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!!

Living under Stay at Home Order Part 6

It has now been 9 weeks since I have been out to do more than go to the Doctor's, the Pharmacy and do a curbside pick up at the fabric store.  I would love to get back to my life, but I don't really see that happening any time soon.  I'm learning to be content in where I am and what I have.  I want to go to Church and quilt guild and out to lunch with my granddaughters and my daughter and daughter-in-law, but that is not going to happen.  Even with the restaurants opening in Iowa I don't want to go out like that.  With my immune system and my other underlying issues, I just can't risk it just yet.  I know I live in an area that isn't too hard hit, but it is still out there for now.  So I will stay home, work on my projects and do some new recipes and help my husband when I can.

We had plans to go on a trip to two National Parks for our 50th Anniversary on the 9th, but that of course did not happen.  Now we are making plans for when things are safer.  He wants to go to Bryce and Zion - which I do want to see, but I want to go to Olympic and visit my Niece in Oregon.  We will probably go to Bryce and Zion as we went to my choices last year - Glacier and the Badlands.  I'm just looking forward to the trip - it might not happen until our next Anniversary, but it will happen!!

My birthday was just last Saturday - we didn't do anything.  my daughter and granddaughter came out on Sunday to bring me gifts and we sat out on the front deck and talked.  It was wonderful just to see them.  I haven't seen either for them in over 3 months and they only live about 15 miles away. 

My little great-granddaughter had her first birthday on Friday and it was a Quarantine party that no one was invited too.  It was so funny and adorable.  We got pictures and a video to watch.  Not as good as being able to be there, but much better than nothing.

I have been making greeting cards for friends and family.  Paper-pieced fronts and just greetings on the inside - some are note cards, some are birthday cards, some are thank you cards and one was a sympathy card.  Some I designed myself and some are from patterns - it all keeps me busy.

 

There is also the Mug Rugs I made - some of my own design - for my daughter as she and her family loved the ones I make for Christmas a year and a half ago.  I love making them and they are fun and easy to do.

I'm still working on my National day quilt - These are mostly my own designs for the days - National Earth Day, National Tax day, National Audubon Day and Nation Arbor Day.  I have 6 more that need to be quilted which will bring me to the end of May.  Then I need to think about June's National Days.


The last project I have completed is my Quarantine Door hanging.  Most of the people in my neighborhood have been putting colored paper hearts on their windows as a sign of hope and to thank and support those on the front lines. I didn't have any colored paper - I gave it all to the church so I had to think outside the box - or inside my fabric stash. This is my Hope Quarantine Door Hanging.

I also completed a challenge project from my favorite Quilt shop - The Quilt box - in Kewanee.  Hence the drive by to the quilt shop - of course I had to place an order to pick up while I was there.  I forgot to take a picture so I will do that and post it later.

I dragged out a quilt top I started 10 years ago called Circles of Life.  It is a Paper-pieced rainbow quilt.  I quickly figured out why I had pack it away to years ago - but I am determined to finish it now.  I'm on the home stretch with it and "should" have the top finished by at least the middle of June - I'm not saying which year - just by the middle of June!!

 it has done nothing but rain here in May.  We have had nearly 4 inches of rain in the last 5 days.  The Rock River is in flood, the farm fields have huge puddles of water where they aren't flooded and our sumps are running a lot.  There really is no end in sight - it wasn't supposed to rain today - but guess what - it did.  We had some sunshine on Sunday while the girls and I sat on the deck (thankfully it didn't rain while they were here) and it felt so good to see it break through the clouds.  I know in another month we will be dying of the heat and wishing for some rain - but that is a month or more away!!

Today I'm catching up on my sleep, and some computer time and I will get back to my quilting studio tomorrow.  Not cooking tonight - eggs and toast for dinner sounds good enough.  

Latest Reading list:
Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evonavich
Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Posidon's Arrow by Clive Cussler
Scone Cold Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Back Fire by Catherine Coulter
A Thread of Truth by Marie Boswick