Sleep Well....

This week I've spent some time making pillowcases. This is not my normal sewing machine project but it's one that I'm happy to do.

Camp Hometown Heroes put out the call and many seamstresses answered. In case you've never heard of this organization it serves children, age 7-17, who have lost a loved one serving in the military. These youngsters have made the ultimate sacrifice and sadly learn at an early age "Freedom is not free." The kids get to go to summer camp for a week and at the end of the week they get to take their own special pillowcase home.

The camp gives them a place to share their experiences, receive counseling as needed and do lots of regular "camp things" with other kids who understand their ups and downs. I can only imagine that the camp is a healing experience and the people who run it are very special indeed.

So I sew with fabric featuring stars and stripes in fun patterns and made a small contribution.

I won't ever meet the children who lay their heads down on my small contributions....but I hope they sleep well, have a great week at camp and go home feeling just a little "lighter" in spirit.

Two Days Later....

So it's still cold....but the sun is out, the sky is blue and the wind is light....and my mood is a little "lighter". We saw friends yesterday for lunch and dominoes...always fun. And today I walked to the Downer Theater around the corner to see "House of Gucci". This is our nice independent movie theater and there were only five of us at the noon showing of a really good film.

Earlier in the morning I went on line for the service at First Church here on the east side....the Unitarian Church we used to attend while living in Bay View. Megan and Mike were married there and we were members for about seven years. We sort of drifted away when a new minister took over and we were not thrilled with her Sunday sermons.....so we've been "churchless" for quite awhile.

I listened to UU services at the church in Mequon on some Sundays during the first year of lock down....it gave me something else to think about. So today I decided to go back to First Church and listen in. I missed the first fifteen minutes but still.....the message gave me something to consider. The minister was in the middle of her remarks and kept using the term "liminal space" and I had zero idea what that meant.

So I went to trusty Google and found that author and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr describes this space as: where we are betwixt and between the familiar and the completely unknown. There alone is our old world left behind, while we are not yet sure of the new existence. That's a good space where genuine newness can begin. Get there often and stay as long as you can by whatever means possible....This is the sacred space where the old world is able to fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed.

The article went on to say that "these thresholds of waiting and not knowing our 'next' are inevitable and most are incredibly disruptive. A liminal space is the time between the 'what was' and the 'next'. It is a season of transition, a season of waiting, and not knowing."

Hmmmm......maybe the world has been in liminal space since early 2020. Sounds about right to me. I'm not sure I want to follow Rohr's suggestion that we get there and stay there as long possible, but still the phrase echoed as something that describes how I feel about the now.

I think I'll try to log on again next Sunday and maybe find something else to ponder.

Just Nothing.....

January 21, 2022 and I feel like I just have nothing to blog/think about/share. I just feel sort of "dull" as Wisconsin's cold temperatures have moved in and we now hear about wind chill every day in addition to COVID numbers. Ugh.

I went for my annual Medicare "Wellness Exam" on Monday.....a brief physical with the doctor I have been seeing for over 20 years. His PA talked to me first, checking my info on the computer to be sure medications were up to date etc. She asked a few of the expected questions:

• Have you fallen in the past six months?
• Do you feel safe in your home?
• Do you have grab bars in your shower?
• Do you feel depressed?

When she asked that last question I just looked at her and laughed. Do I feel depressed????? Well....probably not clinically "depressed" but frustrated and a bit "down"....yep. Frankly we both laughed and she said, "Yes, that question is probably not really appropriate at this point....everyone feels discouraged."

The rest of the physical was normal....my doctor is very nice, engaging and willing to listen. He asks the right questions and "humors" me with some of my responses. He answers my questions and refers me to specialists if necessary.

So I left the office feeling I'd checked one task off my list for the year.....and wondering what my answers will be next year. If 2022 is anything like 2020 and 2021 I may move from slightly "down" to "needs help with her depression." Yet I am fortunate and I know it. Dave and I live in a great space, in a terrific neighborhood. We've been healthy (knock wood) and passed through our 75th birthdays without any major challenges. Life isn't quite what we'd expected at this age.....but life isn't what anyone expected.

So blah.....nothing to blog, nothing to share....just going along day by day, reading, quilting, watching TV, walking the dog, visiting with a few friends in small groups....but blah.

Forget It....

This morning President Biden came on TV to talk about the surging Omicron virus and the government's efforts to "stop" this. Military personnel are being sent to support hospitals in states where they are over-crowded and health care professionals are exhausted. Self tests and masks are being distributed all over the country in the next few weeks. Of course one "argument" is that this all should have been done sooner....and I don't disagree.

But the one fact that Biden kept stressing was that if people would get vaccinated and wear masks we could get our country over the hump sooner, and maybe back to normal. These steps would help stop the spread, keep people out of the hospitals and cut the death rate.

And as he spoke I thought to myself "Sadly this is a waste of time." The facts will convince no one who believes he is an illegitimate President or that vaccines are untested and unsafe and that the government is taking away their personal liberties.

Never mind that this is a public health crisis.....the refrain "you can't make me" will continue to ring across the United States.

Am I sick of wearing a mask? Yes. Do I wish things could be normal and I could easily be with friends and family to do the kinds of things we've always enjoyed? Yes. Do I see "normal" coming back anytime soon? No.

Convince the anti-vaxxers??? Forget about it. 

Sigh......

My Plan.....

January 2022......the middle of the month....cold weather in Wisconsin and some days the sun remains hidden behind low clouds. It's pretty "grey" outside.

Then there is inside. Our apartment building at Eastcastle is quiet....very few people in the hallways. The dining room is closed for in-person dining. Events have been cancelled and all residents are requested to wear masks in the public areas. Small gatherings in the larger common rooms (ten people or less) are OK as long as everyone is masked and we don't share food or drink. 

We are back to finding new things to watch on Netflix or Amazon Prime. We "go to" our book clubs and quilt guild meetings on Zoom. Mr. Omicron is invading Milwaukee and basically knocking on everyone's door.

I have a plan.

In March 2000 I started making cloth masks because no one could find any and we were told to begin to wear them....I made hundreds and hundreds. First they were for familiy and neighbors, then anyone in our condo building who wanted one. Then I answered the call from a local effort supplying them to hospitals, schools, libraries, first responders, non-profits etc....etc. 

Then we were able to find some of the light blue "paper" ones and then other versions that were more highly recommended. We now have a drawer full of masks and a supply of N95 masks "may" be free at our public libraries sometime next week. We will get in line.

I am sick to death of my new fashion accessory.....as is everyone else I know. I realize how fortunate I am to live in a comfortable apartment three blocks from Lake Michigan, delicious meals to enjoy, internet access, puzzles to do, books to read, quilts to make.

But I have a plan.

Watch for the bonfire in the yard at 2025 E. Bradford Avenue. When? I don't know......but you'll see the flames reach for the sky.