Staycation 2020 #2

Summer of 2020. With school starting in a few weeks, George and I are trying to cram in days by the pool or at the beach, kayaking local waterways, and completing summer projects.

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We had to have a “bee man” remove a swarm from a birdhouse too close to our window. I had no idea that birdhouse infestation was a common occurrence!

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Our kitchen table was sanded and refinished. Sad to see years of memories erased (writing indentations from nightly schoolwork, wild “spoon” card game scratches, puppy chew marks…) but, the table was splintering in places. We quietly celebrated 40 years of marriage at our favorite dockside watering hole. Next week we’re ‘glamping’ for a few days with our daughter and nieces.

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The local percentage of positive COVID-19 tests are starting to uptick and most of the area public schools are leaning towards virtual learning. As my school is private, has less than 200 students, has extra classrooms for distancing, does not offer transportation, nor participates in the federal breakfast/lunch programs; we are offering in-school instruction, Monday-Friday for all. Evidently, our enrollment has sky-rocketed. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Of course, our governor could declare a state-wide mandate for ALL schools.

Chaotic times. Have a good week and stay healthy! – – Joanne

Scrap Happy Comfy Cocoa Quilt III

The sunshine and water beckons – I can’t refuse. So, I’ve made just a little progress on the Comfy Cocoa Quilt. Some of my blocks haven’t squared up nicely, so I must be more observant when sewing and trimming. This QAYG process is actually easier than I thought. Thank you to all for the tips and suggestions!

I need to add the backing to more than half the blocks. Twelve blocks will make a comfy TV binge-worthy quilt. I’ll have a few blocks left over. Not sure if I’ll add them to make a larger quilt, use them as part of the backing, or stow them away for another project.

Scrap Happy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything and is hosted monthly by Kate and Gun. Check out some of the Scrap Happy projects by others:

Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline,
Sue L, Sunny and Kjerstin

Have a good week and stay well! — Joanne

No One Asked Me

My area is seeing a low (but steady) rise in new COVID-19 diagnoses (mostly in the 20-40 year old demographic). School starts back in four weeks. I enjoy my work as a technology resource teacher. But, no one has asked me what I thought about teaching remotely or face-to-face.

Forget politicians and health advisors. How am I to mitigate between parents who vociferously pontificate their opinions regarding distance learning vs. face-to-face learning, temperature checks and wearing a mask, political hoax vs. science, and, and . . ? Let’s not forget class disruption as students defend their parents’ viewpoints.

I am not an economist, health care, nor sanitizing professional. I realize the economy is in the tank. Parents need to get back to work. I’m aware that the young are less susceptible and have fewer complications. Will I have ample time to thoroughly sanitize and disinfect (two very different things) EVERYTHING between classes? Will I be held liable if a child in my class tests positive for COVID-19? In addition to wearing a mask; should I wear gloves? a face shield? a gown? I’ve read the “suggestion” for those educators who’ve voiced concerns . . . However, I do not want to take an early retirement. I also don’t want to unknowingly jeopardize my at-risk love ones.

No doubt about it; our students received an emotionally stressful, equitably questionable education the past few months. There is worry of falling “behind” (but honestly, are we not all in the same boat worldwide?). Learning centers all over the world are struggling how to proceed between the science, politics, and threats.

Will educators be considered “essential” and receive hazard duty pay? Will teachers be paid overtime if the district decides to split the day into AM/PM hours? Will the district pay a teacher’s medical or funeral bills for an at-risk family member?

No one asked me. But if they did; I would ask in return, “Which is more important: face-to-face/5-days-week education or a teacher’s emotional and physical health?” Or, is the economy the only barometer?

https://vimeo.com/user58258026/review/438992160/190f87ec8f

Have a great week! — Joanne

Scrap Happy No-Sew Pennants

A few years back, I sewed a quilt from cotton dress shirts. I found these “too good to throw out” 😉 scraps while tidying up my sewing drawers. The scraps were just enough to experiment with to make tiny pennants. With fabric on the fold, I pinked-cut 3″ (7.6cm) triangles. I overlaid the fold on twine, placed iron-on tape in-between, pinned and ironed. There was enough scraps to create four six feet (1.8m) no-sew pennants. I’m not sure how long they’ll stay “glued” together, but they are cute.

Meanwhile, I’ve made some progress on my QAYG project. Still not liking the dark backing/binding. But I am determined not to buy anything but thread for this project. I have a few questions for the pros: Are QAYG quilts naturally more stiff due to the fact that the quilted blocks (a smaller area) are sewn together — as opposed to a one-piece larger backing? Will this change after washing? Do QAYG bindings suffer more stress? Gah! Do my questions even make sense? 😀

Scrap Happy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything and is hosted monthly by Kate and Gun. Check out some of the projects others have create for Scrap Happy:

Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline,
Sue L, Sunny and Kjerstin

Have a good week and stay well! — Joanne

Staycation 2020 #1

During the global 2007-2008 financial crisis, our family spent the summer exploring nearby localities in what was quaintly coined as a “staycation.” Flash forward 13 years and here we are again. Many venues are closed; either for social distancing or financial ripple effect. Right. Staycation 2020, it is.

There’s always a silver lining. Backyards have never looked nicer. Recycling or updating is in again. People are creating or building at astounding rates (just check the local hardware store) and revisiting nature to satisfy the restless soul.

We’ve replaced fencing, built a kayak rack, sanded and repainted outdoor furniture, weeded and planted, pressure-washed…you name it. Now that school is officially out for the summer, it’s time to have some outdoor fun!

More than anything, I look forward to the time when my WHOLE family and friends can safely gather together once again. Until then, it’s sprucing up, positive thoughts 😀 and staycation jaunts!

I wish you a good week! — Joanne

Scrap Happy Hot Glue Stand

My sew/craft room has become Distance Learning Central (it’s a mess). I was tired of dripping and stringy strands of hot glue stick getting everywhere. So, my husband’s thoughtfulness is the star of May’s Scrap Happy project. Ingenuity, pine scraps, nails from the garage and wood glue later: tada! A Hot Glue Gun Stand.

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Mind you, this isn’t perfection; but it certainly is sparing my nerves and work space. This little project gave him something to do (Mr. Wanderer is going batty 😉 with ‘shelter in place’).

I’m sure you’ve seen multiple images like the one below. But what harm just one more? Sharing a little positivity created by fellow faculty members. 🙂

Scrap Happy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything and is hosted monthly by Kate and Gun. Check out some of the projects others have create for Scrap Happy:

Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline,
Sue L, Sunny and Kjerstin

Have a good week and stay well! — Joanne