Lady Snaps

I had the idea to make another Snaps quilt for my dad's friend, the lady priest. Here are some pictures of previous iterations of the Snaps quilts.

This is Blue Topaz, the baby quilt I made when my son & DIL told me they were expecting.
 

This is Ola Pola, a quilt I made a year earlier and ended up giving to my friend Daniela.

It came from this book, except I rejiggered the size of the pieces so they would be easier for me to cut. So I think, how did I cut the blocks when I made these back in 2015 and 2016. I should have written the details in my notebook, don't you think?

Not really. Kinda sorta, but not really. There look to be two versions here. Which one did I use? Let's look at the next page...

Not much more help, but it does make me think I worked out the blocks to be 6" x 8". Still not sure, I decided to make a couple.

That confirmed it. The one on the left is 6-1/2" x 8-1/2".

My idea is to make a happy, colorful quilt with alternating blocks of lightish big florals with brightly colored centers and blendish blocks of rainbow colors with creamish center blocks. (Haven't got quite that far yet.) I know I've met this woman, but it was a long time ago. I remember her as being very nice with a big heart. I figure somebody like that will love a happy quilt filled with colors and flowers, so that is what I am going to make.

I grabbed these colored florals on lightish backgrounds. We'll see what happens when they get to the design wall. I do not edit myself at this stage. Yes, you can see a couple of dinosaur fabrics. I think they are fun. And there is a cat print, and a print of children from all over the world, and the really observant amongst you will see the fabric with the bras, and I just think that is way to funny to leave out. There are more fabrics, however...

As you can see I cut out a bunch of fabric already. I don't know if I have enough to use each big print only once (don't think so), but no matter. I will worry about that when it's time to lay out the blocks.

So that is the current sewing project.

The Really Big Thing in my life going on right now is I am going to be working at the office starting on Tuesday, so I have been packing. I am eager to see my friends and get back out in the world. I am under no illusions that Covid-19 is going away any time soon, so I intend to continue to protect myself and take precautions. I have a box of disposable masks that will come with me, along with some antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer. I am pretty sure I won't get a whole hell of a lot done on my first day back (I am planning to bring a cake to share), and I know there will be an adjustment, but I am ready.

WGO

 

I got my second Covid-19 vaccination on Thursday morning. They moved the site to an empty department store in a local mall. 

 Somebody clearly has a sense of humor, as I found this mannequin (above) all decked out with a mask, hard hat, face mask, and gloves. This gal is holding a syringe and flowers. I particularly liked the way this mannequin is "dressed." Note the collar, pocket with pen, and belt.

UNLIKE the first time, however, the second dose kinda knocked me for a loop. I had a slight headache at the back of my head, and the next day I woke up feeling sore all over my body and a general fuzziness in my head. My boss told me to take it easy and spend the day on the couch, resting. I was also told to drink a lot of fluids. My Noom diet has me drinking (and tracking) five glasses of water a day, so that part was pretty easy.

Speaking of Noom, I have so far lost 17.5 pounds. Like most people, I had gained weight during the pandemic, but I am proud to say all that weight, plus more, is gone.

Megan's quilt arrived in Australia four days after I shipped it. It took a day to get through Customs, and was then directed to a local FedEx facility, where it has sat for three days. The scheduled delivery date is March 30, three more days away. It's nice knowing where it is, and that it is safe, but I'm having a hell of a time being patient.

I decided to get a jigsaw puzzle. I loved doing them as a kid with my family, and I thought it might be fun to fiddle with as a way to relax at night. When it arrived I realized I didn't have a place to put it, so I ordered a puzzle board.

This one is big enough for the finished puzzle and all the pieces. It has four drawers that slide in and out, and a thick cover to set over it when not in use. It's really nifty, and the best part is that the whole thing slides right under my couch when not in use.

I really should have paid more attention when I ordered the puzzle though. I chose what I thought was the prettiest puzzle, but it really is a hard one. I'm not going to give up though. I'll figure it out.

Vaccine Line

 

I got a notice from my doctor's clinic in late January telling me that because I was in group 1B I could sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine on a particular day. They sent me the link to the Vaccine Management System and told me exactly what to do. I followed those instructions. Then I received an email from the VAMS for my state and told to select a date and a location. 

 I actually hadn't expected it to go as planned, but it did. I drove to the location (which was clearly marked) and presented my ID. A very nice young man in military fatigues (masked, of course) greeted me and confirmed my information and told me to get in line. He put a placard on my windshield. Another military person went through some details and said once the vaccine had been administered I would receive a card with my second appointment, "here, a month from today."

Now, you have to remember, I live in New England. It was sunny. slightly breezy and a mere 37 degrees. If you live in New England this was a gorgeous February day. But you're sitting in your car with the windows open, and you're going to present your (bare) arm. This wasn't in some big garage. This was out in the open. I wore a short sleeved shirt under under my winter coat. I was glad it was a nice day.

While I waited, I looked around. There were three "aisles" and it was clear the crew knew exactly what they were doing. It ran like clockwork.

When the First Responder came to give me my shot, I pulled up my sleeve, "No, I can take care of that," he said, and proceeded to give me shot I barely felt. Then he handed me a card showing which vaccine I received, its lot number and the date and time of my second vaccine. I waited the prescribed amount of time, and then drove home.

Later, at "work" several of my coworkers expressed jealousy and said they couldn't wait to get the shots themselves. This is a massive undertaking, At the current pace, the New York Times estimates it won't be until February 11 of 2022 that 90% of Americans will have had both shots, and mid-August before half the population would be at least partially vaccinated. (Assuming supplies of the vaccine are sufficient to meet the demand. This could change if more vaccines are authorized (let's hope so) and that children are eventually able to be vaccinated.)

It's all very humbling. The crew I watched worked ceaselessly. There are seven vaccine locations in my small state, which has a very specific order for who gets vaccinated when. The scale of all of this begins to hit home. Yesterday flags in the US were at half-staff for the 500,000 who have died of Covid 19. We aren't out of the woods yet. I'll be working from home for several more months. Yesterday I found out that the two big movie theater chains in my state will close permanently. We all want everything to go back to "normal," but I think it's going to be a very different "normal."

Clearly my head is all over the place about this. I know I'm not the only one.