News From The Nest: Continuing On

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Well, if you're reading this, you survived 2020. Congratulations! You might have made it through by only the skin of your teeth but you did it! That right there is an accomplishment. Now is the time to rest, gather our strength, and not give in. We have to stay tough well into 2021. I'm a firm believer that we will fight through this and come out the other side stronger for it.

Have you had the COVID-19 vaccine yet? Andy and I are waiting to be able to try to sign up / try to find it. From what I'm seeing and hearing, it's not going to be easy. Mom and Daddy have completed both doses. Neither had as much as a sore arm which was great. They are still unable to visit face-to-face and I'm wondering when that will be allowed. (Photo to the left shows Mom talking with Daddy via FaceTime on their 70th wedding anniversary in December.)

To reflect on 2020 - it was a helluva year to say the very least and it was made more difficult by the politicization of the virus by the president and his administration. I, for one, am so glad we again have a leader who believes in science and data, reading intelligence briefings, listening to others, being kind to one another, surrounding himself with intelligent people and actually valuing their opinions.

In 2020 - in March to be specific - we had to put Mom and Daddy's 17-year old dog to sleep, Mom had two hospitalizations within a ten-day period, then I handed over Daddy to the nurses at the memory care facility. If March 2020 was an emoji, it would be the pile of poop one! Our "new normal" is one without Daddy. One where he constantly asks when we're coming to get him. He is 92 but doesn't know it. Dementia is a heartbreaking disease for everyone involved. Mom or I or Mom and I call him daily and we FaceTime with him one-two times per week. I occasionally will go to his window where I can talk with him by phone. It is what it is and we're trying to deal with it the best we can.

We spent the holidays without seeing our children or grandchildren. I know we're among good company in this regard. That's okay - we'll wait. For now. Hopefully, by summertime, it will be safe for the grands to come stay with us again. Again, we can wait.

So far, we're making it. Others have not been as fortunate. People lost loved ones. I have a friend who lost a brother and another who lost a husband to this virus. Our community lost a wonderful cardiologist. A lot of people have had to find their "new normal". Since my last blog post on November 7, 2020, the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US has increased by almost 16,000,000 and the deaths by 190,000. It's so hard for me even to fathom that in just over two and a half months, almost 200,000 Americans have lost their lives and families have lost loved ones. As heartbreaking and difficult as it is, time marches on. I know it feels like we're treading through knee-deep mud.

Was there good that came out of 2020? I like to think so. I love the stories I see on the news about people rallying to help their neighbors and even strangers in need. Everyday heroes. I tried to brighten people's days by picking and sharing flowers out of my garden with Mom's neighbors at her senior living community and also with other people that I felt were isolated. I think of the nurses and other frontline workers on a daily basis and wonder how I would feel if I was still working in the hospital. My heart goes out to each of them and to their families. I have loved watching people sing, applaud, and play instruments when shifts change at various hospitals across the country. Small ways to try to honor those that give SO SO SO much.

Other new things, Andy hasn't shaved since he was laid off last spring and is now sporting an impressive beard. I am still maintaining my sourdough starter that I began last April. I bake something from it about once a week - pizza dough, English muffins, bagels, flatbread, crackers, Dutch Baby, etc. Usually, it's bread so I can take a loaf/boule to Mom. Last week, I baked one for us and then one for Mom and one for her neighbor upstairs in her apartment building. (Photos: Top right is of Mom, Andy, and me on Christmas Eve. The one below is of last week's three boules - Sourdough Sun-dried Tomato and Basil bread.)

I'm trying to make up for lost time re: my artwork. The art community has been amazing! Since in-person classes, workshops, retreats, etc. have all been canceled, the art community shifted to online. Instagram, Facebook, Zoom, WebEx, etc. have all been awesome places to host educational offerings. I've enjoyed classes, interviews, demos, and sketch-alongs with art teachers in England, Ireland, California, Washington, Virginia, Canada, Hong Kong, and other US states and countries around the world.

I've been able to "armchair travel" and have "toured" Holland, Transylvania, Germany, Scottish Highlands, and a few other countries via Girl Travel Tours. I even went on an African Safari! Since no one can travel, tour guides are suffering losses of income, as well. So, Marah, of Girl Travel Tours, hosts virtual tours that are led by actual tour guides in whatever country that's being visited. Win-win situation! If you're interested in taking any of these "tours", please visit her website or her Facebook page. Donations to the tour guides are appreciated for live "tours" and you can find recorded tours on her website.

I so appreciate all the efforts people have made to provide entertainment, education, and stimulation for the rest of us. The expense they've had in buying microphones, lighting, cameras, etc. and the extent of work they've done to learn how to use all these avenues like Zoom all for the purpose of sharing themselves and their skills. Some have been free of charge and others for purchase. I hope it's been and will continue to be worth it to each and every one of them. Having all these online opportunities has kept me sane!

I'm still knitting but find that painting is occupying a lot of my time. Two different kinds of zen / focus. That said, my sock yarn blanket that I usually work on every now and then was the only thing I could stand to knit during the first six months or so of the pandemic. It was comforting - I knew the pattern and it took no time to complete a square. Result - my blanket doubled in size! More recently, I began a lace stole where every section is a different stitch. I also have a shawl I'm knitting for a friend for her son's wedding in June. There's never a shortage of knitting projects! So many things needing to be finished!

I completed my 2020 Daily Smalls - an illustrated diary with one page for each month - and began a new one for 2021. So many people were interested in the Daily Smalls that I created a Facebook group. It's such a warm personable group of members. All of us sharing our days with one another. I'm currently taking a six-week landscape course with Rick Surowicz. (Photo of the painting above left was my latest homework assignment for Rick's class.) Today was week four so two more to go and I need to decide whether or not to sign up for his next session.

One thing I'm not doing as much as I used to is reading. I have a couple books going of different types and usually read while eating breakfast. I'm still a work in progress! I want to read more, meditate, do yoga, lose weight (ugh!), get my soap studio straight so I can get back in the soap pot, clean the rest of my house and sort out Mom and Daddy's things, .......... The list is ongoing!

(Photos to the right - Gracie happily catnapping unaware of all the feathery activities outside at the ground feeder! The positions she gets in are very entertaining to watch!)

So, to close, Happy New Year to each and every one of you reading this. My wish and hope is that you stay safe and strong during these challenging times. Thanks so much for reading For the Love of Fiber!