I Love Thursday #6

I’m not sure where this week has gone but it does seem to have disappeared!

I’m linking with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color and visiting a bunch of friends that share their likes and loves each week.

At our Executive Meeting we decided to try a quilting day in mini format as a test to set some guidelines and procedures for small workshops and classes. We had our first in person meeting since April this month, masks on and social distancing. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see this group of women all together taking care of the business of running our little Guild.i loved seeing these smiling faces, and yes, I could tell they were smiling by looking at their eyes! 😉

Due to the size of our Guild and our table size we determined that 6 would be an ideal number for participants.

I arrived early and wiped every surface down with disinfectant and ensured that the hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes were easily accessible. I separated the tables to make sure that we could maintain 6’ of distance. A select group were invited to attend with masks on. A day of chatter and sewing and many show and tell pieces were shared. Once every one left I again wiped everything down with disinfectant. Now we are going to wait for two weeks to ensure everyone is safe.

Plans are being made to hold some workshops that we can do outside since we have a lovely yard with enough space for everyone to be able to distance themselves. If no one has any issues we should be able to continue with our mini groups meeting to have workshops and mini classes since our numbers are holding steady here in British Columbia. I really like the fact that since we all behaved and stayed home and wear our masks, we just might be able to get back to doing some of our finer crafts together. We will be keeping any eye on Dr. Bonnie Henry’s recommendations since there have been a significant number of vehicles with out of Province and American license plates around. We aren’t quite sure why there are so many American vehicles here since we are not on the roads to or from Alaska, but hopefully we will keep on the downward curve until the second wave starts late in fall or early winter.

I did get the patio finished except for the one paver that needs to be trimmed. I’m not good enough with a grinder or cement saw to tackle that one so will wait for a friend to help out.

I really like having this project off my list and love knowing that DH will have a nicer place to sit and visit with friends while he was recuperating and love the fact that I will have a lovely sitting space when I want to be hand sewing in the fresh air. My back wasn’t too happy so I haven’t been able to do any marathon sewing but I just need to put the binding on 4 different projects and get my photos taken for my blog post for the Christmas in July Then and Now Blog Hop. I like being on schedule or a wee bit ahead on this one! 😄

A few months back I had left a comment on The Darling Dogwood during the Ultimate Home Decor blog Hop. Emily had let me know I won and I was so excited. With Covid and staying home and the backup in our postal systems, it took until yesterday for the package to arrive. I had almost finished my project for the Hop when I went to get that perfect blue piece of fabric from my stash that I had to have for one project. I almost cried when I remembered that I had used it in another project early this year. That meant driving an hour to town and an hour back for a fat quarter of blue fabric. Then I looked at the bundle of Island Batik fabrics from Emily and realized that the perfect fabric was there. I can tell you I was doing the happy dance while I finished the last border on my project. Thank you Emily for saving me two and a half hours of my time and adding to my collection of batiks for my secret sewing project!

I love getting a surprise visit! One of my Guild Board Members showed up today after being out in her garden. Everyone knows I do not have a garden spot here so every once in a while I get a care package. This delivery included a monster Chinese cabbage, some incredible red leafy lettuce, saskatoons and raspberries and a big hug from my friend. Other than being at the Guild she has not been around another person or away from her home in 3 months so we felt it was safe to share what used to be a normal greeting. It felt so wonderful and was the only way I could express my thanks for the lovely garden goodies.

I’m beginning to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. While life will never be the same as before Covid, there really is a possibility of having meetings and small groups if we all just wear our masks, wash our hands and practise safe distancing; staying home and staying safe does pay off in the long run. Our numbers prove it. Our province is the retirement province so we have an inordinately high number of senior citizens and retirees living here. Our loss of life has actually been lower than most other provinces if you look at the age bracket for our population. We had been expecting a high mortality rate, but self isolation and wearing masks fit easily in to our habits.

So I’m going to look at this next stage of my life as a new adventure as we learn to come to terms with our new normals.

I hope you all are finding something to bring you joy and a smile. Try doing something nice and surprise a friend with a driveway visit or a garden goodie! Just don’t be surprised if you catch them with a tear in their eyes when you do. 😂. Sending you all virtual hugs and the hope that you are staying safe and healthy. 😷 Carol