themillennialboomer

Presidential Election 2020 by Sheri LeClair Banitt

Today is election day in America. There are reports that one third of Americans have already submitted their ballots.

We are so polarized that it is hard to imagine an outcome that will benefit anyone. Why are we so divided? I think people are worn out and tired. Many are still recovering from the last recession of 2008. Some are doing well and don’t want to lose hard earned gains. Others have never been well and continue to struggle financially as well as socially. All of us want to feel safe and that means different things to different people.

Donald Trump ushered in a new kind of politics and it is bringing out the meanness in people. I have a hard time reconciling with people I have known throughout my life who are suddenly calling everyone names, behaving with rudeness and selfishness while at the same time glorifying the one man who is least concerned with their well being or mine.

People who claim to be Christian ignore everything about Christian teaching and Christian values while they angrily uphold the rights of the unborn. Yet, they are the same ones who are unwilling to say Black Lives Matter. They merely say all lives matter, thereby reducing the message of racial inequality that people of color are trying to relay.

Some people say it doesn’t matter how our President behaves or what he believes, as long as he is pro-life, reduces taxes and makes the economy great. I don’t believe any of those things are possible without moral and ethical integrity, empathy and love toward all people. I don’t believe it is possible to behave like an undisciplined child and lead a nation to greatness.

No matter the outcome of the Presidential election of 2020, I want more than to ‘Make America Great Again’, I want to make America better than ever before. I know we can do it, but I am not sure how much effort it is going to take. The score was never settled for past racial injustice against natives, involuntary transplants and immigrants looking for a better life.

I hope Americans begin to disregard the political rhetoric that tells us there are only two paths for life in America. I hope Americans remember that we are a diverse nation of strong people who can find a way forward when we work together.

C19 Quarantine Hobbies #5 Vintage Style Tree Skirt by Sheri LeClair Banitt

So I have been making many things during the last 7 months that we have been quarantining at home. Other than a few family occasions and some outdoor activities, I spend most of my time at home. It has been fun to work on some old hobbies as well as trying a few new things. In true boomer fashion, the new things I’ve tried have been based on past memories. I have been making beaded ornaments reminiscent of my childhood.

There are now so many that I decided they need their very own, old fashioned, tinsel tree. So I bought one online.

Well, everyone knows if you have a tinsel tree and beaded ornaments, you’re going to need a tree skirt. I thought about one that one of my Grandmas made for our tree when I was kid. I wanted to replicate it with some sequins and beads. So I bought some felt and stuff and got started.

I used a skirt I already have to get the round shape and got to work pinning and sewing the rick rack.

Next up was planning the felt appliques. I decided on green trees, red stockings and silver bells.

It was easier than I thought it would be. But as I was sewing on the shapes I thought about the time it was taking. The tree skirt and felt stockings we had as kids were sewn by hand which would have taken much more time. I am thankful for the luxury of the sewing machine and my comfortable craft room to sew it in. Only thing left to do was to embellish the appliques with sequins and beads.

I sewed on the sequins, beads and bells by hand in the evenings while watching television. I always had one or more little helper sitting with me in my recliner while I worked. Pictured are my shih-tzu, Ping and my kitty, Remi.

Ta Da! All finished. Watch in December to see this under the tinsel tree decked out in ornaments!

The Spam is Ridiculous by Sheri LeClair Banitt

I have been avoiding the blog because I am overwhelmed with the impossible Presidential election that is looming, the direct and indirect consequences of the Corona virus, and the unseasonable snowstorm that landed over 8 inches of powder before the colored, autumn leaves have even blown off our trees. It is hard to think of something meaningful, even motivating to share with an audience when I am feeling all kinds of mixed up emotions. Tonight, I decided I would face my apathy and push it aside with a new post. A great post. A post that would outshine many others. Because that’s what bloggers do.

Alas, the blog was bombarded with SPAM! The kind that gets through the spam filter and disguises as comments waiting the author’s approval. Let’s be clear; I do not approve. I do not like this spam. I am slightly amused, and highly annoyed with the kind of spam that the millennialboomer is attracting.

Am I to believe that what interests Boomers the most are drugs for erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence? And that Millennials are most interested in buying a paper online? Well, I don’t. I don’t believe it and I don’t allow it. You may not push drugs on my blog and you may not steal my writing to sell to others.

I think what Boomers and Millennials want the most is the same thing that people want at all ages: connection, comfort, community and love. Where’s the Spam for that stuff?

I guess I’ll have to put it out there myself. But it won’t be spam, it will be old fashioned blogging with recipes designed to fill the mind and soul with goodness and love.

Rona – Working from Home by Sheri LeClair Banitt

While many are out of work due to ‘The Rona’, (coronavirus-19) I am able to work from home. I am very grateful for this opportunity for several reasons:

I am not in close proximity to my 3,200 co-workers in the high rise so I have less chance of getting covid. Bonus-I am away from all the cold and flu germs too.
There is no work stoppage for my employer who provides important service to our customers.
I continue to receive a paycheck.
I no longer have a 45 minute commute one way to work.
I can avoid the office distractions.
I can wear comfy clothes, though I get up every day at 5:00 am and get dressed as usual.
I can go for walks outside in my own community on breaks and over lunch.
I have more energy without the commute and distractions, so I am more productive than ever.
I am more relaxed at home and sleeping well.
I am spending more time in my own space, making my own healthy food and enjoying my pets. I am living in the life I created for myself, instead of only wishing I could be there.

I Can’t Stop Growing Plants by Sheri LeClair Banitt

Since I am mostly homebound due to Covid 19, I have been working my hobbies with great intensity. I have always enjoyed growing plants and gardening indoors as well as outdoors. Now I am just pulling out the seeds and mini pots and planting interesting stuff.

If you peruse the picture gallery, you will see that I have several cute plants in the pretty lady pots from Target. They make me smile. Then I have a tiny spider plant grown from a much larger spider plant. There is a teeny tiny succulent that grew from a seed, from a flower from another succulent in the window. Finally, there is a pinecone I picked before it opened and spilled its seeds. I am hoping it will become my bonsai tree.

African violets are one of my favorite house plants. I remember my Grandma Vern grew them. My mother in law also had a favorite purple violet. One in my window is a cutting from hers, though she has been gone for many years now. There are so many colors of leaves and colors of flowers on these plants and they continue to multiply from the roots and they can be propagated from the leaves.

I love that even though it is autumn in Minnesota, I can still have blooms indoors. There are blossoms on my Asian Pepper and I have a lemon growing on my scraggly Meyers Lemon tree. I am also attempting to sprout trees from a couple of avocado pits. Nothing yet, but I haven’t given up. I think it takes a really long time.

I put my sickly Meyers Lemon tree outside for the summer and it came back to life. Now that cold weather is approaching, I brought it indoors. I am determined to keep it healthy this winter, so I bought a grow light to keep it sunny. I put crushed egg shells in the dirt and I’m trying really hard not to overwater it. Wish me luck!

Vlogging – it aint easy by Sheri LeClair Banitt

I love my new recording equipment and tried my hand again at a vlogging entry. I am one who learns by doing. And since I haven’t done this much, you can see that I am a beginner. That’s never stopped me before. I have a long history of learning about tech by trying it to see what happens. I need to learn to edit my work, but for now, just talking for the camera is an accomplishment I am proud of. More later.

Covid-19 Fatigue is Real…and we’re not sick yet. by Sheri LeClair Banitt

2020 has offered the world some extreme challenges. In America, we are divided like never before in a Democrat vs. Republican election year. That is tiring on its own with all the media hype, the Russian trolls invading our social media and families divided by political rhetoric. There have been several natural disasters, including floods, fires and tornadoes. We have experienced a racial awakening in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder that took place in my home state, very close to home. With all of this, I find most daunting the fatigue that entered society along with the Covid-19 virus.

I’m not talking about the actual, physical symptoms and lingering effects that come with contracting the virus. I’m talking about the extreme fatigue that comes with being ever vigilant against this lurking threat. It seems there can be no spontaneity anymore unless you are willing to risk your own health or someone else’s illness.

Before leaving home, you must make sure to have a mask and check to see if your destination will be open and receiving visitors. When you get there, you must run through a long list of Dos and Don’ts. Do wear your mask and stay 6 feet away from anyone. Don’t touch your mask or anything around you. Do wash your hands thoroughly, but don’t use the air dryer in public restrooms-they spread germs. Do use hand sanitizer, but don’t use the kind that can hurt you. Do stay connected to people, but don’t hug or kiss them, don’t laugh too much or sing into someone else’s zip stream, (the air that lingers after you move – it has germs in it). This is just to manage your grocery shopping or a trip to the gas station.

For those who are still going to work in person, there are many more concerns than just the morning alarm, commute and what to eat for lunch. Now you must check yourself for symptoms every day and attest to being healthy, then submit to a temperature check. There are more rules and regulations to follow and that can increase the workload, just when we long for a rest.

If you are working from home, you are faced with distractions that are not present in the workplace. You must be engaged and productive even when the dogs are barking and the kids are fighting. Your home is exposed to others in ways it has never been before.

School kids, teachers and school support workers have strict protocol to follow each day before they can even begin to get to the real business of learning. Masks, distancing and electronic instruction are foreign and there is no historical data to support the new teaching model, leaving teachers tired and discouraged. Parents are confused and overworked and want a break from long days with children who are stressed.

We should save money in case there is a recession. We should spend money so there is no recession. We have to watch the curve, keep track of the numbers, make sure our elders are safe. We must feed the hungry and help our neighbors who have lost their jobs. We are fending off depression and domestic violence against people and animals. We struggle to learn new ways to communicate through video calls, social media, emails and text. We guard against gaining weight and feel guilt about the plastic and packing that comes with mail order delivery. There are so many things to think about and remember.

We’re tired, and we’re not sick yet.

I Got Some New Tools by Sheri LeClair Banitt

Thanks to Dr. Stacey Patton and classmates, I am learning how to vlog! I have lots to learn and this fun!

September in Minnesota by Sheri LeClair Banitt

These are days before Labor day, right before school starts. We are supposed to be visiting the Minnesota State Fair. We should be walking shoulder to shoulder with thousands of others on a hot sunny day, eating food on a stick and people watching. We should be in the dairy building checking out Princess Kay of The Milky Way, carved out of butter. We should be awed at the crop art and tasting Minnesota grown apples and honey. We should be checking out livestock and watching horse shows. We should be buying trinkets and gadgets and spending money until our pockets are empty and we are too tired to take another step. We should be heading home with full stomachs and happy hearts. But we’re not.

We are at home with our memories. The weather is right, the time is right; we long for the fair, but we can’t go. The corona virus threatens to get us at every turn. We dare not mingle with the 250,000 other Minnesotans who typically attend the fair each day. We are grounded. We are safely tucked in at home with only our closest circles of people. We wear our masks when out in public. We long for next year and we hope things will go back to normal. We know the normal will never be the same. Our new normal will include the corona virus and all of its ravages. We hope for a vaccine. We hope our loved ones do not get sick and we make the best of what we have right now.

We can still enjoy the cooler days. We can walk in the breeze and say goodbye to the monarchs and hummingbirds. We can have one last meal outdoors. We can have late evening bonfires and roast marshmallows around the fire. And we can start planning yard displays of pumpkins and haybales and scarecrows.

We are at the beginning of pumpkin spice season, and nothing can change that!