Zoom, zoom, zoom........................

 

Yep - it was one of those days! I was on Zoom for most of the day, although I did get a break between two of the sessions, where I trimmed quilts, put a binding on a giant quilt, and prepped for the next presentation. 

I had a moment of panic when I couldn't find a particular sample that I wanted. I looked where it's supposed to reside. Not there. So I went looking in other places. I did find my missing towel sample, so that was good! My brain kept telling me that the missing samples were in that particular spot. I went back, and this time, I was more thorough, and sure enough, they were there! Let's not be in a hurry and just focus!

All was good. 

Of course, the pandemic was the topic of conversation for part of our Virtual Retreat last night. And it seems that no matter where you're from, we're all suffering from some sort of lockdown. Some of us are respecting those lockdowns, and others are not, and as a result, the pandemic is with us. It's going to take two years for it to be gone. That's my guesstimate. So that's March 2022. 

By then, there's going to be a vaccine, and the majority of people will have the vaccine. I think we need to get it set in our minds that we're all going to have some new norms for the next while.

But in our household, we cannot say that we're really affected by the lockdowns. We both worked from home before the pandemic. A few things changed, and we're on Zoom a lot and doing our presentations totally differently, but that's OK. Visits to our family? There's only ONE family member who lives close to us. So I'm not used to visiting my family, and my family and I both seem to get along just fine. We chat on the phone often, and well - we're good with that. It's worked for over 40 years, and a few more years isn't going to kill us. I get it - there are no small children involved in our situation. 

Yes - it would be nice to visit them, but if I don't get there, I won't die, and neither will they. So I can't go shopping for non-essential items. I didn't do that anyway. Anyway, I could go on and on, but we live a straightforward and uncomplicated life, and we tend to keep to ourselves. Yes, I miss the sit n sews and the other get-togethers, but I find that Zoom has very nicely replaced that. I still get to hear what's going on, I still get to share in their highs and lows, and I still get to see their show and tell. And I can still help people. 

Here's a disturbing thing that I've learned about the pandemic and the advantage that some people are taking. OK - so this is a minor thing, so don't get panicked! I know of TWO prize-winning quilters who are using videos on Zoom to do guild presentations. BOTH of them come into the meeting, say a few words, and then play a video. A VIDEO???  Are you kidding me? And they are charging a HUGE fee for that video. I think that's insane, and if I were the guild, I would want my money back.

I can watch a darn video online for FREE. At least make the quilter earn their huge fee by speaking to the guild members. It's highway robbery!!! When I'm on a presentation, and the group pays for ME - they get me, and they can ask questions during the presentation, and I hope that they can feel like they know me at the end. It's frustrating to think that these people are so above talking to the guild members. I used to respect both of these quilters, but I've totally lost respect for both of them over the years after seeing their reactions to their wins. After hearing about the videos - my respect is now in the toilet! Sorry quilters!!! Just because you are famous doesn't mean you can belittle your audience. 

It was great fun to turn on the final Zoom meeting of the day, and it was our Virtual Retreat. That meant we could have some fun! Not that I didn't have fun in the other sessions - just more casual. We had people from out west and throughout Ontario!! A HUGE hello to everyone - so good to see you all. 

I also did some puttering in the studio as I need to get it cleaned up. I've piled things onto the surfaces, and I hope to deal with a lot of it today and get some sewing done. 

One set of work tables crowded with stuff

That's OK - the sewing machine is back in its place, the quilt has been delivered. 

I have a HUGE stack of half-square triangles that need to be pressed and trimmed. I MUST get to work on that. The pile is getting larger and larger. 

The stack of half-square triangles

And there's the cutting table. Yep - piled so high with stuff that it's next to impossible to work. But I'm going to take the first hour of the Virtual Retreat today and put a lot of that away. Some of it is from the retreat that just never got put away. And instead of moving it to another surface, it needs to be dealt with. 

The cutting table

This is how our spaces get so cluttered. These piles of stuff build up, and then we don't have time to deal with it, so we move it to another surface to use the cutting table. One must make time every day or once a week, depending on how much stuff accumulates, and you have to deal with it. Considering the last four crazy busy weeks, I've done pretty well in the keeping things tidy department. 

I'm down to 9 presentations over the next three weeks. I have seven writing assignments that are now all overdue, so that will be my focus this week. And once those writing assignments are done, I'm pretty much done for the remainder of the year. AH!!! Then to catch up on some of the other stuff that's hanging around. There's a light at the end of the tunnel - it's just a few miles ahead of me! But I'll get there!!!

I also had a chance to chat with a friend who was recently in a car accident. Her left hand was very badly injured while the rest of her is fine. Her car is totaled. Not her fault - someone in a flipping hurry ran into her so hard that her car rolled onto its side. She said that she's taking a different outlook on life. She's going to do those things that she has wanted to do but couldn't. And as a quilter, we need to look at everything we have. If it's not organized - that's a HUGE problem. 

I know that this might be hard during the pandemic, but this is where we need to get creative. If you can't travel, then why not find some online substitutions. Read a book about the country, look at videos online, do one of the Virtual Challenges, which is mapped onto Google maps. I just walked from Chicago to LA, and it was fascinating. 

You want to learn a new skill? There are so many resources online that you won't have trouble finding something. You want to learn a new software package? Loads of stuff online. 

The bottom line is that if you WANT to do something, there's a way to do it. It might be a modified way, but anything is possible - if you really WANT to do it! It's all in how you look at it. I have heard from two different sources that people are bored with Zoom meetings. No one talks, or the meeting content is petering out. Well, that's where you need to step up! Help fill the meeting content by suggesting things or encouraging topics for group discussion. Yep - thanks to my Dad and my Grandpa for the gift of the gab! I'll never run out of things to say! So the next time you're in a Zoom sew along or a meeting and things aren't going like you want, then speak out! Be part of the solution!!!

Oh my - I went on and on about positivity yet again! Ooops!!!  I just think we need to stop lamenting about what we can't do and focus on what we can. Things are NOT going to change soon, so the sooner we accept the new norm, the sooner we can be happy. 

Here's the link to the Virtual Retreat. Oh my - we had such fun last night that we stayed on until 9:30, and I slept in this morning. I was tired!! But so many logged in, and it was great! If you're going to sew by yourself today, why not join us?

The retreat will be open from 9 AM EST to 8 PM EST.  It's free, and you can do whatever you want. If you don't want to sew, just pop in to say hi and let us know what's happening in your part of the country. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85157829941?pwd=VWFHR3NBM0NQdXZmWlRWcGx6YlEvdz09 Meeting ID: 851 5782 9941 Passcode: 562279

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!