Tomorrow

Tomorrow is May Day. That has numerous connotations around the world. At my college it was a day of weird rituals and play including Maypole dancing and flowers along with strawberries and cream for breakfast. It is traditionally a day to celebrate workers around the world both in public displays and in political speeches.

In 2020, May Day will be a day when people will be asked to listen to demagogues rather than doctors, to pay attention to pseudo-science rather than to serious science. Don't get me wrong. I want the economy to restart but I don't want lives to be lost because we didn't do enough. My husband and I are senior citizens and plan to wear masks in public places for the time being and stretching into the future because we cannot know if others are carriers. Masks really only prevent me from infecting you so can I ask you to protect me? Without testing, and testing that is available and reliable, we don't know how safe any public space is. Do you? If you don't, just whose child or whose parent are you willing to sacrifice? Is it my son whose restaurant will end up killing him because someone else is sick?

On a lighter, happier, and more positive note, tomorrow there is a good chance that I will finish the quilting on the star quilt that I am calling Fuss 'N Feathers. Quilting every half inch throughout the quilt by hand means that every six inches is about four hours. I have enjoyed the process as I always do but even I recognize the difference between my previous skills and my current ones. Right now my husband has my recreation of an antique top hanging in a room in our house. He is the one more likely than I to display the quilts but I admit that I am bowled over by some of what I did years ago.

On another more positive note, spring is sort of coming to life here with the viburnum and the azaleas blooming. We planted out some more tomato starts and we have eaten some collard greens. We have birds nesting in our trees and feeding their young. We even found a young garter snake inside our house with no idea how it got there but we put it out in the garden so it could grow and thrive if it is lucky.

Happy May Day! Life goes on.