Stay At Home Order Lifted

Our Stay at Home Order was lifted Yesterday but there were still 1462 new cases in the state and 61 deaths - It really doesn't sound like it is over.  Yes it is better than the 4400 or so cases in one day a couple of weeks ago, but that is still a lot of people.  Yesterday people were mobbing the streets and stores in the cities, I was waiting to hear about fights breaking out.  Yes we do have more available ICU beds and the hospitals aren't slammed in the cities, but that could change quickly - it has in other cities that came out of quarantine too soon.  The problem is we won't know for a couple of weeks if it was too soon or not.  I understand that people need to go to work.  But they don't need to fill the little Boutique down on Main Street and /or wait outside with 500 other people for the chance to go into the store.  I will go to the grocery store (hubby has been doing it), I will help him pick out the new flooring for the bedroom next week when things settle down and I may even be able to go to my quilt club - there are usually less than 6 or 7 people there.  But I'm not going to the Mall or Target or any other large place with lots of people for a few more weeks.

I am grateful that I live in "fly-over" country - out here nearly in the middle of nowhere. Our county has 2 towns that qualify as small towns - several villages and some residential areas - ours has 120 homes or less that 500 people total.  I see my neighbors occasionally when they are out walking - talk to them over the back fence at a slight distance or, like yesterday, Laura came out to go for a walk and I had picked up the mail so we talked at the end of the driveway at a slight distance for 20 minutes.  It was pleasant.  She still works but is getting ready to retire - maybe we can become friends rather than just neighbors.  But our county has been sitting at 65 or so cases for that last 10 days to 2 weeks.  That is what I call an improvement and we probably should have been off quarantine 2 weeks ago.  But because Chicago and they Metropolitan area are still having serious problems, the entire state was kept on lockdown.  I could continue a rant about Chicago - but I will be nice and say - I do understand the problems they have - but we don't have them out here in the hinterlands

We will not be able to return to Church services until at least the first of July when maybe the limit for the number of people will be raised to 50 - with 2 services that would work.  They talk about having outdoor services - have they ever actually lived in Illinois?  It is a beautiful day today - sunny - about 70 - a perfect spring day.  About the 3rd one we've had this year.  It rains at the drop of a hat - or the wind blows at 50 knots or it is cloudy and chilly or it has turn on the heat at it is 98 with 90% humidity.  Outside church is not predictable.

I have been keeping myself busy with my quilting.  I'm teaching myself Free-Motion quilting.  The most difficult part is coordinating your speed and your hand motion to get an even stitch and then to keep the movement steady so your quilting lines aren't crooked.  I've been dragging out some old quilt tops that got stashed away and practicing on them.  I'm getting the knack.  Maybe one of these days I will be proficient.

So I'd better get back to that practicing!!