News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Ava Kelly works on one of her embroidery projects while at her grandmother’s home in Rogers City. Kelly began learning the craft while stuck at home during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

ALPENA — The government-mandated stay-at-home order no doubt wore on many people emotionally and mentally, but there were some benefits for some people.

As the coronavirus began to take hold in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 23 ordered Michiganders to stay home unless absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. That stay-home order remained in effect for Northeast Michigan until Memorial Day weekend.

Some residents in Northeast Michigan took the time at home to learn new crafts, start new hobbies, and rediscover relationships with those who may have become distant because of a hectic day-to-day life.

Joanne Ringer, of Alpena, said that, early in the stay-home order, she struggled with being unable to leave the house. She said much of her time was spent watching season after season of her favorite Netflix shows and playing video games on her phone.

In late April, she said, she committed herself to doing more productive things.

Ringer said she invested more time doing small projects around her home, like redoing her bathroom and laundry room, and started to learn a foreign language from educational videos on YouTube.

“I always wanted to learn Spanish, but I always put it off,” she said. “I lived in Florida and learned a few words, but not much at all. Now, I can speak complete sentences. Now, I’m not fluent in it, by no means, but I guess I know enough to make small talk.”

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Ava Kelly is 16 years old and lives in Rogers City.

When Whitmer on March 12 ordered schools closed for the rest of the school year, Kelly began to focus on her physical fitness by walking her dogs more often and putting a lot of miles on her bike.

She said she also learned a new craft — embroidery, which she believes is a forgotten art.

“I just felt a lot of people my age don’t do it, and it is considered something that older people do,” Kelly said. “It was also a trend for a while on TikTok, and I told myself, ‘I can do that.'”

Amanda Repke said that, before lockdown, she used to walk around town for relaxation and a little exercise with her husband. When the lockdown began, she stepped up how often she went and how far she went.

Over the several months the lockdown was in place, she walked more than 100 miles, and now it has become a big part of her life.

“We didn’t walk that much, but, now, we go out and hike a lot,” she said. “We’ve been to the U.P., Oscoda, Grayling, and Presque Isle, to name a few places.”

Bradley McGurr said the lockdown wasn’t much different for him from other days.

He said he enjoys video games and played them to pass time, as he always does.

“I got a heck of a lot better at ‘Call of Duty,’ I can tell you that,” McGurr said.