Can you sew? Have you a stash of cotton fabric?

Photo by Laura Ingalls Gunn at decortoadore.net

I read a lot of historical fiction about the times of the two World Wars - and even the Civil War.  In those books, women spend a lot of time rolling bandages, knitting bandages, and otherwise making  medical supplies.

If you've been reading or listening to the news, you know there's a shortage of medical supplies in this country that's endangering the lives of medical professionals and first responders.  If you sew and you have a stash of cotton fabric (especially quilting fabric,) you might be able to help by making face masks.  If you are on Instagram or Twitter, search #millionmaskchallenge.

You can drop them off at Joann Fabrics and they will distribute.  Here's a link to their information page:

Joann Make to Give Page

 My internet friend Laura Ingalls Gunn has a great blog post:  https://decortoadore.net/2020/03/how-to-sew-hospital-face-masks.html 

You Tube tutorial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgHrnS6n4iA

Another You Tube tutorial  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJcE-r7kcg 

New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/business/coronavirus-masks-sewers.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Another Times article with patterns, and even a no-sew hack:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/opinion/coronavirus-n95-mask.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

Yet another Times article!  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/well/live/coronavirus-homemade-mask-material-DIY-face-mask-ppe.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage 

If you yourself use face masks, perhaps you can make and use your own (washing in hot water and bleach to sterilize)  and donate your supply of commercially made masks to a medical professional!

Cribbed, Cabin'd and Confined

That title is a quote from the great Mr. Shakespeare, and it perfectly expresses how I am feeling today. Spring can't come too quickly for me so we can get outside and garden.

If you too are stuck at home, here are a few things you could do to prepare for better times - by which I mean Great Escape.

Try a new craft - I'll be working on making a couple of hummingbird feeders and some birdbaths to prepare for my GE workshops.  If your new craft is fun and easy, why not offer to present a workshop at Great Escape?

Missing basketball? Read a book about the Fab Four- aka the Supremes - our Great Escape Book Club theme this year is our four female Supreme Court Justices - Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.  See this post for the reading list! 

Take a walk in the woods - and take some pictures of the woods in early spring.  Save them to contrast with the fall woods at Great Escape, which is only 6 months away.

Clean your closets, attic, garage and cellar.  Are there any treasures for the Great Escape Auction - perhaps a great basket that you could fill with themed items? Or make something really nice!  This year's theme is sunflowers - perhaps that will get the creative juices flowing.

Cook one of our Great Escape recipes!  Antipasto kabobs or soups, chili and beans!  Or my favorite salad!

The Supremes - Great Escape Book Club for 2020

 

The theme of our GE book club for 2020 is the wonderful Supremes.  No, not Diana, Cindy and Mary - Sandra, Ruth, Sonia and Elena.  After our great discussion of Michelle Obama's book last fall, we asked whether we should try something less challenging this year, but the verdict was unanimous, that we should continue to learn about exceptional women.  So Julie and I kicked a few ideas around and decided that our female Supreme Court justices certainly fit the 'exceptional women' bill - after all, there have been only four in about 230 years, and three of them are still on the court!

There is not, however. one book about all four so, we invite everyone to choose at least one book, article or even podcast about one or more of these women.  Then we will discuss each woman and compare and contrast their careers, educations, backgrounds and legal philosophies! Julie and I are very excited about this. We have prepared a reading list to start you off.  By the way, we are including some books for children and young adults so that you can bring this back to your troops if that's your thing.

Reading List

First:  Sandra Day O’Connor – Evan Thomas

The Majesty of the Law:  Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice, by Sandra Day O’Connor, Craig Joyce

Lazy B:  Growing Up in a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest, by Sandra Day O’Connor, H, Alan Day

Sisters in Law:  How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World, by Linda R. Hirshman

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon, et. al.

My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor

Elena Kagan:  A Biography, by Meg Greene

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, by Debbie Levy

Who Is Sonia Sotomayor? by Megan Stine

New Yorker Magazine article:  Is the Supreme Court’s Fate in Elena Kagan’s Hands?

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/18/is-the-supreme-courts-fate-in-elena-kagans-hands

Podcast:  The Citizen’s Guide to the Supreme Court (available from I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts.  Never let it be said that the Great Escapers are set in their ways.)

 

SAVE THESE DATES!

Great Escape 2020 is now confirmed for September 25-26-27, 2020.  Put it on your calendar.

An exciting new twist this year is a hammock village!  Everyone will be able to check out the sleeping hammock trend during the day, and a few lucky, intrepid campers can choose to sleep in one on Saturday night (tent backup in case of bad weather.)  Are you game?

For illustration only, not guaranteed to be just like this.

Call for Workshops for 2020

Last weekend members of the Committee trekked off to Rhode Island's Camp Hoffman for our annual retreat to make plans for the next Great Escape.

We are still waiting for Council to confirm our reservation for the 2020 escape, but the call for workshops has gone out to the committee members.  Engineer Sue has found great new ways of collecting and processing data, so we are revamping the registration process to make it easier. We are making changes to the menu for next year in response to your comments on evaluations.  Julie and Deb have a fun wrinkle for Book Club!

If you are a wise owl like the guys below, watch this space for announcements!

New Year, New Escape

Happy 2020 everyone!

In just 10 days the Great Escape Committee will head for a secret location (ok, a Girl Scout camp not in MA!) to start planning for Great Escape 2020.  If you have suggestions, the comment field below is a great place to start! Watch this space for - book club plans - final date confirmation - and more! 

YIGGGS, the Great Escape Committee.

Quests

For the last two years, our friends Steph and Lynne have been devising Quests for Great Escape that take participants around camp.  They cleverly incorporate fun, mindfulness and self care.  In 2018, the theme was Wonder Quest, where participants were enabled to celebrate their wonderful qualities.

In 2019, we celebrated our inner hero qualities.

 They want the full quests to be available to you to use with troops or other groups.  So, we've added a page to the Great Escape Website!  CLICK HERE.

I can imagine these being used at an encampment - once an ED, always an ED I guess!

As a bonus, we added the selfie camping scavenger hunt, also adaptable for use with girls or other groups!  Happy Camping.