Aside from the financial costs, the human suffering is extreme as men and women endure terrible conditions, exposure to life-threatening illnesses, and even death while in prison. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the BOP has reacted predictably, sending sick prisoners to solitary confinement and withholding medical care or emergency intervention until, too often, it's too late for successful treatment. Despite Gary being home, I have maintained involvement with my network of "prison families" and have been horrified to hear about their ongoing suffering. Sometimes it's overwhelming to the point I have to disconnect for a bit, knowing that those who are directly involved don't have the option to do so.
JB: I hear you! And you're absolutely right. Someone should be investigating where all those tax dollars are going since they clearly are not being allocated to prisoner wellness. How are you two coping with the pandemic? Has it affected Gary's re-acclimation and your adjustment to having him there?
JW: Gary and I are doing well together - finally and always together! We both have "issues" and PTSD, and we will always be affected by what has happened, but that includes having been enlightened to injustice and the outrageous suffering imposed on our fellow humans, along with a sense of duty to spread that light.
Our last pre-pandemic get-together, Daughter Stephanie is the birthday girl. Her husband, Scott, is behind her.
(Image by Judy White) Details DMCA
Gary was on home confinement for months and we kind of perfected and even enjoyed our "reclusive hermit" lifestyle to an extent, but the limitations necessitated by the pandemic have been even worse, especially as we are both at high risk. We haven't seen family or friends in person since early March, except for a brief moment in a parking lot to share necessities. Our daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie and Scott, have been especially great supporters, checking on us and FaceTiming. We had Easter lunch together via Zoom, sitting at our separate tables and distantly sharing a special holiday meal.
Like everyone else, we miss normalcy. We miss family and friends, going to church, exercising, and community activities, with so many events and activities that have had to be cancelled. Although we like to cook and eat at home, we miss occasional restaurant meals and get-together. We miss ready access to necessities (such as healthcare and toilet paper) and indulgences (such as sun-dried tomato tortillas).
Before our quasi-quarantine, we were trying out a fun dance class. And Gary was creating a lot of art and we were trying to market his work. With the pandemic, almost everything stopped. We became limited to "senior hours" and staying safe at home.
JB: So, what did you do instead?
JW: Ultimately and perhaps unfortunately, necessity awakened a long-dormant sense of creativity in me. Being unable to obtain facemasks, I literally dusted off my old Singer sewing machine, repurposed some fabric I had, and went to work making washable and reusable cotton facemasks for family and friends. Now I can't stop, and Gary is afflicted as well. He doesn't actually sew, but we see him as my "creative consultant" - choosing good fabrics to use - and he has been my "model" as I've tried several different designs and methods. All of our facemasks have a "filter pocket" to allow insertion of filters for additional protection, and since Gary has a short beard, I make them wider to cover more, especially the ones for men.
In many places and as businesses and stores reopen, masks are being required, but if we would all choose to voluntarily wear masks in public as much as possible, it would reduce risks to the most vulnerable. Nobody really likes to have to wear a mask, to be ordered to wear something we aren't accustomed to, to cover our faces and not share smiles. My thought has been to try to find ways to make wearing masks more appealing through fabric selection and added embellishments. So we now have variety - a mask "wardrobe" hanging in the entry near our front door. Before going out, and sometimes even in planning what to wear, we "accessorize" with masks!
JB: I love it! Show us some samples and tell us more.
JW: The first ones were "emergency" masks while it was still cold outside, and thankfully I had a little John Deere fleece left over from making a vest several years ago. I had some pretty pastel fabric I had recently bought planning for an Easter project. And of course I had houndstooth, the unofficial pattern of the Alabama Crimson Tide, that I had intended to use to make aprons for the family and vests for our fur-kids.
This is Gary's first modeling request:
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