Flattening the Curve, Day 26

Hello friends, today is the twenty-sixth day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and it's Monday. Monday is a good 'business day' for all of us to be thinking about those economic stimulus checks we are to be receiving from the United States Federal government. So if you don't already know if, when, and how you are getting a payment, MarketWatch has published When are stimulus checks being sent out? Here's how to make sure you get yours.

Jim and I spent some time in the garden today. Jim is rebuilding the 'good neighbor' fence between us and our next door neighbor. When that project is complete I will be able to plant some dahlia bulbs in front of the new fence. Both the fence project and the new garden bed were planned before the pandemic shifted life into this holding pattern. So this is a good time to work on that - it's looking like it will actually get done in a decent amount of time. I'm also weeding, and thinking about what seeds I might still have from last year that I can try growing. Peas are easy-peasy.

I don't have much to say today - still feeling funky from yesterday and the news about my mom. Tonight I think I will take a break from the internet and this blog and enjoy a movie.

Take care of yourselves and each other and see you again soon.

Flattening the Curve, Day 25

Hello friends. Today is the twenty-fifth day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Jim and I just returned from a neighborhood walk. There was a letter that needed to be mailed and rather than placing it in the mail receptacle right outside our door, we opted for some fresh air, sunshine and exercise and walked to the local post office. Don't worry, I live in a suburban area and going for a walk means not encountering crowds.

Today was a stressful day. It didn't start out that way. In fact when I woke up I was excited because I had purchased an Easter greeting card and a lovely bouquet of fragrant pink lilies and roses as an Easter gift for my mother. I wrote about my mom here on the blog on Day 11.

Mom lives in a skilled nursing home just a few blocks from where I live and even though I have not been allowed to visit as of March 11th, due to the coronavirus epidemic, I have been allowed to hand off items I want given to my mom to someone at the door and I did just that with the flowers and greeting card this morning.

Then, this afternoon, I got a call from one of the facility administrators. Mom is fine, but I was informed that someone who was working at the home tested positive for the coronavirus. If you've followed the news at all here in the United States, the coronavirus first occurred in the US in a nursing home in Washington state. My heart sank and I almost couldn't speak. Our family has already talked about this possibility but until I got the call I had no idea how I would feel.

I was assured that the person that was infected was last in the home on March 21st and that proper guidelines, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, have been and continue to be followed and that everything is being done to prevent illness.

And yet, I worry.

I understand that in the grand scheme of things that getting news that someone is not infected (at least not infected at this point in time) with this horrible virus is nothing compared to all the death and grief happening right at this moment all over the world.

As my sister Joyce said today when we talked on the phone after getting this news, no one is untouched by this tragedy. I think what hurts the most about this situation is how each one of us wonders in the back of our minds will it be me, or will it be my husband, my wife, my boyfriend, my girlfriend, my sister, my brother, my son, my daughter, my aunt, my uncle, my grandparent, my friend, my neighbor, or my coworker that will die? Will I get that phone call? And the emotional toll it is taking on each one of us day by day is unbearable.

Let's cherish every moment we have.

Flattening the Curve, Day 24

Friends, today, the twenty-fourth day of my quarantine due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, was spent making another (larger) cloth face mask like the one I shared here yesterday. The second mask sewed up quicker than the first one and I got a chance to take it for a test run when we had to go out grocery shopping. Getting accustomed to wearing something on my face is a challenge right now, but I'm sure I'll be a pro soon enough.

It was interesting, though, to see how Trader Joe's, our favorite grocery store, has adapted to this new pandemic reality. Jim and I waited in a queue that had orange tape affixed to the sidewalk at six foot intervals. There was a store clerk at the door, freshly cleaned shopping carts at the ready, and he signaled us to step forward when it was our turn to enter the store. The doors opened and we entered. 

All the store clerks were wearing face masks and safety gloves and the number of shoppers allowed in the store at any one time is dictated by the square footage of the store in order to maintain proper social distancing. I immediately noticed the music was back to its loud volume and the atmosphere was more upbeat than the last couple of times we were there.

When it was time to check out and pay for our groceries, we were requested to maintain the social distance while the cashier tallied the order. This means we were to stand six feet away from the check stand and wait for our items to be scanned and bagged. When it was time to pay, the cashier stepped back so we could approach the debit/credit card reader. Once the transaction was completed, I was invited by the cashier to retrieve my receipt and we were on our way. I thanked the cashier for being there.

Such is life in the slow (shopping) lane...

Speaking of slowing down, I took some time yesterday to sit quietly in my backyard with my brand new camera - an Olympus OMD, E-M10 III. I sold my Lumix GH2 late last summer but kept the telephoto lens. I call it the birdie lens. As you can see from the image above, it can capture my favorite little creatures quite well. This is a sparrow and they have an extremely high metabolism and are constantly moving. I managed to get quite a good sharp image despite the constant movement.

Well friends and family, I wonder what is in store for us tomorrow.

Take care and have a peaceful Easter Sunday.  

Flattening the Curve, Day 23

Hello friends. It's the twenty-third day of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and today I learned how to sew a cloth face mask.

On April 3rd the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here in the United States "recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g. grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."

Coincidentally, our household had a box of disposable face masks that I had purchased for my son last year during allergy season. Since we learned of the recommendation to wear a face mask in public, we've been using the remaining few disposable masks that were left in the box. Of course whenever we go out for groceries and supplies we've looked for more face masks but, like toilet paper, the store shelves are empty.

There have been many times in my life that I have been grateful that my mother taught me to sew when I was young, but never has it meant so much to me as during this pandemic. Because of her I have always had a sewing machine in the house and a basic supply of thread, scissors, pins, etc. So it was just a matter of finding a pattern and getting busy on the task.

I found an easy tutorial called How to Sew a Simple Fabric Face Mask on the Japanese Creations blog, gave it a try and am happy to report it really is simple.

The site provides a PDF template for printing out a pattern. There are three sizes to choose from - small, medium and large. I made the medium one today and it fits me quite well. I opted to add a nose wire as suggested in another Japanese Creations post called How to Keep Your Glasses From Fogging Up When Wearing a Mask. I wasn't concerned with glasses fogging - I just wanted the mask to fit more snugly. The article suggests using any kind of wire you have around the house. I used a twist tie from some electronic purchase in the past. It really works.

The mask tutorial suggested leaving an opening in the upper portion of the mask in order to insert some kind of filter. I did leave an opening for a filter but have not yet experimented with trying to insert a filter. I'm thinking I'll use a coffee filter as I have plenty of those in my pantry.

I still need to make at least three more cloth face masks, so I will try to share more later...

And as my mom would always say, goodbye for now.

Flattening the Curve, Day 22

Flatten The Curve

Hello and welcome to quarantine day number twenty-two due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As I mentioned yesterday, our family has, at last, settled into this new and unexpected Stay Home, Stay Safe living arrangement. Between scrambling for information about my status with my employer and looking for clarity on what to do (and what not to do) and what to expect, of course there was no time to think about anything else.

But now that I have become more organized and accustomed to the situation, there is time to think about how I can approach my collage work and organize my thoughts into action. The work above, entitled Flatten The Curve, is my first experiment with this new reality we have found ourselves in.

We all now know that time is a huge element in the success of the stay at home orders that have been implemented around the world, so I decided to utilize several forms of time keeping devices to express that.

The personality of the young woman featured has a kind of practicality that seems to make sense for the situation. And of course I fashioned her a mask, since wearing one is the other equally important way to help curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. I stamped C-19 on it using my vintage alpha stamps.

And the rug the young woman is kneeling on? My impression was that with its circular shape, color red and barbed-looking outer edge, it has an eerie resemblance to the actual coronavirus.

I think the crow or raven has the same symbolism everywhere. I don't mean for it to be as ominous as some may think. They are actually very smart birds with long term memory.

And I learned on treesymbolism.com that "tulip flowers can help to bring a sense of hope and encouragement to families that have loved someone very important to them and it can help to quench their bleeding soul" and that "This flower will help to remove every heavy burden that is on them and it will help to give them a chance for what lies ahead of them." I couldn't help but think of all the people who have lost loved ones and friends in this terrible epidemic and so I incorporated tulips into the composition. My heart goes out to all those that have lost dear ones.

Thanks for reading and see you again soon.

Flattening the Curve, Day 21

Hello everyone. It's the twenty-first day of my mandatory leave from my job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and I think I am finally feeling like things have settled down and that the required quarantine our household is required to participate in is in full force. How about you?

At first, learning how to Stay Home, Stay Safe  felt like a huge learning curve. It really shines a light on how insidious we can be, always running from one activity to the next, don't you think? It requires a lot of organization. But now that it's been three weeks, living life at a bare minimum is shining a light on what is essential.

Every morning I listen to about an hour of news and I literally cry for my fellow human beings. The tremendous suffering of those inflicted with this terrible disease fills my heart with sadness and that is what keeps me committed to doing my part to help flatten the curve.

And like everything else in life, it takes practice.

One thing that makes my heart happy though, is to find activities that keep my mind busy and focused. Recently, I decided  to grab my camera and take a close look around my garden to see what springtime wonders mother nature has for me to inspect. As I was looking out there from my kitchen window recently, I was lamenting that this beautiful season has been passing me by, unnoticed, as I, like probably nearly all of you, have been preoccupied by the current state of affairs.

Do you live somewhere that is also experiencing a stay at home order during this pandemic? What activities are you able to enjoy during this time of quarantine?

Flattening the Curve, Day 19

Hello everyone. It's day nineteen of my mandatory leave from my government job due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Even though it is a temporary separation, it feels like a very long time because in fifteen years I have never taken more than maybe one week off at my job at any one time.

As a follow-up to my blog post yesterday, where I talked about my Etsy Shop Vintage Tea Treasures and the current Etsy campaign #standwithsmall, I would like to share with you what I am doing to help keep the Etsy community safe during this unprecedented time.

From the very beginning, my top mission at Vintage Tea Treasures has always been to provide the very best vintage tea ware I am able to source. Part of that process is, of course, cleaning items once I bring them home. I have always first washed my finds in warm water using a mild dish soap, and then cleaned thoroughly with household rubbing alcohol.

After testing and inspecting, the tea ware is then ready for photographing and listing. Once that is done, all items are stored in brand new plastic bins according to SKU number.

When an item sells, I have always done a final testing and cleaning with rubbing alcohol before packing and shipping. I understand that we are all concerned about coronavirus, and so I have added a new process to my packing and shipping procedure. I am now wearing safety gloves at the final testing and cleaning stage and while packing. I have always used brand new packing materials and I will continue to do so.

I hope this helps alleviate any concerns you may have about safety, and for further information you may like to read These Common Household Products Can Destroy the Novel Coronavirus from Consumer Reports.

Thank you and have a peaceful evening.