Getting Ready for Retreat

 

As Germany is inching towards its earlier-than-normally-scheduled Federal Election on Sunday, after the coalition government broke up early November, I am preparing for a weekend of a quilting retreat at my twice-a-year workshop site at Petersberg Rural Catholic Community College. 

 

It will be good to just withdraw from the world and ignore the last days before the election proper. I must say I think I have never been as scared before a national election in my country before. I was, internationally speaking, rather skeptical if not scared before Britain’s Brexit vote, and twice in the US, and all three were worse than expected, accordingly, this experience doesn’t give me a whole lot of hope. Especially since it seems that forecasts lately are rather far from indicating the real outcome. I have cast my vote by ‘mail’ (carrying it across the street and putting the envelope in the town hall’s mail box). And now it remains to be seen whether Germany’s democratic foundation is strong enough to avoid another slipping into Weimar Republic Chaos and pre-fascist conditions. Watching the happenings with the newest US administration – is it still an administration or what is it, really? – is so scary. Why on earth did the Americans let this happen? How on earth can it be that the EU is not at all prepared for this worst case scenario? Where are we heading?

Usually I am not somebody who withdraws, and I do hope I will have enough strength again soon to be politically active in case it is needed. But last year’s private events have taken a severe toll on my strength and I am only now feeling as if there might be a bit of an upwind under my personal wings. Don’t feel safe enough yet to trust it or to talk about it publicly.

Personally I am packing a few projects that need to get finished, should I have personal sewing time while the workshop participants are busy, such as bindings, sleeves to put on, a top or two to be sewn together. Too much, really, because I always pack too many things and usually don't have enough time to finish them all.

 

Due to the move last fall I have a hard time finding stuff that I need for the class, I may be winging a bit of the teaching. But I am very glad I am going to a safe space right now, even if it won’t be for long, and reality will hit in terms of the election results late Sunday night.

 

Preparing for after? (Is it still a diary of recovery?)

 

For more than 15 years I have been teaching patchwork workshops at a Rural Catholic Community College which provides us with perfect conditions. Recently a few things changed, however. The employee who was ‘in charge’ of us went into retirement and the successor has not been appointed yet, partly due to Corona, partly due to inner workings I am not familiar with. We were given an intermediate person who is in charge and yesterday I went to Petersberg. First incentive was to get a massage with the wonderful massage therapist who is located there, and second incentive was to talk to that person, who also happens to be the director of it all.

Before we talked I went for a little walk in the woods around the house. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year there, as the beech trees turn yellow and the woods suddenly seem so much lighter and gayer than on a normal summer day. Which in itself is nice, too, but if you look at these pictures I am sure you will understand. 

 

 

The conversation was positive enough – for the coming year two dates have already been set, and he promised to give us two suggestions within the next few days for 2022. No promises made as to how things will continue when a new employee will actually be installed, but he acknowledged that the patchwork workshops are a bench to build on: they are the workshops that fill up the quickest, they are easy to organize for the people in the house and no additional personnel is needed from their side to run the show. So it all sounded positive. And with those trees shining with light it felt like things were improving. Silver Lining!

But of course I knew that the storm was brewing, I have been following the news, the rising numbers of infections, the ‘hot spots of infection’, the scary information that nobody is able to follow anymore where people are actually getting their infections. My brother-in-law and his wife have had it, and they have no idea where they might have caught it. And I do consider them pretty conscientious people who will abide by the rules. They did not go to illegal parties for sure – some of those have been decisive in the rise of numbers in our area.

Today the prime ministers of the federal states convened with the chancellor, and they have pronounced another four week lockdown. They are not calling it that. But in fact that is what it is. Lots of places closed down, they are insisting that people stay home as much as possible, no mingling, ‘reduce your contacts’. I am just starting three weeks of vacation. Not much to look forward to, really. Can’t go visit friends or take trips, not even day trips... I guess just taking it day by day is the only thing to do. Keep stitching to stay sane, keep moving for as much exercise as we are allowed – we have not been told to stay at home, just to minimize contact with other people – and not make the mistake to start cooking elaborate meals and trying out recipes that then need to be eaten. And start on the next round of listening to my Pale Rider.

Teaching Socially Distanced - Diary of Recovery!

 

A little more than a week ago I got to teach a workshop at the Community College where I have been teaching regularly. Until the last day I was expecting to receive a cancellation due to rising infection numbers, but that didn’t happen. 

 

We got together, no hugging as usual, the tables stood a bit further apart than usually. But we always have pretty big tables, one of the many many assets this venue provides, and so the situation in the sewing room wasn’t that much different than any other time. Except for wearing masks when going around in the room, I did not go as close up to participants as I might have in other times. And we were supposed to wear masks when leaving the room, of course. Nothing we were not prepared for, because by now everybody knows how to behave. And we were all so very happy that the workshop could take place that everybody obliged willingly. In Germany by now many people are debating more and more whether wearing masks does actually make a difference in terms of infection rates. I wonder why – is it because we were so successful in the spring to cut it all down that now, because it all was so successful people are not taking the danger for real anymore? By now, numbers are rising again, and it is getting to the point where the increase is dramatic.

 

However, I did feel a difference, both in the teaching, and in the dining room situation. Meal times were split up, to reduce the number of people in the room together at one time. And we were supposed to sit with social distance, although not quite 6 ft. apart. Normally, there would have been a gorgeous salad buffet, one of the highlights of that place – not possible. Meals weren’t served to the table, one had to stand in line, then got to pick out what one wanted and could take the plate back to the table. Food was as good as always, but I clearly felt how important those meals together, the conversations that take place at the table during eating, are for the overall well-being of the course. We were still fine, the group knows each other, and we all had a very good time. 

 

Under the circumstances it was probably much better than we could have hoped for. And I am very grateful that we could do that weekend. It is just a tiny bit of feeling of completeness that was missing.