In a Land Where Less Quilting is Happening -

I am taking time to enjoy THIS more -

Instead of barely taking notice and working right through it.

Yesterday Zoey and I worked at the Quiltville Post Office just until USPS closing time – Order filling will resume on Monday with the work week – but I wanted to enjoy as much of our first weekend together as I could.

We’ve got quite the set up going so far, and it is working very well.

Other than the fact that we had our first “pee in the car” experience – which was bound to happen.

I had a full bin of mail to go out in the van, and we stopped at USPS to drop off the bin on our way to the Quiltville Post Office.  As the story goes, I just left Zoey in the car for “just a minute” while I ran the bin in, and when I came back – there it was – the tell tale dark spot.

Mind you, I HAD walked her three times before we had even gotten in the car – the first two times being productive.  I thought the 3rd time with no action meant that she just didn’t need to go, so off we went.

I am thinking she panicked watching me go into that big building, and wondering if I was leaving her and never coming back.

The car carpet cleaned and Lysol-ed (Thank you pandemic preparedness!) we settled right in to do more order fulfillment.

After a short visit with the cats (Who promptly took to higher ground, albeit with much less hissing, spitting and fanfare) Zoey took up supervisory position:

It seems she likes the bed sideways.

Oh, you are so cute!

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A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Mar 14, 2020 at 7:38am PDT

After the USPS closed, we called it a day – and came home.  I had thought to sew – but that whole bit was waylaid by first lunch, and then a run back to the Inn where friends Don & Martha were coming to not only meet Zoey, but to help install the 86 gallon water pressure tank in the cellar.

Or more like – the GUYS would install it, Martha and I would find ourselves sipping tea in the Hen Den with the gas fireplace blazing while Miss Zoey Jo napped at our feet.

(Evidently napping is what not-quite-fully-grown puppies do best!

Getting a lot of nap practice in!

(Oh, I can’t stand it, she is too precious!)

And we are getting crate experience too.

There will be times where she will have to be left alone – and crating is the way that worked for all of our other dogs until they were full grown and able to be trusted to not eat the couch.

We have put her in here for meal times (She knows we are still close by, can see us.) and we had our first “Go away and leave her” moment last evening when we brought Martha and Don with us to the Corner Market Cafe for a quick dinner out, just to see how she would do.

I was a nervous wreck.  We left the TV on because she seems to like watching it. (I never have had a dog that liked to watch TV before!)

She was FINE when we got back.  The only issue seemed to be that she really DID kill the squeaky squirrel, who needed a bit of repair this morning.

I know just how to fix this!

It’s a squirrel Leader & Ender!

(Yes, there is still one row left to go on this quilt top!)

I ended the chain with the squirrel -

And I started feeding that last row on right after it! LOL!

I’m not sure if Squeaky Squirrel can hold up for much more puppy rough housing, but she LOVES this thing.

I bet it’s the head that comes off next.  LOL!

It’s going to be a lazy Sunday here at the Cabin.  More parts are needed to finish the pressure tank install – maybe later this afternoon.

Things are not as insanely crazy here – we just don’t have the big city population centers that add to the chaos of a global pandemic.  Everyone is cautious – but I haven’t seen the hoarding and empty shelves other than the TP Aisle and the cleaning supplies aisle.

The TP thing I can understand.  If you are going to sequester yourself for weeks on end, you’ve got to plan ahead.  But please don’t take more than you really think you’ll need because it doesn’t leave any for anyone else.

As the brand new owner of a retreat house, I can tell you that I went through 30 rolls of toilet paper over the last 2 retreats. Both of these groups stayed longer than 3 nights, it averages out to about 1 1/2 rolls per person per stay.  I consider that average per person.

The Hubster was shocked. But then again, I am the only female in our house and the men don't need paper every time they go. It's women who worry about things like enough toilet paper.

If there is a severe shortage, I'm going to have to ask the ladies for the next retreat to bring their own!  (Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!)

The shocking thing for me – talking to my sister Mary who lives in Utah – she said the shelves are bare of important things like baby formula.  My heart hurts for the panic of those young mothers trying to make sure that their babies are safe and well fed.  

My only hope is that now that some have bought it ALL – that many will share when they hear of a need.

I’m trying to think with the head of reason – there is always SOME KIND of disaster situation happening several times a year somewhere in some way.  Shouldn’t we all have basics on hand to last us through a few weeks worth of isolation?  I grew up with the habit of “If you need to buy a tube of toothpaste, always buy two and stock one back.”

The only thing I will be short on is fresh stuff like fruits and veggies if for any reason I was unable to get them -

Part of my conversation with Martha yesterday over tea in the Hen Den is how every generation before us has had to deal with a “Big Thing” like this.  Whether it was the 1918 flu, World War I, the Depression and dust bowl years, World War II and rationing, the Korean War, Viet Nam.

I even remember the gas shortages of the 1970s.  My friend Rhonda and I at age 16 would be PAID by her mom to take the car and sit in long gas lines to fill it up.  She’d give us enough money to drive through Jack in the Box to pick up lunch – we’d sit in the long car line, eat our food, talk about boys, and play backgammon while listening to our favorite radio station.  Sometimes it took 2 hours or more to get gas for the car.

Every generation has had their SOMETHING. Yes, this one could be bad. But we can choose to not add to the severity by being smarter instead of panicky.

I am using this time for a bit of spring cleaning of both my house and my mind.  For some reevaluation of things that I once thought were important, that maybe no longer are.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage quilt shared by Kevin the Quilter.

It's always good to slow down, reevaluate, reconnect, recharge, and re-emerge with new sense of purpose and direction.

We need time to filter out the unimportant, to focus on what really matters, and make personal changes for the better.

Yes - the world has gone crazy - but we can fight about it and laugh about it or we can use the time constructively to check in with ourselves.

Are we really on the path to where we want to be?

Are we putting our effort into the things that really matter?

Have a peaceful Sunday, everyone!