4-16-20

Today I am updating my blog for the first time in a couple of weeks. The world is crazy strange. We have been homebound and hunkered down for a month now and people are starting to go stir crazy. Back in March (9th - 13th) we had spring break and in the midst of it, the virus started to grow into a real threat, and school never started back up. So I have really not worked much since March 9th except for some writing and reading and grading and lesson writing. Oh, and the sewing project. Today I got the idea to research the sewing project so we shall see if I do that...
Heading to my mom's again for supper tonight. I went to the doctor yesterday to have my neck scoped- it hurt so much to have that thing put down my throat. No problems apparent but the doc thinks reflux is irritating my wind pipe. Six weeks of a medicine will likely help. Weaning off Cymbalta slowly, I think, will also help. It is known to cause reflux. So my mental state is one of A) dealing with my throat feeling choked all the time, B) face pain, C) feelings of worry about not working as much as I should,  D) worry about the world and all the folks suffering right now, an E) worrying about my kids who are far away. I'm grateful that Aza is here. That I have a job that pays. That I can do what I want. That I have a fulfilling project to engage in. That the weather is so nice. That I have food.
I have not had my hands in clay in several weeks. This weekend I want to balance my time between clay and sewing and writing an IRB to conduct a study on the impact of sewing face masks on the affect of diverse sewists engaged in social activism. How does that sound?

4-15-20

We got lots of thread.

I cut Sup-Bra's hair.

Sweet Aza sewing....

4-14-20

Aza and I are picking up mask kits from OLLI.

Dan got a trash picker-upper and we went trash collecting on a walk tonight.

Aza and I are out of thread and we asked for donations... expecting some tomorrow.

4-12-20

We stayed away from my mom's house for 5 days just to make sure nobody was getting sick. We all were fine so we went back over and had dinner and this coconut pie.

My former student Chi donated some fabric, which Grayson loves because it smells like the incense that his mother burns.

4-11-20

Aza sewing...

4-9-20

Playing Carcasonne

Grayson is watching.

4-8-20

I sent masks to Jef and Jes.

We played Catan with Aza and Sup.

I got stuff out of the kiln that I made with the stamps I carved.

4-7-20

Donations!

4-6-20

We were at my mom's when I remembered her old sewing machine and asked if she still had it.... she did! So we got it out and it still works after all these years. It's from 1955. Sixty Five years old. I'll be sewing on it while Aza sews on my machine.

4-5-20

These mugs!!! I would keep them but I am donating them to an auction to raise money for the Food Bank. I need to make more like it.

4-4-20

This nutmeg cookie recipe is for Jes who wants it to be a ginger cookie.

4-2-20

We have been going to my mom's every night for dinner and feeling guilty that maybe we shouldn't be exposing her to the possibility of catching the virus from one of us if we happen to have it.

But pie!

4-1-20

Lots of sewing going on.

Lots of silly April Fools jokes played by Aza today!

3-30-20

We went on a long hike today at Providence Canyon.

3-29-20

Sunday Shrimp at my mother's house.

3-28-20

Making lots of masks and eating lots of food at my mother's house.

3-27-20

I've been asked by the university to help make an instructional video on how to make face masks! I'll be filming on Monday!

Aza and Sup-Bra are here (they arrived last night). Aza is helping me make masks.

3/25/20

Made my mom a mask to wear. It's getting real, folks.

Went for a long walk with Dan this evening...

3-23-20

I have steins to give Red Clay Brewery, but it's closed.... so.... there.

3-22-20

 Here are some masks I made today--- and some mugs I got from the kiln. It's Sunday and I'm about to start my third week of no work, basically. I need to figure out how to actually work.

3-21-20

I joined a group on Facebook where everyone is making face masks for the public to wear. Even some medical groups want them because they want to extend the life of their N95 mask. The research says that cloth masks do not protect you much, but they are better than nothing, and they will keep a cough or sneeze from going into the air.

3-19-20

My student challenged me to make a hexaflexagon with positive messages. Next to it is a red bracelet. Yiddish/Jewish custom is to wear read thread or yarn to protect from the evil eye. I think I'll wear this from now on.

3-18-20

Getting into the coronavirus spirit, I made bread from the Joy of Cooking recipe book.

And made some mugs...

And took a walk in the quiet quiet town. 

3-17-20

So here we are mid March in what I suspect will be months of homebound quarantine. Months. What will I do for months.... There are work projects I can engage in, but no teaching per se. There are doc students to work with on dissertation drafts... some research I can get going on, some curriculum I can write. I hope, like Isaac Newton, that I discover or invent something interesting and useful during this time of separation.

Headache, sore throat, cough. That's what I have. We shall see if it gets any worse. I opted not to go to my mom's house for dinner tonight because of this potential. From what I've read, this virus is ALL OVER and just not tested. There are only three documented cases in my county, but I seriously doubt that's all there actually are.

Time to really plan out the next three months. Mid-March to Mid-April, Mid-April to Mid-June, and Mid-June to Mid-July. Yikes. I'm really hoping that the heat and humidity of July helps things here. But then, the virus will ramp up in the southern hemisphere.

Lots of people will get sick. Getting sick, like the flu, is ok. But lots of people will die alone in a hospital bed surrounded by masked and gowned strangers. I do not wish that on my friends and family.

3-11-20

It's almost here. Today is Wednesday during spring break week. My conference in Oregon was cancelled (we were supposed to leave tomorrow). I have a sore throat today after going to the dentist two days ago, and fear that I have the virus. So, I'm not going to choir practice tonight. I'd been asked to play piano at my friend's funeral Friday. She died on Monday after being in a terrible car wreck. Needless to say, there is a lot of anxiety. We do not know what will happen next.

3-3-20

I cleaned my art closet today!

2-29-20

Back home, we had a birthday party today for my mom. I made the cake. Sta is here also... she flew over for the party.

2-23-20

Me and my sister!

Some paintings I did today...

2-22-20

This is the teacher at the painting class. Below are some things I worked on today.