I am a graduate of the John Burgess School of Be Prepared. John (AKA my dad) grew up on a farm in central Maine during the Great Depression and is always READY. Thanks to him, I know how to change a flat tire (truth be told, today I’d call AAA), bait a hook, use power tools, and, more importantly, constantly be on the lookout for things I might need to know how to do in the future. So it’s not a surprise that two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, when the New York Times published instructions for sewing cloth face masks from repurposed kitchen tea towels, I said, “Challenge accepted!” I hadn’t sewed more than a button in years, but during the dark days of the pandemic, before N95 masks were widely available, I sewed over 50 masks by hand and distributed them to friends and family, guiltlessly streaming about 700 hours of Netflix in this pursuit.

Looking back on this time from the vantage point of 2024, a lot has changed. Vaccines exist, PCR and antigen testing are widely available, and there are robust supply chains for both N95 masks and hand sanitizer. One thing has not. My dad, at age 89, is still prepared. And thanks to him, so am I.

Credits

Pattern: New York Times
Sewing & Construction: Susan Burgess
Flyer Design and Copy: Susan Burgess