Day 47 - Back Into Hiding

It only took one day's short adventure to make the decision.

I sent Ed into the medical clinic by himself (with the mask he put on all by himself - hooray!) and sat in the car and waited for him. As I waited, I watched. Watched an extraordinary number of people go in and out the doors with no face coverings. With no attempted observance of any kind of social distancing.

After the appointment we headed to the home improvement store to pick up some weed spray. We used the garden entrance so we could breathe fresh air through our masks instead of stale store air. Waiting in the long garden checkout line, I again watched. And again saw numerous people ignoring social distancing recommendations. Masks? Very few. I told Ed I was on the verge of wanting to trip people to prove a point. If you are close enough to me that I can stick my foot out and you’d fall, then you’re too dang close. Of course, I didn’t trip anyone but I came away so very frustrated by people and their behaviors. Added to the drivers on the road today who obviously needed a safe/ anti-aggressive driving class, the decision was an easy one.

I’m not yet ready to join the world and am quite content to go right back into hiding. I’ll wait until people learn to care about the safety and well being of others before venturing out again. I think it could be a while.

Looks like I won’t be driving enough to
take advantage of cheap gas prices.

Day 46 - One Handed Masked Man

If you've been a reader of my blog for a while you know my husband has cerebral palsy. He's not wheelchair bound, but he does have physical limitations. If you were to watch him walk and interact you might think he was someone who had a stroke, with the right side of his body pretty much immobile.

His limitations have impacted our lives and we are pretty much glued at the hip. He doesn't drive and so every time he wants/needs to go somewhere - when he went to work, the doctor's office, the store - I have to drive him. He can't tie his own shoes or the ties he wore to work every single day. He has trouble using a can opener, putting on a belt, and can't cut his own steak. As he's gotten older he's had difficulty in processing what he's reading and hearing and gets easily frustrated so I need to be always available for him. Especially now.

And especially when it comes to wearing a face mask. We've avoided going into any public place so far, but tomorrow he has a put-off-too-long/rescheduled-too-many-times test at the medical center. Since it would make absolutely no sense for me to wait for him in the waiting room with all those germs swirling around, I'll have to send him in by himself.

Unfortunately this test will require him to get undressed, dressed into scrubs, and then back into his regular clothes. And the mask is still a sticking point. He's unable to get a mask on and off by himself with his one good hand. You know from all my tutorials that I've made mask after mask after mask. But none of those have worked for him. There really aren't such things as one-handed masks for older folks who have mobility and spatial issues, ya know? Well, my creativity is about drained out of my brain but we finally have one that works.

I followed my Pleated Face Mask Tutorial.

And added the wire from my Nose Wire Face Mask Tutorial.

Sort of used the tie portion of my Face Mask with Ties Tutorial.

Used elastic from my No Pleat Face Mask Tutorial behind the head instead of around the ears.

Throw all those nutty pieces together and we now have a face mask a one hand man can put on and take off independently. Woo hoo!

If you care for someone with a disability you know how important it is to find those things that can happen without you around. It's a good feeling for both of you. And one less worry for me tomorrow.

He was oh-so-happy to model his new mask...
the one he put on all by himself!

Day 45 - A Saturday Afternoon Mystery

As I was setting things up for another spontaneous backyard BBQ picnic I came across some type of seed pod or bloom or ???

Any ideas?

Day 44 - Peek a Boo Hearts

Since we don’t have any flowers growing outside, last month I took a photo of the neighbor's tulips through the fence. Yesterday I took a photo of their tree in bloom over the fence. Now today their Bleeding Heart decided to play peek a boo with me by popping through the fence.

Lucky me getting to see something pretty without having to do any of the work.

Day 43 - Ping Pong Ball Storm

On the first day of this month I discussed how the month of March was the longest ever. The uncertainty and the speed of which our lives were upended was exhausting. How, adding insult to injury, we had a 6.5 earthquake on that last day of March. Strong enough to require us to seek shelter under our doorways. April just had to be a better month, right?

Well, where things stand on this last day of April isn’t much different than where things stood on the last day of March. Still self-isolating, staying at home and away from others, and just like all of you, trying to make the best of it.  While there was no earthquake today (knock on wood!) we did get a warning about another potentially hazardous situation.

See that blue dot over Boise? That’s where we live. See the storm? It’s headed straight to us. We didn't hide under the doorways this time, but with a ping pong ball storm (guess it’s different than golf ball?) I did hide my car completely under the carport. 

Thankfully the damaging hail was nothing more than heavy downpours for us, and while we had strong winds, here at our house we avoided damage from the 60 mph winds. Now I can instead share a photo I took pre-storm of the neighbor's blooming tree instead of having to document some post-storm damage for the insurance company like some other Boise residents are having to do today.

Whew. So grateful to have dodged a bullet ping pong ball today.

Day 42 - Shoulda Been Panama

Spend three weeks on a cruise ship in February followed by one week in Arizona.
Return home the last day of February.
Spend the first week of March teaching a cruising class and the second week getting in some doctor appointments.
Head back out the third week of March for several more weeks of cruising.

As we know, the last one of those things didn't happen. If it had, we would be in Panama today. Hot, sticky, Panama. Checking the temperature there right now, we'd be at 87 degrees with 75% humidity. Feels like 97 degrees the Internet is telling me. But I'm not there.

I'm here in Idaho on a day that's 20 degrees above normal and the hottest day we've had in 227 days. Not since September of 2019 has the temperature reached 87 degrees. Thankfully while we're at the same temperature as Panama, our 20% humidity makes it feels like plain old 87 and not that steamy 97!

It's a good thing it doesn't feel like 97 because if it did, I wouldn't have been able to spend the day outside getting a good dose of Vitamin D. I also would have missed a good view of the sun halo.

It's not Panama but it'll have to do for my excitement of the day.

How to Sew Quick and Easy Cloth Napkins - Tutorial Tuesday

It's Tutorial Tuesday and I have a new project for you. If you are having a hard time finding paper products in the store, you might find this project comes in handy when you're needing napkins. Today we're making reversible fabric napkins. They go together super fast and last for years.

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 
Click here to see all my tutorials!

For four napkins you will need 1 yard of each fabric.

For each napkin you will need:

• Main fabric 
• Reverse fabric
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Now available in my Etsy shop as a digital download

with the written directions and link to the tutorial video. 

Looking for something else? Check out some of my other kitchen sewing and crafting projects!

You can find the quick and easy directions for the homemade reversible cloth fabric napkins right here: