Corona Chronicles- It feels like Groundhog's Day

As the days move on in the haze of social distancing- I find myself feeling like I'm trapped in the movie Groundhog's Day.  Feeling the stress and anxiety that Bill Murray displayed in the movie is becoming common place among the masses.  So what do we do?  There are people who "have been preparing for this their whole lives" and then there's me.  I was a latch key kid and a Gen Xer- so yes I remember being forced to stay home until my mom got home.  My own mini quarantine.... that included long hours of soap operas, chipped beef on toast, and intense fights with my brother.  The other thing that those mini quarantines provided in my youth, was the beginning of my interest in crafting. 

There wasn't a time that I don't remember the women on my mother's side doing a craft.  It was just common place to me and normal.  I thought everyone's grandma crocheted beer can hats or that their mom made their clothes.  As a young girl I remember hours of standing still as my mom measured me and the new outfit to make sure it was the best fit (sometimes she even got me with pins) 

Was the reason my great grandmother, grandmother and mother (and their mothers before them) did "crafts" because that's how they lived? You need a blanket? Well- I'm making a quilt.  You need a hat? I'm croqueting one. Need clothes- get out the sewing machine.  Many of you know that I come from the McCoy line from the McCoy and Hatfield feud.... in the heart of West Virginia and Kentucky. I did minor research on the Appalachian history of crafts and it does seem to be "a thing."  I'd love to do more research- but had a hard time finding info.  If anyone out there has more information about the history of crafting in that area and even more specifically on McCoys- I'd love to hear it- please reach out. 

  This is the quilt my grandmother, Quinncy McCoy Chambers made me when I got married.  I treasure this and will one day pass it to my boys.

How do I bring this all together? A latch key, Gen X kid who comes from a family history of crafting during a lockdown that feels like Groundhog's Day? I bring out my crafting supplies.  The first photo on this blog was my first attempt at making face masks.  It isn't perfect, but I learned new things and will continue to change the pattern to suit my skills and materials.  

Next time- I'm going to share more about face masks (CDC recommends that we all wear them when we go out in public), getting craft materials during the Rona, other craft ideas, and favorite people and websites that I have used during this pandemic.

Today- let's do something that changes the day from Groundhog's Day to something out of the ordinary.  It's Good Friday-and if you believe- we can meditate on what that means in our life- the sacrifice that was made for us.  When we put all of this short lived discomfort- in perspective- it's ok that some days feel like Groundhog's Day. 

Much love and gratitude
Sandy