Covid Kiss

Our brief flirtation with resuming indoor dining has been curtailed, but we are still able to meet outside with proper distancing etc. etc. etc. The good thing about Cafe Frida is that we can take over several tables. The bad thing is that the speakers playing music are right above the area where we can spread out the tables and chairs. The fact that couples don't have to socially distance makes this both easier and more complicated. Easier because we don't have to distance ourselves as much, but more complicated because the men soon wearied of quilting talk and the women were equally ready to talk face to face with someone other than their husbands. I was weary of getting John to talk while Gail and Tobi were both being driven crazy by overly energetic partners who never stop talking. After much swapping of chairs and raising of voices, we finally arranged ourselves into two groups. The women in one and the men in the other. It was, as always, really a tonic to get together with this lot with Mamadou showing up from time to time to find out if we were ok. Bob and Gail arrived in separate cars, as did John and I and so left separately. I thought this image perfectly represented the times....

I found my way to the quilting lady's house, remarkably similar to the one I went to for years in the Bay Area. She has her large long arm machine set up in her garage with the garage door wide open so it was almost open air. She asked me if I wanted her to wear a mask and I said yes so she put one on saying that she couldn't breathe in it! 'Well', I said, 'if you can't breathe I'll not demand it, I'll just keep my distance' , but with a large machine taking up most of the space that wasn't really possible. She kept her mask on and I kept as much distance as I could. 

 She told me that quilt batting is 'the new toilet paper' as she had tried to get a bolt and couldn't. She also said her turn around time has stretched to four months since March and that she's very busy, so I was also very grateful that she was willing to put me at the head of the queue since this was a gift.

I was happy to leave the quilt with her.  I came home and started making more face masks with the leftover backing fabric.

My flower Friday offering is in extras...an unlikely colored orchid next to the coffee machine at Trail House