The View from the Hermitage, Day 82

Older son says that he read the CDC is concerned that, in the wake of the demonstrations, people are forgetting the novel coronavirus. I don't doubt that they are. I actually had to scan the front page of this morning's Washington Post to see where there might be some news of the virus. It may well be, though, that the mass demonstrations that have been occurring nightly for over a week, not to mention the even larger one planned for Washington, DC tomorrow, will bring on a second wave of covid-19 cases. The virus will bump the demonstrations off the front page just as the demonstrations have, for now, bumped the virus onto some inner page(s).

I have mentioned the devil bag. It could use some fine tuning aka tightening of most of the belts to get rid of the holes, but for now it is done. I got a rigid heddle loom for Christmas last year and have finally gotten around to learning to use it. I'm still climbing the hill that is the weaving learning curve. I was perusing the book Time to Weave, and came across the directions for a container made using bias plaited weaving. I've seen these done in paper or the skins of juice boxes, and thought of using my collection of random martial arts belts to make one. This was a good idea only in the sense of stretching myself and giving me practice with the art of patience. Using flexible strips of fabric rather than stiffer pieces of paper made the whole thing multiple times harder.

I started out trying to be too creative with the belts arranged such that there no belt touched another of the same color. Much frustration and profanity later, I took everything apart and started over. The weaving is done using groups of four belts, so I arranged the belts into easily recognizable groups of four. It still took several sessions (I would quit when to continue would have damaged the work-in-progress or myself), and finishing the top took even longer. But I did it. I expect that it will be filled with skeins of yarn when I unpack my yarn stash after the floors have been done.

I just heard from my sister (by other parents) in Maine that He Who Shall Not Be Named is today visiting a plant there that makes swabs for covid-19 testing. She notes that "when the President arrives at the facility, he will not do what EVERY OTHER PERSON WHO ENTERS THE FACILITY MUST DO: don a smock, hairnet, booties, and mask. As a result, every swab produced during the visit will have to be incinerated." It's all about him. Yes, the people who work in that plant deserve to be thanked and their work, applauded. But to then make them throw out however many hundreds or thousands of swabs they make while he is there just belittles their efforts. 

But in smile-worthy news, Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, DC, had the street in front of the White House emblazoned with "Black Lives Matter" in bright yellow paint. She also invoked the third amendment to get the National Guard out of the city. The little-known third amendment says that troops cannot be housed in private residences or facilities. In other words, the Guard should not be staying in hotels in the city. Mayor Bowser rocks!

As for the huge demonstration planned for DC tomorrow, let's hope it is not too interesting.