There's a New Normal in Town

SSo, it's been about two weeks now, since we last spoke, right?  Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?  And, my gosh, how things have changed.  Well, not EVERYthing has changed.  Here's a shot of Bailey, dated April 4th, doing what she loooves to do.  We call this La Cookaracha.  Yeah, I've probably bungled the spelling, but now you have an earworm, don'tcha!

And here's a shot of our neighbors' response to the closure of the park, and orders not to gather in groups of more than 10, later amended to 6.  And, to wear facemasks and keep at least 6 feet apart.  Yes, all important happy hours continue.  For HOURS at a time.  NO, we do NOT join them.  If we happen to walk by them (and it's hard not to, since they are right across the street from our site, and the dog does require frequent walks), we smile (behind our masks) and give a friendly wave.  As we continue our journey to the doggie doo area.

So, what have we been up to during this period of involuntary inactivity?  Well, hitch-itch has definitely set in, so we are battling that....and cookies.  Oh.My.God.  For those of you that might not know, I make some mean chocolate chips and brownies.  Even in my little convection/microwave that is not quite level and has a real hot spot on one end.  So, we're battling the quarantine-fifteen.  It started out at 10, but I'm pretty sure we surpassed that and are now up to fifteen.  I only pray it's split between the two of us.  Might not be.  I don't know about you, but I think my dryer is shrinking my shorts.  But, I still thank God (and Driver and Newmar) that I even HAVE a dryer.  IN.MY.OWN.COACH!  Yes, I will shout that from the rooftops.  Ha, I'm not spoiled, am I.  Oh, hush.  I can hear you laughing all the way from here.  But, I digress.  You were asking what we've been doing all this time.  Well, we haven't been dancing, that's fer sure.  (but you already knew that)  We haven't been geocaching (that's always be a dirty, grimy game, but we take small bottles of hand sanitizer, seldom paw through the goodies, and always, always use our own pen), and there's nowhere to shop that's open or we want to go.  Cooties people all around, you know. So I bake, we eat.  Plain and simple.  Oh, but, yes, I've been sewing too.  I was able to scrape together enough fabrics and filter materials to make about 16 or 18 masks.  We kept the first two prototypes, then sent out a bunch, then I made 2 more for ourselves, so we would have a spare and a pair (one to wash, one to wear.  Did I mention that I can wash and dry IN.MY.OWN.CAMPER!) So after I exhausted my on-board supplies, and what I had ordered, I sewed up a curtain for one of my customers in New Hampshire.  Luckily, on our last excursion to Victoria, we had stopped in at Hobby Lobby and purchased the necessary fabric and Velcro, and I had the measurements already.  Sent it off to her, it fit, she loved it, she paid me, and then she sent me this hand-quilted beauty.  

Her hand-stitches were simply beautiful, and so lovingly placed.  But, alas, they were incomplete.  And there was staining and fading of the excess material surrounding the top, which was meant to be folded over to the front and stitched down, at about a 4 inch width.  After playing with my fancy embroidery machine for about 4 days straight, and looking online for quilting stencils, with no luck, I might add, I decided I could make a tracing of her stitches onto my Solvey (clear Saran-wrap-like disolvable stabilizer), then staple that to chipboard (empty cereal box cardboard), then digitize it.  So that's how I got my embroidery stitch pattern.  And, without further ado, I finished up her quilt.  There was some more stitching that went into it, and I used my dual feed foot to do the semi-circles that I quilted into the teal border.  I just used the lid to my largest bowl and traced around it multiple times.  I liked that look so much I went back and did a second row, inside the first.  Then I searched my phone for photos, failing that, my memory, and failing that, You Tube, for how to make the bring-backing-to-the-front binding.  Found basically what I needed and did it.  No sweat. Actually, it was a LOT easier than my usual method of cutting strips, sewing them together, sewing them all on around the edges, making perfect mitered corners (never happens, btw) and joining the strips at the end.  Then you gotta sew it all down around the BACK, and I do that by hand....soooo...yeah.  This new normal took about oh, I dunno, maybe 30 minutes, all told?  Bam, done.  New normal, me thinks.  Save more time for making and eating cookies, right?

So, that filled up about a week or so.  And still no end in sight to our new-found free time.  Driver had washed the car, so it was clean, we gave the pup a bath once or twice, so she was clean.  I vacuumed and mopped the floor, so IT was clean...there really wasn't much else to do.  Yes, I could surf the internet, but that just made me sleepy, and you know I can't see well enough to read anymore, so that's just no longer an enjoyable activity for me anymore....but....I had those two quilts I had pieced in the first two weeks of quarantine, remember?  They were to keep us warm and snug in our recliners.  I was going to layer (sandwich) them on a table in the Activity Room, but by the time I got the quilts pieced, the Activity Room was locked up and unavailable, so I just bagged the quilts and stuck 'em under the bed.  But here I was with time, materials, and a clean floor.  And two quilts, just begging to be completed.  So I pulled out the first one, laid out the backing and batting, and before I could place the quilt top on the sandwich....

How dare I take up her launching pad?  Once I had her situated up in her window, I was able to get my top centered up on the sandwich.  Inadvertently, I left enough room on all sides to implement that new border technique.  That was a lucky accident!

So, here's my struggle.  They always say, Quilt As Desired.  And I have no idea what to put.  I've always wanted to learn to do feathers, so I got my chalk and fiddled until I got a pattern I could duplicate freehand.  Then threaded my needle with matching thread (not sure I wanted the stitches to show!) and went to town.  Ha, that's not as hard as I thought it would be!  And by the time I got to the 4th blade, I actually had a pretty good rhythm going!  Could I do 'em again?  Who knows.  But I got 'em done THIS time, and I was happy.  I drew myself a template (again, on scrap cardboard) and traced some overlapping hearts around the pink, and happily spent the next few days adding more and more stitching to the sandwich.

Eventually, I got it to a place I was happy with it all, brought that backing to the front and stitched it down, and called it DONE!  I think I'm going to wait on the other one until I can get some Minky for the back.  I loooove the feel of Minky against my skin, and apparently, winter in Texas is over, so we don't have a need for either of these quilts at this time.  (not the first time I've made blankets in the summer, probably not gonna be the last)

So, what was the Driver doing while all this was going on?  Washing & waxing the car, hosing off the patio, reorganizing (yes, again) the basement, reading, and truthfully, I don't know what all else.  Walking the dog several times, I'm sure.  By my second day of inactivity after my sewing flurry, I was going nutso.  Some would say that was a short trip.  Some would say, how is that even possible, as I was already nutso.  (pfffft, that's what I say)  So we decided we would venture out to Walmart and Ace Hardware.  We had been (I use that term loosely, DRIVER had been) to HEB (grocery) already twice, now, and we really are well stocked up on food.  But, there were a few things we could pick up at WM and Ace, if we were so inclined.  I wanted some charcoal filters for my crisper drawer, he needed more wax, Papa's birthday is coming up soon, and we may not get there, so better get him a card in the mail, and I'm about out , of thread.  Again.  And Kelly had sent me a box of scraps (God love her, but they must have all fallen off the ugly truck, they are UGLY) but I really didn't want to use up my last spool of piecing thread on such ugly stuff.., and just to get out and ride our bikes.  We figured my basket would hold everything.  (HA, hold that thought!)

The ride down the trail was pleasant - the weather here is absolutely gorgeous, and perfect for us heat-seekers.  Sunny, breezy and hot.  South Texas at its best!  Along the way, we found our favorite doggo-windows empty, but adorned with community artwork and love.  There were inspirational sayings drawn on the sidewalk, too.

Yup, I'm suited up appropriately.  See that flannel shirt tied around my waist?  Yeah, the gray one.  Hold that thought, you'll need it later.

We even found one of the Rocks for Rockport-Fulton stuck up in a tree.  First find!  No, I didn't see it, Driver did and told me about it, so we went back, as I had already passed it.

ACE Hardware was just about empty, but, not only did I find my crisper filters, I found a pair of tongs I could live with.  And look what the masked Driver found!  Too bad there was no real ice cream hiding behind the sign.  And the sign is WAAAAY too big for me to carry home, so we left it there.  

From there, we pedaled back to WalMart.  While Driver was researching the wax options, I walked over to see about getting some thread.  HAHAHA, joke's on me!  Very little thread available (I bought light green, not ivory, white, tan, silver or black) and NO bias tape to speak of.  That's what a lot of people were using for mask ties, I know.  I used elastic until I ran out, and if I had needed anymore, I would have raided the closet and cut up an old T-shirt.

Fabric bundles, anyone?  Nope, not a one to be had.

Fat quarters, anyone?  Likewise, nope, not a one. That's a lotta masks baby!

But, wait, what about the flannel shirt?  Apparently, we "needed" more than I had originally thought.  We ended up buying a plastic shoebox to corral art supplies down in the basement.  And a bicycle mirror (found to be inappropriate for my style handlebars), two inner tubes, some Velveeta cheese and canned tomatoes (who knew that was necessary at this time), the big bottle of wax, and a whole pack of microfiber towels.  Whaaat?  Where, exactly was all this stuff gonna go for the ride home?  Call me crafty!  I buttoned up that big ole shirt, packed most of our goodies in that plastic shoebox, put the shoebox INSIDE the shirt, balanced the load on TOP of my basket (which contained all the stuff that didn't fit in the box) and tied the bottom of the shirt to itself and the sleeves to the handlebars.  Surprisingly, it worked VERY well.  Only fell off the bars/basket once, and that was after I went over a big bump.  Did we get a photo of that?  Nope, sorry.  Was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn't get going again without falling over (or off!).  Never underestimate the power of a crafty woman again!

So we made it home with only the one incident, put our stuff up, took showers and fixed dinner.  The stress level was pretty high so no further action took place at Casa Callander.  Friday dawned bright and beautiful, and we slept in.  So, nothing new there....along about noon (yeah, why not wait till the sun was high overhead and it was as hot as it was gonna get), we dragged all the equipment out and started washing the rig.  I don't know how or why, but it sure seems bigger on the outside than it does on the inside!  For the rest of the day, we washed, rinsed, dried and polished.  And now the coach looks beautiful outside.  The floor inside is dirty again, but ask me if I care.  HA.  nooooope.  Absolutely exhausting.  Darned good thing he didn't plan on waxing it same day!  I betting since tomorrow is Saturday, it won't even be same WEEK!

And for those of you that were concerned, most of the people that were holding court over at the happy hour social gathering have moved on.  They are going back from whence they came, not to return until next year.  There is still a core group, of about 10, that sit and drink till dinner time, split up, then reconvene after dinner and play cards and cornhole until it's too dark to see.  Then they just sit and drink some more, breaking up for the night about 9 pm.  Us?  We just smile behind our masks, wave, and walk on.  Theoretically, our Governor is trying to reopen Texas, and we'll know more on Monday, but at this time, it appears that the campground will begin accepting new rigs on Friday.  We will have to give up our current site and move to a new one, at the far end of the park, so we'll probably do that on Thursday.  Same park, just a different site.

And, just for fun, here's Bailey's version of the New Normal.  (those be Driver's legs, not mine!)

Until next time, virtual hugs and yellow rocks!  Stay well, stay safe.  And remember, just because they SAY you CAN go out, doesn't mean you HAVE to go out!  

What Just Happened Here? New Life and New Terminology

It was only 4 days ago that we were merrily enjoying life and gathering in places like Port A Market Day, hitting the sands before the Spring Breakers get there, checking out all the candy options, in a VERY crowded Island Candy, even trying on bathing suits in our favorite beachwear store.  And dining out in one of our favorite quirky island restaurants.  And then we got news from China; people were being rounded up from their homes and off the streets, kicking and screaming, sometimes, and being placed in isolation, due to Novel Corona 19 Virus symptoms.  OK, so maybe I'm not saying that quite right, and maybe I'm calling it something different than what you've been hearing about.  But, you and I both know, it's all the same stuff we're talking about.  Only 4 days have past since we first heard rumors of this insidious disease ravaging Wuhan, China.  And as a result, our store shelves have been emptied of all products related to cleaning and personal hygiene.  This is where we expected to find Clorox Wipes and other cleaning products.

This is where we expected to find a few rolls of TP.  And that's exactly what we found - a few rolls.  Truly unprecedented times.  We have been through countless hurricanes (countless, because there have been too many to count!!) and have never seen anything like this.

Thankfully, we got a bottle of cleaner, a pack of paper, some pickles, crackers, applesauce, and of course, brownies.  All the essentials for a two-week quarantine, right?  At this point, we are still planning to head to Pennsylvania at the end of April, to clear up Dad's estate, so we aren't really stocking up our pantry or freezer.  No need to keep that stuff on board - what if we were to lose power and it got really hot while we were gone?  Everything would be spoiled and the camper would stink something awful.

Just two days later, the panic sets in closer to home.  We have decided to postpone our trip to Pennsylvania (who wants to rely on restaurants and hotels all over the country for a month!  And gas stations, don't even get me started on how dirty service stations are!!), and all our reservations (and doctor appointments & friends' visitations we had planned in Florida!!!) have been cancelled.  We were fortunate in getting full refunds for all deposits, and all the doctors (4!!) and friends were totally understanding.  But now, since we're staying put, maybe we had better venture out and see if we can get some food back in our freezer and pantry.  Well, looks like we weren't the only ones with that idea!  This is the checkout area of our local HEB.  I'm pretty sure most everyone in town is either here, or has just been here.

Thankfully, we were able to gather a few packages of meat, some veggies and a bag of potatoes, and now we're good to go for who knows how long.  After we unloaded the groceries, and washed our hands, we thought we'd stroll around the campground a bit.  Sharon, down at the end of our street, was given a couple of caterpillars, and they apparently laid some eggs.  She's planted butterfly milkweed (lpoks a whole lot like Lantana to me, but it's not), in an attempt to create some healthy habitat for our local and migratory Monarchs.  See that leaf up in the tree there?  No, that doesn't normally grow like that - she has placed the leaf there for the 'pillars to snack on while they're looking for a suitable place to form their chrysalises.  Chrysali?  

Four 'pillars and only one poop?  How is that even possible?

Here is one, starting to "J" up on itself.

This one almost got squished when John, the chair's owner, picked it up to move it.

And just like that, in a matter of a couple of hours, a chrysalis is fully formed.  Now we wait.

15 days....

And on Day 14, you get this.  A BLACK chrysalis.  It's blurry, because, well, wind.  We're on the Coast.  It's always a breeze.  Some days it's a hurricane, so we'll call it good with just a breeze.

And just like that, after a couple hours of black (maybe as much as 24), poof!  We emerge a beautiful Monarch butterfly.  Fully grown, ready to fly, as soon as its wings dry.  Maybe Kerry can weigh in here, but the spots at the bottom of the wings tell whether it's a male or female.  Me?  No clue.

And, in keeping with the suggested guidelines of the day, we elected to share our St Patty's Day Dinner with only the people of our table.  Originally, everyone was going to eat in the main hall, but a few of us were kinda grossed out by leary of that idea, so we elected to set up on the empty site next to us.  Ha.  See above comment regarding the breeze.  After about an hour fighting the wind, trying to get the tables set, we moved it over under our neighbor's awning.  He has greater tree coverage, so his site has only a gentle breeze, whereas the empty site had a pretty good gale going. Being the "new" people on the block, the hosting duties fell to us.  And over the course of a week, we had a few cancellations, then when we moved to an outdoor, limited setting, we had a few return to our table, and even another one join us.  On one of our trips to Victoria, we had stopped in at the Dollar Tree (nope, don't have one here, closest one is down in Portland, 30 miles & 45 minutes away) and picked up party hats and decorations for everyone.

Back row, Sharon on the left and Lynn, wearing the crown and shamrock necklace.  Larry, Sharon's dearest sitting down in front, sporting one of our lucky hats.

A toast to good friends and good health!  Nope, I'm not in the photo - I'm TAKING the photo. 

And, once again, our new normal changed, just like that.  The call went out for masks, to help with the shortage.  Well, great.  Here I sit, with nothing but time on my hands, and VERY limited supplies on hand.  Oh, just like any other sewist (sorry, but I draw the line at calling myself a sewer), I have LOTS of supplies and stash.  But, it's all stored nice and neat in a locker in Williston, FL, of all places.  Climate controlled, too, so that if/when we DO recover it, it should still be all nice and neat.  We'll see about that.  But, I was able to muster up a bit of elastic and some tightly woven fabric and fashioned us a couple of masks.  Oh yes, I know they won't prevent the virus from reaching us, but they may remind us not to touch our faces.  Maybe.  Desperate times, desperate measures.

Partly due to the weather (we are between storms in the mid-West and North), partly due to the NC-19 pandemic, partly because states are beginning to close rest stops, service centers, hotels and even borders, and partly just because it's time, our park is beginning to empty.

And now we can see this.  Yes, it's against the written rules.  Yes, the laundry is still open (for now, anyway).  Yes, this is considered unsightly by many.  And yes, that is the site's resident, in the back, working on yet another "project." Yard Art, I guess you could call it.  Out of range of the photo is the front of the 5th wheel.  It has Easter decals and a banner plastered all over the nose cone.  In front of that, is a folding 6 foot table, every inch of which is covered in little figurines and decorations.  Where is that breeze now?  Why doesn't it just rustle up a dust devil and blow it all away?

Just to get out of the park for a bit, we rode our bikes down the Marsh Trail.  Even the ducks and Ibis were practicing social distancing.

Our local HEB is taking precautions, lining us all up prior to opening the doors, and having us sanitize our hands before we enter the store.

And for those of us who find a little extra time on our hands?  Well, let's see if we can find our other spatula.  We thought it might have jumped out of the drawer and landed on top of the dishwasher.  Well, no, it didn't.  We are absolutely no closer to knowing where it is than we were before we removed the drawer and its contents.  But, now the drawer won't slide back in.  Hmmmm, perhaps we should have left well enough alone?  I believe that was MY solution, after all, we've been without an extra spatula for several weeks now, a few more wouldn't hurt, right?

Well, eventually, with the aid of a screw driver, flashlight and a few choice words for good measure, the drawer was successfully replace.  Still no spatula, but that's beside the point.  My kitchen countertop was restored and turned back into my cutting table/sewing room.  And with the invaluable assistance of my Resident Mathematician (yeah, that doesn't look right to me either, but that's what Spellcheck insists on) slash Color Guide slash Driver, these are the quilts I was able to put together.

Each one is a generous lap throw, a bit longer than they are wide, so that our tootsies can be tucked in while we are stretched out in our recliners.  I know, life is hard.  Now that they are fully pieced, they are ready to be sandwiched and quilted.  Even though it's about 90 degrees, yes.  I want to be ready when we need them next.  However.  Remember, life as we know it has ended.  Yes, I have batting, ordered in pre-NC19P days, and delivered right to our site (well, ok, Lora's site) over in Arizona.  Yes, I have suitable backing, purchased along with yardage for the fronts.  Yes, I have suitable time to study them and decide on quilting motifs.  However.  Life as we know it has ended, and I do NOT have access to a table big enough to lay them out and get them sandwiched!  Ah, yes, first world problems.  All around us, people are refugees from war, starving from drought, and dying from Corona Virus 19.  And I can't get my tops sandwiched.  Kind of puts things in perspective and makes me realize just how damned lucky we really are.  

We have heard from friends in Florida; they are all well and safe.  We have heard from family in Arizona; they are all well and safe.  We have heard from friends in New Hampshire; they are all well and safe, but still offering childcare services to at least one family, so who knows how safe for how long.  We have heard from friends in California, who were performing in Florida and are now stuck there, but they are all well and safe.  We have heard from family in Virginia and Alabama; they are all well and safe.  Papa, at a couple months shy of 100 years old, is in isolation in a physical rehab facility, where he is getting medical attention and three squares a day, so he is safer there than his own home.  We have heard from friends in London; they too are well, but not so safe. As a nurse, she spent 90 minutes trapped in a room, trying to swab an elderly and aggressive dementia patient, who was showing symptoms of the virus. So, my prayers for you, dear reader, be careful, stay safe, and practice mindful sanitation and isolation. 

These times are unprecedented in our memories and the measures we must take are absolutely required to stop the spread and flatten the curve.  Six weeks ago, I'd never even heard of the curve, much less knew how to flatten it.  Today, we have a new normal.  We are all coping the best we can, with prayers for safety and healing, the whole world over.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all the health workers, sanitation workers, power people, grocers, farmers, firefighters & peace officers, teachers, and my dearest of husbands, who are all working hard so that we can return to life as we once knew it.