Hi friends
Seems that those of us who consider ourselves Introverts (we get energized from having alone time) are looking at this whole social distance a little differently than those of us who consider ourselves Extroverts (we get energized from having time with others). I had a good laugh with my sister the other day about how not-bored we have been....there's all this stuff I wanted to do but was always running around outside to do other things. Now there's time to do it. But strangely, the more I check off of the list, the more I keep adding to the bottom. Learn about banjos? Yes! Make a coffee table? Yes! Organize the garage? Eh, nah. Learn about Raccoons? Yes! Bake cornmeal cookies? Yes! Toss cornmeal cookies into the trash? Yes! (In all fairness, this is an excellent recipe, it just turns out that burned cornmeal cookies are no bueno. )Sew masks for a friend who works at Montefiore Hospital? Yes!
We find so many ways to fill our days, but hopefully you are making time to slow down & breathe. I think we covered this a few weeks ago. It is important. Now, if you are ready to get busy:
-Here's a quick FAQ from the CDC with a super simple mask pattern. There are lots of places that are in need. And heck, many neighbors & friends would appreciate a handmade gift.
-Here's a neat-o way to cut an old t-shirt into a continuous string (it's pretty magical!) that can be used for knitting, or shoelaces, or staking tomato plants.
-If you haven't heard about the Museum Challenge...well, it's pretty great.
-And it could be fun to invent your own magnetic poetry.
You can see my friends Yook-a-Loox & Harriet here, having a nice afternoon listening to stories as they sit in the sun. These little guys were made by a local artisan, someone who makes things with their hands such as stuffed animals, pottery or furniture. playing in some cool handmade things. The box & chair are also handmade by another artisan. Maybe you can look around your space, see if you can find handmade artifacts. Why do we appreciate the work of an artist? What makes it special to eat or wear something made by a person? Is art the core of our humanity?
I do want to share a book, that has inspired many afternoons of careful looking with my kids. The illustrations are quite special---collages made from photographs of handmade artifacts from around the world.
Toodle loo, Kangaroos