My Side......

When we go out and leave Fenway in the condo we have a specific routine. He runs to his crate and waits (we leave the door unzipped). We get two cookies and break them in pieces. Several pieces are hidden on the chair in the living room, on the couch in the family room and somewhere on the carpet. He gets the other one in his bed and we walk out the door. When we leave he runs around and finds his treats and then settles in until we come home.

When he hears us coming back and unlocking the door he's ready and waiting....a quick greeting then a race to find a toy and bring it back to show us as we put keys and purses and jackets away in the foyer.

We always know where he's been while we're gone. It's always my side of the bed that provides the evidence. Dave likes to think Fenway is a "daddy's boy".....I think the evidence proves him wrong.

Say Their Names.....

American streets have been hosting protests, marches and demonstrations for weeks. The call "Say his name!" and "Say their names!" echo as citizens of all ages and races demand change. I watch and support the call and hope that the fact that so many different people are participating, and the fact that the movement doesn't seem to be losing enthusiasm means America will see change.

But today, while watching the morning news, the new COVID-19 stories came up first. Current numbers and new concerns that this first wave is now beginning to peak in many states across our Country. As of this morning statistics show 2.36 million cases in America and 122,000 deaths. The drumbeat continues and almost becomes background music to our day-to-day lives.

So I got a bit curious and did a little google search. Back in February our President "declared there would be no more than 15 coronavirus totals in the U.S." A few weeks later he upped that number stating that 60,000 dead Americans "would be a win"....soon tacking another 40,000 on to that number. Who knows what his math mind is telling him today.

And then I googled to try to find out the first fifteen Americans who fell to this virus. I couldn't find that information, but did find an article highlighting many of the early victims. So I list the first fifteen in that story:

Jazmond Dixon - 31

Shoshanna Davis - 35

Dez-Ann Romain - 36

David Edwards

Lee Green - 49

Sundee Rutter - 42

Floyd Cardoz - 59

Ron Golden - 58

Louise Pevy - 58

Patricia Frieson - 61

Wanda Bailey - 63

Larry Edgeworth - 61

Dennis Dickson - 62

Elizabeth Eugenia Wells - 65

Alex Hsu - 67

Each name was next to a picture of a smiling face and a story about the person lost. Some were holding their children, some were next to a spouse, some were alone. Each left a hole in a family.

Not the very first fifteen.....but let's say their names too. Let's put the number 15 on signs as protests continue....hold it up to 45's cameras and supporters. 

Say their names.....

Sentinal......

Every early morning walk along the lakefront brings something "new" to see. This morning I spotted a single seagull. Oh we have lots of gulls living in Port. They gather to roost and every day they fly all around our neighborhood. They are loud and some days are noisier than others. When the wind is onshore they are screaming by the dozens as the waves drive the fish into the shallows. Successful breakfast!

Today as Fenway and I were approaching the bandshell end of the park I spotted this single gull sitting and watching the water. The overcast sky was a forecast for the rainy day ahead.

I stood for a minute just to watch it watching me. Then Fen and I walked off and continued on our way home. Just a short walk around the neighborhood.....never boring.

An Uncomfortable Afternoon......

I spent part of this afternoon watching TV. America has been in lock-down for several months with the COVID-19 virus so I've spent more than the normal amount of time parked in front of the TV. Some binge watching on Netflix, a few movies we missed, too much ION over-and-over serial killer shows on as I quilt. Entirely too much screen time.

America has also been in turmoil for several weeks ever since we watched, on TV over and over again, a white policeman murder a black man on the street in Minneapolis. The resulting protests, marches and demonstrations have moved from big cities to even the smallest of towns. And they continue. Somewhere, during the past few weeks, a list of must-watch movies came across my computer screen. Today I watched the award winning documentary based on James Baldwin' last unfinished novel.  "I Am Not Your Negro" traces his friendships with Medgar Evers, Malcom X and Martin Luther King and the fight for civil rights in America.

The powerful film, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, is based on Baldwin's last unfinished manuscript, Remember This House. He left behind only 30 pages in the form of notes and letters but the documentary, I think, gives incredible insight into his view of race in America. Many of the images made me cringe and the narrative is thoughtful and hit hard. His quote toward the very end of the film rings in my head, "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."

There will be a peaceful gathering in Port Washington tomorrow afternoon. Maybe America is changing as it faces the uncomfortable truth of our American history. Find time to watch the film.

First Fawn......

We have had a string of amazingly perfect late spring days here in Port....and in most of Wisconsin. Temperatures in the 70's, the sun is shining and a gentle breeze rustles through trees boasting full heads of leaves. I would take this kind of day all summer long.

Fenway and I took a second walk about 8:30 and went north past the brew pub and toward the park by the volley ball court. As we walked along the sidewalk next to the parking lot a slight movement caught my eye and I turned toward the stream. Can you see someone looking back at me?

My phone doesn't take the best pictures but the fawn stood still and just stared at us from across the water. Mom wasn't in sight and she must have told her youngster to stay put until she returned. So little fawn didn't move much....maybe a step or two as it hid in the tall grass, shrubs and flowers.

We stood there for a few minutes and just watched. I'd been trying to spot a fawn for the past several weeks without any luck so this was a nice moment for me. I could check "first fawn" off my to-do list for 2020. Peek a boo!

And then on the way back into our building we walked along the sidewalk and the scent of roses drifted up. Our bushes are in bloom and the perfume is just lovely. 

We are still practicing physical distancing so don't get to connect with friends and neighbors as often as we'd like. A morning walk like today seems to mean even more....appreciating the small moments.

Bored......

February, March, April, May and now half of June. Dave, Fenway and I have basically been a threesome for almost all of that time. A few physically distant outside visits with friends since we got back to Port at the end of February....but that's about it. We developed a sort of routine early on that helped pass the time each day. We played cards, we looked at past-trip photos on the computer, we read, I quilted, Dave worked on puzzles, we cleaned drawers and emptied shelves. We watched TV....a lot. And the self-quarantine days passed. And we realized we are fortunate to be spending this 2002 new normal in our comfortable condo with food on the table and money in the bank.

And we try not to complain but at this point all of the stuff we did to pass the time is just so old. I am so glad that Wisconsin weather is warming up and we can be outside more to connect with friends or just drive off to another park for a walk. We hope to load our little RV and go camping later this month. So again.....we realize how fortunate we are.

But I don't care if I ever play another solitaire game of Bananagrams ever again......

....ever.

Something’s Missing...

I get used to using our computer every day....several times every day. I scroll across my news feed, I go on Facebook, I pay our bills, I email friends and family, I even Zoom. Until I can’t. A few weeks ago our Mac started acting wierd and Dave and I certainly were not tech-y enough to figure it out. So we unplugged it and dropped it off at the tech-y place where they can figure it out.....we hope.

This morning I went in to find my favorite banana/blueberry bread recipe.....ooops.

I guess not.

Patterns.....

A pretty severe storm hit Port the other night. The lightning show up to the north of us was amazing and when the rain and wind hit about 9:00 it was very impressive. The forecast was for gusts over 60 mph and I think that's what we got....but it also meant that the storm moved through very quickly.

The following morning we had perfect weather.....just lovely for my first early morning walk-the-dog.  As I came around a familiar corner I glanced down and saw this.

Now Fenway and I have crossed this specific piece of sidewalk hundreds if not thousands of times since we moved to the condo. But today I noticed the heart....what a nice way to start the day.  We continued on walking along the lake and around the bandstand and then back to the condo from the north.

Almost home, dodging a few left-over puddles, something else caught my eye. Was I walking along the beach? If I took off my shoes would I be wading through waves?

Nope....this was just sand and dirt from the stream that had washed off sidewalks and was caught by curbing along the road. This residue of flooding from a few weeks ago had been drying out and sitting unnoticed. But what lovely patterns....these would make amazing neutral quilt fabric! And if I did take off my shoes and walk in it, memories of beach walking would come flooding back.  

Small things.....often it's just the small things that make a walk special. I have to remind my self to look down more often.

Where Is the Light?

When COVID hit and we started stay-at-home time in March, The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts closed it's doors. Everything was on pause while the virus moved through communities and made us all re-think every action.

After a few weeks the Museum sent out a newsletter asking anyone interested to make a quilt square. The staff would collect the squares and put them together to create a quarantine quilt to display when the museum reopens. I think the staff was surprised by the response. At last count they stated hundreds of squares had arrived and more came in the mail every day.

I love to quilt so I pondered an idea for a week or so and then went through my stash. I wanted certain colors to highlight my plan.  I wanted to show that while the world was facing a difficult and unknown challenge I had hope that there would be answers. That science would step up and do the necessary research to "fix" this particular problem and we'd end up with another vaccine to avoid becoming sick and treatments to use if we did end up infected.

My square turned out pretty much the way I hoped it would. I call it "Light at the End of the Tunnel".

Since last week the darkness filling America has changed drastically and violently. The death of an innocent black man at the hands of some Minneapolis policemen was video taped and shown on TV. We watched a man die.....on the news....over and over again. So the protests began and some turned to violent riots and destruction during evening hours. Most gatherings were peaceful....but these did not make the news with any regularity. Instead we saw images of crowds running through dark streets, breaking store windows, throwing things and starting fires. Many of these faces were white and many peaceful protestors tried to remind the public that this violence was not the intention of their demonstrations. But their voices are also getting lost in the shuffle. Instead of calming leadership from Washington DC we had rhetoric that fired up the crowds.

It's been a week now of building unrest in America. I begin to wonder....if there was a request for a quilt square commemorating this past week what on earth would I make. Where is the light at the end of this long, long tunnel?