In the last week I have come in personal contact with three people, all of whom, within 24 hours of meeting them, contacted me that one of their children had tested positive.  The rate of infection has increased dramatically in New York City in the last few weeks.  Lines to get tested go on for blocks and most places now require an appointment. I just went to one website to see when the next available appointment for a test would be, and the earliest is at 12:30pm Friday, December 24th!  One friend reported that they were able to obtain a PCR test, but the results were delayed so she wouldn’t know for 3-5 days, making that test all but moot.

I gave our last home test to a friend who’s daughter’s friend tested positive and though new home tests are on the way, we won’t have one for a few days.  We just had a family meeting, to make sure everyone understood how dire the situation is here.  Mask wearing everywhere including within any public space in our building is mandatory.  I haven’t left the house in three days and have no intention of doing so for the foreseeable future.  Sigh.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m SO over this, and yet here we are.  We are all vaccinated, we have had our boosters, we will don a mask, I literally just ordered more N95‘s from Amazon and more at home covid tests, because for all the, albeit waning, optimism I hear, Covid is here and it will not be going away any time soon.  We ALL get that, right?  This isn’t going to end until all humans are vaccinated.  I mean, that’s how virus’s work, right?  They mutate and they’ll keep mutating as long as they’re alive.  It’s what they do.

I really, really, really do not want to go back into lock down here in New York City and it doesn’t look like anyone’s thinking that at this time, but boy, things aren’t looking good.  And I’m not going to lie, I’m scared. In many ways I’m more frightened now than I was almost two years ago when all of this began.  Remember those days?  Remember how this time two years ago, none of us knew what was headed our way?  Remember when masks were something you only wore skiing or for Halloween?  Remember?

COVID New York City – April 2020

On a lighter, more upbeat note, for all of you who love doing things like crafting, hand stitching, slow stitching, quilting, sewing, cooking, and the like, we’ve got this.  There was a meme that went around when Covid first hit labeled “Quilters: Self-isolation? This is what we’ve been training for.”

And just so you know, I’ve spent the last few days putting together my own kits: fabric and thread kits for some upcoming workshops that I’ll write more about next time!

Merry, merry everyone and when in doubt: stitch!