HighFiber: COVID-19

Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2024

The Cakewalk

Most of this past week was spent catching up on chores, especially laundry and cooking. Because I missed both our anniversary and Charlie's birthday, I baked him a cake on Saturday...from scratch.

Here's what it looked like before I cut the first slice. Did I mention that I made it from scratch?

I didn't have all of the ingredients I needed, so I went to the store on Friday. I put on a mask when I left the house and didn't take it off again until I got home. I was pretty sure I wasn't contagious, but...why not.

You may remember from last week's blog post that I took a Covid test on Saturday, just to reassure Charlie, and it was negative. I took another one on Monday and again on Wednesday, because I planned to go to choir. Both were negative. I was the only soprano who showed up, and my ride, Gail, was the only alto. She had missed the Condega event because she was out of town. The two other choir members who got sick when I did were not at practice. One, I believe, was still feeling unwell, and the other was still testing positive. They both expected to be back on Sunday, and it was an easy program, so we should be fine. What I didn't expect was a fever Saturday night. It woke me up in the middle of the night. I moved back into the guest room, took another Covid test, and it was negative. I don't know how I could have caught something new, and my temperature was normal again Sunday morning. I still don't know what was going on, but I wasn't sure if I was contagious and didn't get much sleep, so I didn't go to church.

During the week I managed to get some knitting done while listening to the rest of Anthony Fauci's On Call. I could identify with him somewhat when he talked about how he went to an event wearing a mask and took it off because he was the only one wearing one. He came down with Covid a few days later and took Paxlovid. He felt better after the third dose, but he had to miss his daughter's wedding! Well, missing one anniversary and one birthday isn't nearly as bad as missing your daughter's wedding. It's always fascinating to read or (listen to) details of events you remember from the news years ago. I've been around almost as long as Dr Fauci, and I remember many of the events he wrote about: AIDS, Zika, Ebola, H5N1, H1N1, etc., as well as the Anthrax and Smallpox scares, and then Covid. I can recommend this book. There are a lot of descriptions of the scientific discoveries and how they work, but he has spent most of his life explaining things to laypeople, so his explanations are easy to follow. So, as I said, I got some knitting done. Just a few more inches before the border pattern on the sleeve.

We often see deer roaming our neighborhood, but it's unusual for one to bed down in our front yard. This fellow made me think of the quote from President Harry Truman, "The buck stops here."

We did some walks this week when the air quality and temperature permitted. On Saturday, we took a short detour through the wilderness on the other side of the trail.

It wasn't much farther than if we had stayed on the trail. The pups often take a nap after a walk. They get a lot of exercise chasing eat other in the back yard or playing in the house, but there's nothing like a nice walk, even just two miles.

Dusty got some vaccines on Tuesday. I stayed home with Sandy, because I wasn't needed at the vet's for just that. We weren't having a checkup or anything, and I would have had to do an extra test.

Finally, my wonderful editors are finished with my manuscript, and I'm just finishing up fixing things. I hope to send it off this week. To follow up on one suggestion, I had to take another photo and add Nico to the cast of characters. Now I'm trying to decide if I need to change the photo on the back cover to include Nico. I think I will.

I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah or Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on the Oregon Cardigan.

What's on my loom: Still in its corner under the windows.

What's on my sewing machine: Still its dust cover.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Different Ways To Write, Mariah is learning Arabic and Charlotte is learning Hebrew. They explain to Emil that these two languages use letters that are different from English and that you write both of them from right to left.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Just finished with On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Anthony Fauci. Now listening to Dean Koontz's new book, The Forest of Lost Souls. Also reading a physical book, In the Shelter of Each Other by Milree Latimer, an author I met at the Condega event on September 8th.

What's in my wine glass: Madroña Riesling 2019. Riesling will go with anything, and this Riesling is my favorite!

What's my tip of the week: For those of us who are US citizens, we have an election coming up. You can check your voter registration for any state at IWillVote.com.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook is available from the BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, August 9, 2021

Worried Grandma

We finally got the warp wound onto the warp beam. (No, we didn't. I'm waiting for DH to help me, because with two people, the warp tension will likely be more even. It has been a crazy week, and he has been gardening.) Here's one of our blueberry plants.

Here's our little vegetable plot.

I can start cutting the fabric for the weft. It's all washed and ready to go.

I've been busy, though. If you read last week's blog post, you know that I made a hooded sweatshirt to fit Pippa. I wanted to improve the design and see if there might be an easier way to do some of the construction, so I made another one in grey. On the suggestion of a friend, I made a pair of sweatpants to match.

The only change I made to the sweatshirt was to add 1/4" to the center front (body and pocket), to allow more room for sewing on the zipper.

The only way I can get the hood on is to take out Pippa's twin ponytails and let her hair go straight down her back. I could make the hood larger, but then Pippa would probably look like a mushroom. I doubt she will use the hood much, anyway.

For the sweat pants, I used my pajama pants pattern and shortened them by enough to add cuffs at the bottom. The completed pattern and tutorial for the hooded sweatshirt and pants may be found here. (Scroll all the way to the bottom for the cutting pattern for both the sweatshirt and the pants. I didn't make Pippa's shirt.)

The other (first) hoodie is on its way to Daphne, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and has to stay home and away from everyone. She had a fever a week ago, but no other symptoms. She is missing dance camp this week because of quarantine, so she's bummed. I also made her doll a bathing suit and a sun hat.

Here's a look at the bathing suit. It's made from a little girl's sock and trimmed with fold-over elastic. Instructions for Little Kidz and Wellie Wisher size, and the larger Happy Kidz and 18" dolls are included and may be found here.

I ordered this swimsuit and shirt for Zachary's doll Billy a few days ago, and it arrived quickly. Zachary developed a sore throat over the weekend and is now a presumptive Covid-19 case. I had planned to send this to him anyway, because he already had to quarantine. (The set included goggles. They were in the description but not in the photo, which I took from the website, My Brittany's. This is not Zachary's doll.) As I write this, Zachary does not feel sick, other than the sore throat. We are praying he will remain relatively free of symptoms.

Here's what went into the mail today. At least the kids will be able to pretend to be at the pool or the beach. I filled the box with some other doll clothes that were made for the Fisher Price My Friend Dolls, but they should fit Daphne's Rebekah (Lotta Yoga). I don't think Zachary has a doll these clothes will fit, but he might. They play together with the doll things, so I think he will enjoy them.

As soon as the heat wave diminished, the smoke from nearby fires kept us indoors. We are so thankful for air conditioning this summer! On Saturday, though, we were able to start walking again. We all need the exercise, and Rocky can ride part of the way in his stroller.

Daphne is missing dance camp this week, but she has been working on her splits.

Several time zones away, the two other grandsons are enjoying a vacation in Hawaii.

The new book is getting the final proofreading. I will read it through one more time and send it off to the publisher when I get it back.

Where's my blog: If you have been following my blog and want to continue following, I recommend you go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: I decided to make coasters for iced tea and other drinks with ice that make the glass sweat. I will use my favorite dishcloth pattern and just make them smaller. I really need something to work on to take with me when I go places, and the quilt is too big. However, I don't want to start something complicated just now, because I want to finish the quilt.

What's on my loom: Still the warp for the trailer rugs, ready to wind on to the warp beam.

What's on my sewing machine: More things for dolls.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A lot more progress this week, though. It's slow, but I will get there.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Back to School. Our grandson Zachary inspired this story by sending me the photo that was central to the story. The set arrangement was Zachary's, but he had his dad take the photo. I had to get him to answer some questions to put the story together. The Kidz did the rest. (This is his Billy.)

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg on the Chirp app. Then I listened to Duke's Diamonds by Marion Chesney (also on Chirp) and then listened to J. K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which is a short work of "fairy tails" on Audible. Now listening to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South on Audible. I've been getting as many of Marion Chesney's novellas on Chirp when they are available for under $5, because they are usually only around 5 hours each, and paying one credit on audible or buying for just under $10 works out to be more money per hour of listening enjoyment. Chirp has no membership fee. The disadvantage of Chirp is, if it isn't offered for very little, everything is expensive.

What's in my wine glass: Western Cape Vineyards' Cape White from South Africa.

What's my tip of the week: Stickers (as for prices and bar codes) and goo from them can be difficult to remove, but here are some tricks. If the item the sticker is on can handle some hot air, use your hair dryer set on high back and forth over the sticker. This should melt the glue sufficiently to be able to pull the sticker off gently. If the sticker is on something too delicate for this, go straight pulling it off. You can take one corner and gently pry it up, being careful not to let it rip any more than necessary. Sometimes goo is left behind. You can use the sticky side of the sticker to stick back on and pull away quickly, repeating over and over until the goo is removed. If you can't use the sticker because it's in pieces, get a piece of packing tape or even transparent tape and try the same thing. You can also try soaking it in hot, soapy water. As a last resort, you can use Goo Gone on it. (Check the website for a list of things you can use their product on.)

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from booksellers worldwide. If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment, and that's 50% of the price when you buy there. Other bookseller take a much bigger cut. The three stories in the book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. The stories (and links to them) are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction. Emil: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is almost ready to go to the publisher.

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Monday, February 1, 2021

A Shot in the Fairgrounds

We took a ride to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds this week. That gave me some knitting time in the car. This is my project for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit-Along.

I thought I would spend some time sitting (or standing) around, waiting, so I took my knitting with me when we entered the exposition hall. No knitting happened, though, until the ride home.

What was I doing at the Fairgrounds, you might ask? I would have been asking the same question a week ago. That was when I found out that the vaccine the governor was expecting turned out not to exist. The new plan was to start vaccinating people over 80 around February 8th, and sometime after that, people over 75. We were thinking maybe the middle of February for our first dose.

Then Tuesday, I received an email saying that people over 75 and essential workers (including teachers) could make appointments for the first dose at the clinic run by St. Charles Health System, the organization that runs our local hospital. We clicked on the link and discovered we could get the first dose of the vaccine as early as late Wednesday. We didn't want to have to drive all the way home from the Fairgrounds after dark, so we picked mid-day on Thursday.

When Thursday rolled around, we donned all our winter gear (except for the snowshoes) and took an umbrella, just for good measure, because we expected we would be spending some time outdoors. As we arrived at the parking lot, a greeter asked us if we needed handicapped parking and/or a ride to the building in a golf cart. We're both in good shape, so we said we could walk, which we did. People in the ticket booths checked that we actually had appointments. They gave us each a clipboard with a sanitized pen and a form to fill out. Other volunteers directed us to the entrance of the building.

They had ropes to keep people moving along, just like at the airport, with separation dots and tables interspersed along the way so people could have a place to fill out the paperwork without getting too close to others. They had boxes for us to leave our pens when we were done. Volunteers were available to help with the paperwork if needed.

Next they checked our paperwork, entered the information in a computer and assigned us to a "chair" for the actual vaccinations. They had a big screen with the number of vaccinations they had given so far. It said, "8,594." I don't know how long the time period was for that.

Someone was keeping track of the empty chairs and directed us to a person who had just finished giving a shot. DH got his vaccine first, while I took photos.

I took this selfie when I received my vaccine.

Because we were good while we were being vaccinated, we each received a a sticker. No candy, though, for obvious reasons.

We were told that it was the Pfizer vaccine. I didn't care which vaccine I received. I was just so happy to get it!

More volunteers steered us to a place where we could make the appointment for the second dose in three weeks.

We had to sit in a big waiting room for 15 minutes to make sure we were OK before leaving. I could have gotten my knitting out, but I checked my emails instead and posted my photos to Facebook.

We had a place to take a selfie on the way out.

We saw a lot of members of the National Guard helping with checking people in and making appointments for the second dose.

As far as I know, Oregon is still just vaccinating essential workers (including teachers). I can only guess that the distribution somehow provided more vaccine to the St. Charles system than they could give if they just restricted it to those people already eligible. It has been very organized, so I'm pretty sure it isn't something like the situation where some Oregon health workers were stuck in a snowstorm after a semi jack-knifed and offered vaccine to other stranded motorists because they realized the vaccine would expire before they could get to their destination. Or even like the event the other night in Seattle, when a freezer broke down, sending workers scurrying to find people to vaccinate before the vaccine would spoil. Like in the Chinese curse, we live in interesting times!

We've been walking almost every day, sometimes along the trail, but when it's muddy, just around the neighborhood on the sidewalks.

Just when I was pondering whether I would dare go to the Rose City Yarn Crawl now that my immunity should be pretty close to complete about the middle of that event, I received an email from the organizers. The Rose City Yarn Crawl is now going to be virtual. That means a) I can participate for sure, and b) I don't have to make a decision about whether to travel to Portland.

What's on my needles: The Mystery KAL, and ready to CO for a project for the Love in the Sugar Grove JAL (knit and crochet) in the Goetz Doll group on Ravelry. (Not as racy as it sounds.) I should be able to start it soon, because I expect to have some time between the Mystery KAL Clue #2 and Clue #3, which will come out on Wednesday.

What's on my sewing machine: Sitting idle right now.

What's in my hoop: Still the whole-cloth quilt. A lot more progress this week. I like working on it in the evening in front of the fire. I have a good light over my chair, and it's good for my body to alternate between knitting and quilting.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa's First Snow! Pippa learns that not everything that comes down from the sky is rain. This story was somewhat time-intensive, because of getting the dolls dressed in all the winter clothes and then having them doing things in the snow.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann a nonfiction book. Very interesting, especially after having lived in Oklahoma for several years.

What's in my wine glass: Akiyoshi 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Clarksburg, California. Nice.

What's my tip of the week: When I'm hand-quilting cross-hatching, I don't quilt straight across the quilt. If the quilt is stretched, the thread can break or the knots pop out from inside the quilt. Instead, I quilt in a zig-zag pattern, which will stretch without putting a lot of stress on the thread. I often use 3-4 needles, so I can work my way across the area without moving the hoop or unthreading and threading one needle.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Not Shopping

Somehow, with everything, some hand-quilting got done.

I'm finally to one corner, so it's a little more interesting work.

I found my sourdough starter had grown a bit, so after I made bread for sandwiches, I made this crusty loaf, still with 1/2C of rye flour.

The starter is active enough now that I can make bread without any additional yeast.

I worked on the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

We had Charlie's brother over for Thanksgiving dinner. He lives alone, so we didn't want him to have to have Thanksgiving alone. We figured if we wore masks until we had to take them off to eat and sat at opposite ends of the table, it would work out OK. We are all careful when we go out, which we only do when it's necessary, but it still isn't risk-free.

I gave him his own serving utensils. I kept the plates turned over until we were ready to eat, and the eating utensils were rolled up in our napkins. I kept my mask on when I cooked, when I set the table and when I served the food. The table with three leaves is 7' long. The two chairs in the foreground were ours, and my BIL sat at the window. The other chair (the one in front of the bookcases) wasn't used.

Even the living room was set up for social distancing.

Normally, our younger son and his family come to us for Thanksgiving, but they didn't come this year. They live more than three hours' drive away in good weather. Last year it took them 12 hours to get here. They would have had to sleep here, and with the two little boys we all thought it was better not to have Thanksgiving together this year. The state guidance says no more than six people from no more than two households, so we were in compliance.

We managed to Zoom with the rest of the family, though.

Our daughter's family and our older son had already had their dinner, but it was almost like sharing a meal together. They live in Wisconsin and Indiana, so they couldn't have come for dinner anyway.

The technology has been very helpful in getting through this difficult time. Our choir managed to sing on Sunday for the annual "Lessons and Carols" service that marks the first Sunday in Advent. Not everyone in the choir participates in these virtual performances, due to the complications of having to record yourself while you listen to a recording. There were some lovely images displayed while we were singing, but they included us for a short bit .

We're eating leftovers, but we had used up the salad by the day after Thanksgiving, so I made a batch of my corn salad, which keeps for several days in the fridge.

I didn't have any cucumber or spinach to add, but we had extra tomatoes and avocados, and I tossed in from fresh basil leaves, because our Aerogarden is still producing, so I used what I had. It's OK without the Feta cheese topping, too. Here's the regular recipe.

Easy Corn Salad

Dressing:
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/2 t dried cilantro
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 2 T salsa
• 1 T pickled garlic

Salad:
• 1 16-Oz pkg. frozen corn
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1 C chopped cucumber
• 1 handful fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 chopped avocado
• 1 bell pepper (any color, optional)

Optional Topping:
• Crumbled feta cheese

Mix dressing ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Top with feta cheese. It keeps pretty well in the fridge for several days. It's great in the summer when it's hot out.

My book comes out tomorrow. I'm going to come back and correct the link to Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook when it comes out in the publisher's store. Tomorrow is also "Giving Tuesday." If you are interested in giving to St. Jude through my fundraising page, here is the link. Purchases of my book will provide a small donation to St. Jude as well.

What's on my needles: Still the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

What's on my sewing machine: Awaiting its next assignment.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pen Pals. Pippa finds Emil writing a letter to a friend. He reads it to her, and their discussion leads to an interesting revelation.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Elsewhere by Dean Koontz. Just getting into it.

What's in my wine glass: Domaine Paretlongue, Cité de Carcassonne Syrah-Cabernet Franc. Pretty good.

What's my tip of the week: Operating two different devices with Zoom in the same building doesn't always work out well. It helps if you can turn off the microphone on one.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.