Today is Good Friday and Easter is this Sunday which I believe we will all be celebrating at home this year and probably without aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents. So, make the Easter Egg hunt special for your children at home this year, and remember to jot down where you hid the eggs (especially if it was outside), and if they didn’t find them all send them back on the hunt – give them clues. Hopefully with everything else that’s going on in the world, God will grant us a sunny and warm day to celebrate His resurrection as well.

For those of you in the Book Club the books previously selected for April and May are the “Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson and “American Dirt” by Eileen Cummins so you have something to do during our confinement and lots to discuss at the next Book Club meeting. And as is still the case there are no meetings or public gatherings to report – stay safe and if in public “keep your distance” six foot circumference around you and wear a mask, fortunately I have plenty of space on my own property for as much of a walk as these old bones can take!

This year’s April weather started off with the typical April Showers and I’m not sure about May flowers but my tulips have broken ground. Although my raised beds are still covered in snow. However, as soon as the ground will take the tines of my rotor tiller – my peas are going in! The Corona Virus is creeping closer so please don’t go out if you don’t need too. Please be cautious – 6-foot perimeter – gloves – face mask – which leads me into my project for the next week or two – Face Masks.

I have been busy the past two weeks making 40 cloth-washable-reusable ones for family and close friends since I had plenty of elastic and fabric on hand which was put to good use as I’ve been busy cutting out face masks in three sizes: front-back-thin fiberfill liner/barrier and elastic to go around your ears! Believe it or not I had all the components and they are virus free.!

All my fabric “pieces” for quilting and other sewing projects that I didn’t throw out have finally found a good use! And it took most of the week to cut out the fabric because I tried to use fabric that reminded me of who I was making it for, remember I had lots of fabric pieces to choose from, about 40 years worth.

So, if you have a sewing machine and leftover fabric and want to make some for your family, to avoid boredom, the pattern I used is really simple and can be found on the internet at https://www.sewcanshe.com/blog/5-free-diy-face-mask-tutorials-using-fabric, or if you don’t have or use the computer you can make the really simple ones that a lot of people are wearing and anything is better than nothing at all.

If you have – narrow bias tape or elastic-two pieces of rectangular fabric-pipe cleaner optional; measure the person who will be wearing it from cheek bone over your nose to cheek bone; and from cheek bone to jaw bone and add 4 inches to this measurement – this is the fabric piece measurement; measure from the cheek bone around the ear to the jaw bone – this is the elastic (or bias tape) measurement.

Cut two pieces of fabric the measured size PLUS ½ inch seam allowance on all sides; with right sides of fabric together measure down from top 2½ inches, fold up and back down ½ inch each way all the way across twice and make a final 1 inch fold pinning all in place; place elastic (or bias tape) loops between the two pieces of fabric just above and below seam allowance (3/4 inch) and bottom (one piece looped around on either side).

Look at it before stitching to be sure you have ear bands one on either side not one top and one bottom and your pleats should be opening on the bottom; if using a pipe cleaner over the bridge of the nose, place it under seam allowance so that it can be stitched in on the ends (sides) just above the elastic; stitch it together starting on bottom 2 inches in from side with ½ inch seam and go completely around and 2” in on the opposite side of bottom; turn right side out-make a narrow seam just below pipe cleaner if used-fold in the bottom and stitch closed.

Now to continue on with Eleanor’s story of growing up in Weld.

When still in school Eleanor worked at various jobs when they were available, at the age of 12 she worked as a helper/companion for a wealthy lady from out-of-state who spent the summer here. She also swept the schoolhouse floors for income while still at school, she worked at Kawanhee Inn as a dishwasher, waitress and sometimes helped the chambermaids. After high school she and other sisters worked at Cornwall Woodworking mill in Phillips.

She and sister Pat moved out of the family homestead and boarded with Bernard and Ruth Buck and since neither had a car or driver’s license, they rode the “shuttle” to and from Phillips with other “Weldites”. Later she enrolled in hairdressing school in Portland and, she still has her diploma somewhere. Her mother and father took her to Portland and she would sometimes ride the train to Lewiston and then travel the rest of the way with Perry and Ellen Rhodenizer and sometimes she road down to Lewiston with the Winter’s when they were taking June to nursing school.

After graduation she worked at the Nelliette Salon in Wilton for a while and in later years she went to client’s homes for cuts, curls and perms. Most of these ladies didn’t have hot water, so they would have to heat water on the stove and go from there… Perms cost $2 or so, a lot different than today! After she married and had children, Helen, David and Susan, the kids had to go with her to client’s homes, because of course in those days there was no such thing as “Day Care”!

After Harry Fish returned to Weld at the end of his tour of duty in Europe during World War II, she and he dated and later married on March 22, 1946. They lived in Weld/Webb Corner, in a house that used to be across the street from where her daughter Helen lives today, for nine years before moving to the former Eva Conant farm on Center Hill Road.

All of their children were born while they lived on the Phillips Road and Helen was about 8 before they moved to Center Hill Road. They both worked at Hilton’s Woodworking Mill on the Cushman Road for several years, she hand-painted the small toys made there and Harry spray painted, drilled and did anything that was asked of him. To be continued.