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A few things…

Happy New Year!!

I know we all are glad to see the end of 2020 and I am certainly part of group. It’s been such a year of scary things happening with so much loss and hate. However it does feel like we are so very slowly moving our way out of this scenario and into a place where we can start all of the really hard work of healing and change and growth toward a greater good for EVERYONE! Absolutely everyone.

As a small business owner this pandemic and how poorly it has been handles in this country has been a nightmare on so many levels. So first and foremost please if you are in a position to support small businesses please do, especially restaurants.

One of the most challenging pieces of this is the constant changes. You just never know what is coming next and once it shows up you have to figure out how to make that work. In this industry it is how the safety protocols we all have to put in place affect how we run our businesses. Which means almost all of us are operating understaffed. All the way down the chain of supply this is true. In this industry it starts with the mills and then moves on from there. When the numbers of cases of Covid go up then these restrictions tighten (as they should) and then we have to readjust.

I told a friend recently who asked how I was coping and I told him moment by moment. It’s not even day to day at this point. Like yesterday for example. I was all set to ship, packages all ready to go. So I turned on the computer and opened Endicia and lo and behold there is an upgrade. All the online shipping systems got hit hard with so many new accounts since March. They’ve had to make massive changes. And upgrade takes me calling them which is now at least an hour wait for tech support and then however long it takes them to switch our system. I am not ashamed to admit I almost cried. It was my last job of the day and well… I walked away. as soon as I finish writing this I will call them, put it on speaker and work until I get someone. Who I will be patient with even though I feel stressed because we are all over worked and doing our best in a very trying time. In April it was a three hour wait so it is better.

Mostly it is just me here at the moment doing ALL the things. ALL of them. I had Crystal here very part time (safety protocols) but then her family got exposed and now I am waiting for the incubation period to be done and the tests to come back. It will probably be another week. Of course that makes it really hard to predict timelines consistently or well anything quite honestly.

We also had huge Fedex shipping delays in December which affected getting some of our yarn here. The Fedex facility in Utah where our supplier is got hit and they were down in crew so it all slowed to an absolute crawl. Which one does not know until you  go to check your tracking. Oh and then their are the seriously stressed USPS workers. I can’t even some days. For most of December our carrier the lovely Connie was not her until 8 or 9 pm. Craziness!!! Please give all the love to your USPS worker that you can!!

What I am saying with these details is this i a challenge most of us have not experienced. I know I have not. I have not run Blue Moon alone in a very long time so this has been quite an adjustment. One that has taught me so very much. I am seriously grateful I can still keep Blue Moon operational. I know a lot of folks who have had to close their doors. Its so very sad and scary.

A lot of the yarn that was delayed is here! Sock yarn is here!!! I am reeling the sock yarn from cone to skein which used to be my least favorite job here, now I find it a bit meditative and calming.

Before Crystal called to inform me of their exposure to Covid I was working on getting the 3rd shipment of sock club out. Of course now that has slowed. I will say this this is one of the hardest parts. I know I am good at adapting to change but this craziness is a whole different ball game. So when I tell you I am working on your order or the sock club or whatever it is at the time I am doing so within this current shifting sand paradigm. We all are.

Please know I am doing my best and I do not have words to express how deeply I appreciate your support and patience. I am so close to being caught up enough that I can sleep at night. I have not added new colors because I do not have the time to make them and get them up on the website. I also do not want to add any until I am closer to being current.

As I have said before please email if you have any questions. If you do not here back in a day or two give me a call. 503.543.8431 is the dye barn and 503.543.3468 is the house . If I do not answer please do leave a message. I am probably at the dye pots.

As far as health and such I am doing ok. I know some of you have been concerned because of my silence. I am being very careful since I am one of those immune compromised. I did do a number on my ankle this summer so that has given me some issues. I live alone and am now working alone and have not seem my daughters in forever so that is a bit heartbreaking. I have lost people I love as a lot of us have.

All of this that we’ve been going through is a lot to process and cope with. Some of us have way more to cope with than others. I  do know my priviledge and am working with the local community to help others with less navigate all of this.

Okay it’s almost 10:00 and if I do not get Endicia on the phone it’s going to take longer to update the shipping software.

Oh these 2 furry souls have brought me so much joy in the past few months. They escaped from my neighbor and adopted me. Meet Chester and Buddy!!!

Love to you all!

Thank you Georgia and Stacy Abrams!!!

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