Sewing in the time of COVID-19 – Week 31
As I write this, Boulder is experiencing a hazardous smoke event from the largest fire in Colorado history, Northwest of us. In addition there is a new fire today just west of us near Jamestown, which is now threatening NW Boulder. We went out to Celestial Seasonings next door, and we can see the flames and smoke in the first row of foothills, about 5 miles Northwest of here. We are in the Gunbarrel area, NE of Boulder.
We have big fires in the area every few years, but this time it is different. Our home and business are 5 miles East of the foothills, so we feel relatively safe from the flames, but the air quality is dangerous today…as so many of our friends in Western states have experienced in the last few months. As I write this, the fire-fighting jets are flying over our house. The winds have just shifted to the North so we are hopeful.
2020 is a year that none of us will ever forget.
Even the most optimistic of us has been challenged by this year’s events.
We’ve added new words and phrases to our vocabulary: social distancing, masking up, doom-scrolling.
It is a year of not only the Covid Pandemic, but also historic wildfires, a record-breaking hurricane season, and an epic struggle over the future of our country and the planet.
We may wish to escape from this reality, but we’ve been steeping in the colors, the stories, and the struggles of this year.
It is a year of unprecedented activism, in response to racism, human rights struggles, and climate change.
It is a year where many people have found their voice, their power, and have stood up to express their truth and hope for the future.
As artists, we can express ideas and emotions that are often impossible to put into words.
This year has shaken us to our core, but as new life springs in brilliant shades of green after a fire, so too will the quilt world explode with creativity and innovation when we get to the other side of 2020.
with Hope for the Future,
Luana and Paul
