile.  They are saying to have food and water stashed away for about a month.  Then they came back and said we really didn’t need to hoard water.  So, I didn’t but I don’t know how to plan to be in the house without going to the grocery store for a month.  I mean the idea of not having to go grocery shopping for a month sounds great but I don’t know how to do it.

So, I have grocery shopped twice now and loaded up on frozen things and canned things.  I doubled some things and quadrupled others.  I forgot a lot of things — cornmeal to be exact.  I don’t think I have enough to feed us for a month.  As I use the stuff up, though, I am going to make a running list of what to replace because buying these large loads of groceries isn’t my idea of fun.

What is fun though is looking at a full freezer and pantry — and filled with things we actually eat.  There are so many times I grocery shop and then don’t have anything to eat because I bought stuff we really don’t eat.  And I HAVE to mention the stash of Girl Scout cookies — I have twelve packages of Girl Scout cookies that are going in the freezer.  I am going to look at them everyday and see how long I can keep from eating them.  I mean, if we end up being quarantined or something I have to have cookies.

So, yeah, prepping for a pandemic is confusing, tiring and not much fun.  However, I have learned a few things from it and will probably try to keep my stash up so that I don’t have to do this again.  When I was a girl we moved to a new-to-us house and the next door neighbor was new as well.  It was an elderly couple and they liked to chat with my mom.  The lady, Mrs. S, told my mom that when she moved she bought all new food rather than moving food.  She made a list of everything she ever needed and she bought a certain amount of each thing and when she would use one she would make a list and her next grocery shopping trip was made up of just what she had used out of her stash.  The houses in the neighborhood had large pantries and she would rotate her pantry so she could use up the older stuff and the new stuff went in the back.  I thought it was genius.  That is what I am going to try to do.  Tomorrow I am going to rearrange the pantry and get things more organized.

Ok, that is all I am going to say about coronavirus except that I am terrified of it.  That’s all.

Thought Provoking Birthday

Obviously this is one of my wedding photos.  The two ladies with me are my grandmothers — on the left next to me is my paternal grandmother and the one on the right next to my husband is my maternal grandmother.

Today is my maternal grandmother’s birthday.  She was born in 1902 and would be 118 years old. I was born on her birthday and today I have reached the age that she was in this photo.  This is very thought provoking.

I have looked at this photo for a long time this morning and I have come to several conclusions:

We all shrink.  I did have on heels but my paternal grandmother (on the left) was about two inches taller than me in her younger years— and my maternal grandmother was, in her prime, 5’ 4” which she clearly was not in this photo.

Polyester double knit was a good thing

I still really like my wedding dress and would probably choose it again.

There is no hope for my hair and my hair closely resembles both of them now.  I need to quit fighting it.

My maternal grandmother really did have great legs.

Happy Birthday, MaMa!

Happy Valentine’s Day

I will be honest.  I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day in the Hallmark sense of the holiday.  It has always been a huge amount of pressure to me.  I remember as a child I found this gorgeous box of candy at the grocery store and I kept pointing it out — it was pink — and I wanted that box so badly. I didn’t really care about the candy but the box was gorgeous.  The day came and I got a large box of candy but it was red and it wasn’t as pretty and I remember my mother asking me if it was okay.  Well, in the first place, I felt like a ridiculously selfish spoiled child wanting something and being disappointed not getting it.  I should have been more grateful.  What I got was fine — the same brand, the same size — it just wasn’t pink.  I was probably about 8.  I have learned a lot since then.

Then there was the valentine exchange at school.  Back in the day we weren’t required to give valentines to everybody in the class.  If you only wanted to give a few you could.  We didn’t even have valentine boxes, we decorated brown paper bags and taped them to our desks and everybody would drop their cards in the bags.  I wasn’t popular so I lived in fear of having an empty bag. I never was empty but it was a fear — how embarrassing to be the one kid with no cards.  Too much pressure.

Then came along the boyfriends.  I hated the pressure — do I get them something with no idea that I will get anything.  They were boys, they were poor — what in the world do I expect?  I expected nothing and that was a good thing in most of the cases.  Then there was the boy who stole his mother’s savings stamp books (remember those?) and bought me two enormous stuffed animals — a poodle and an elephant.  He gave them to me in a toilet paper case — unwrapped.  Didn’t really know what to say about that one.  My last boyfriend (now husband) did better but by that time I was done with the whole thing.  I remember what pushed me over the heart shaped edge.  My cousin’s boyfriend (younger cousin I might add) bought her a little “promise” ring with linked hearts and a tiny diamond chip where they joined — quite common in the 60’s and 70’s — and I told my BF that i would love to have one — he looked at me and straight up said no.  I got mad, he didn’t care, and I gave up on Valentine’s Day.  I might add that, in his defense, he routinely brought me roses when he would come home from college and just a few months after the promise ring incident I was presented with a custom made 3/4 karat diamond engagement ring.  Was I thrilled? Yes.  Did I feel guilty about the stink I made about the promise ring?  Yes and no — it was childish and silly but I really wanted that ring!

So, now, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.  I buy cards for my grandkids — usually silly cards — not mushy and that is it.  I still don’t like the holiday and don’t miss it at all.  But kudos for those who love it — and a lot of people do — I wouldn’t begrudge them of the joy it brings but just not my thing.

And now.....I am sick

Yes, I am sick.  My daughter was sick last week but I figured I wasn’t around her enough to catch her malady but I guess I was wrong.  She was tested for flu but it was negative so it must have been another type of virus.  This feels like it is all upper respiratory and is making me miserable.  I have been bothered by a runny nose and slight cough all week but it came to a head yesterday complete with a temperature.  The fever broke this morning and hasn’t come back but I feel like I was run over by a truck.  I slept for about 3 hours this morning and am going back to sleep now.

This is a very uninteresting post. I am sorry.  I will try to do better tomorrow.

The Trixie Chronicles — Trixie Growing up

Trixie is coming up on her first birthday.  It’s hard to believe our little fur baby is growing up (read:  yes, we need a little maturity here).  So, I decided to change her food over to adult food knowing it would take some time if I did it as recommended — gradually.

So, yesterday she got 1/4 cup grown up food added to 3/4 cups puppy food.  Every two days the proportions will be changed so that at the end of the week she will be on all new grown up food.  So, I did the mixing and put the bowl on the floor.  Now, know that I had already fed her a few pieces of kibble and she loved it — I mean REALLY loved it.  I figured she would just eat her breakfast but instead, this is what she did —

Seems she decided to remove the puppy kibble from the bowl and place it on the floor and then eat the new grown up food.  And what a mess she made.  Photo editing credit goes to Bean.

So, this morning I did the same mixture and she did the same thing.  So weird.

First thing in the morning we go outside.  She met a friend today.

This is our resident possum — I think I am going to name her Penelope.  If she isn’t a she I apologize.  She is enormous.  When we went out she was in the bushes at the back bedroom and she ran like the devil to this huge tree.  She perched up on the big limb and watched us.  We talked to her and told her we weren’t going to hurt her and she just watched.

We came in and she finally ventured down out of the tree to eat acorns on the ground.

She noshed for awhile and then waddled off.  Again, huge, huge possum.  She wasn’t afraid and neither were we but she is as big as the Trixster.  She lives in our yard and we see her regularly.  She doesn’t seem threatening at all so we are all going to agree to live peacefully together.

But, what a lively Monday.  The weather has been pretty good, very warm and summery but today winter has again hit N. Texas and we have the threat of rain.  It isn’t doing anything out there right now it who knows — I am sure the weather wizards will let us know.

Oh, if you click on the photos you can enlarge them and get a better look at Penelope.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins — Bean and Me Book Club

I recently finished my third book for my Goodreads Challenge.  It is a children’s book titled “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”.  It was a fun read and recommended to me by the Bean.  I recommend it although I have to wonder, is Mr. Popper going to get home?  Hmm...

My reading isn’t going very swimmingly it seems.  I usually read faster than I have been in this new year.  I am not sure why except that I read when I go to bed and lately I have been crashing early on.
I am currently reading a children’s book called “Pax” and it is a slow go.  I hope to be done soon so I can move on to a couple of new titles I just acquired.

It has been a yucky day here.  We were supposed to get some wintery weather but all we got was some rain and cloudy weather.  It is supposed to be warm again soon for the weekend.

I feel like I am getting a cold so I am making some soup today.  It is just one of those days.

I have been interested in doing some needlework again so I bought a magazine to get me inspired.  Hopefully I will do more than just read the magazine!

And, I have been researching the concept of a “capsule pantry” — stocking the pantry with what I actually use and nothing more.  I know that sounds ridiculous but some of us tend to go to the grocery store and buy stuff we really don’t need/use.  It also involves having the ingredients on hand for what we DO cook.  So far so good.  I have managed `to effortlessly cook a couple of meals although I am missing some ingredients so I need to make a new list.  This is a learning curve for sure.

I have a headache so I am hope I am not getting whatever it is my daughter has.  She tested negative for the flu but they are treating her for the flu.  Whatever, she feels really crummy and I haven’t seen her for days.

I am tired of the politics on tv.  I am not politically motivated in the first place and they have messed up all my tv programming for two weeks — OVER IT!

Ok, rant over.  Time for lunch.