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Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I feel like this whole pandemic has been like this melting snowman. Pieces of me are all over, nothing is where it belongs. I am trying to see the beauty in the world but sometimes things just get in the way, like the overgrown stick which is taking over the top of the snowman. Good things are happening in my life, my daughter is getting married, my older daughter had a new baby this past August, yet the pandemic is blocking my vision. I feel like my priorities are mixed up, sometimes the world is not as bright as it seems. The clouds are hiding the sun and the air is polluted with germs. The corona virus is still with us, people are still masked up and afraid to socialize.
March 14, 2021
Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
... what better way to describe this week than look at how the new bull is growing. His one year old and what a year it’s been. I’m wondering how I’ll feel when we get the all clear... I am so used to avoiding, to isolating, to being safe.... I see videos of old people getting blindsided and knocked down - a new wave of hate crimes. We like to travel. We’re not Asian, or Jewish, or any other targeted group, but we are older. I’m not sorry Trump and Rush are gone... both made bullying and name calling ok... more than ok... Acceptable? Expected? We tolerated it... How we can expect our young people (well, all of us) to seriously address bullying when we allow and even encourage it in adults, and from our so called leaders. Those men may be out of sight, but there’s others who are waiting to step up, especially in the name of “entertainment”. We’ll know we are serious about addressing bullying when it means facing danger because you and a large farm animal are in close proximity probably because you chose not to stand behind a fence in a farm yard, and not because you are making some pronouncements over the airwaves or on social media.
March 15, 2021
Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
My husband called to ask me to bring his extra set of truck keys to where he was working. He'd locked his set in the truck. I was busily rewriting poems for my Zoom reading that is coming up, and I was very annoyed that he'd not paid better attention. Though I notice lately he is very forgetful or doesn't pay attention to many things. He is single focused, always has been. This is different. I realized on the drive to where he was working that even though he is working on a project for the homeless that is very important to him, he is stressed about the circumstances of the world we live in. His mother is in a home for people with Alzheimer's. We've seen her twice in the last year, from outside through a window. I guess it's comforting to realize she won't remember anyway, but also very hurtful. We have a new grandson that we have only seen 4 times since he was born in November of 2020. We aren't alone in these longings and missings but the full weight of it hit me as I drove to him with his. truck keys in pocket. The drive there was filled with a blue sky and white clouds in the distance that reminded me of the beauty in this world, in spite of all the anguish and despair. I stopped to photograph the magnificence of the world I was driving through. Someone, somewhere was standing or driving with awe at the spectacle I witnessed. Maybe they were even taking photos! By the time I arrived to where my husband was working, all I could be was grateful that he had locked his keys in that truck. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to be salved by the beautiful things in the world and to throw away my annoyance. We stood there, hand in hand, and looked at the sky that was all around us as we whirled through it on this small blue dot, grateful together. Every day I walk and every day I am reminded. But some days are a bigger reminder than others. We receive our second shot for COVID yesterday and are busily planning a dinner here in our home with our daughters and their husbands, and of course our new grandson. We will eat outside and wear masks when we aren't eating, though four of us have received the vaccine. I see a change coming. I wait with hope and patience. Some days are easier.
March 15, 2021
Text & Image
Describe an experience this week that made you happy.
Some thing that made me happy this week was the icicles. I love the way the sun glistened through them. I love the whole idea of snow melting and changing from one form to another. How relatively quickly there’s a change in the structure of a flake on the roof, to a drop rolling down an icicle and freezing in a different location. The world is full of miracles too often overlooked because we are so busy. For me that has been the blessing of CoVid (if there is such a thing). I am noticing things that were at the periphery of my comings and goings of a “normal daily life”. Many of these things now take center stage, such the morning sun casting shadows and shining outside my window bring me joy in new ways.
March 15, 2021
Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I’ve quite enjoyed the snow this season. Here’s my fairy snow queen. Covid has actually given me the opportunity to enjoy the snow as I never have before. There’s no where to go. No where I have to be. No one is coming over, so there is no rush to shovel. Fortunately the snow has been light enough that my husband can do the majority of the snow removal himself. He uses his leaf blower and gets such a kick out of it my shoveling would deny him the pleasure. It’s been a long time since I’ve played in the snow and it was quite rewarding to have these few minutes to reminisce about the joys of playing in the snow when I was a kid. I’m not sure I’ve ever really stopped to note the changing of the seasons as I have through the pandemic. I guess I’m grateful for that as I am aging and time is passing by too quickly.
March 15, 2021
Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I got my first shot of the vaccine today! At the end of the day volunteering at the vaccine clinic today there were enough extra doses for all of the volunteers who hadn't gotten their first doses yet. It was so exciting, especially that all of us got to be vaccinated together. We've been volunteering together for several weeks now, and for many of us it's pretty much the only in-person interaction we have with people we don't live with. It's been great to get to know everyone as we've worked together every week, and volunteering has been fun and really rewarding. It was just a terrific end to a long but good day.
March 16, 2021
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What has changed most about the world since the pandemic began?
I took this photo on 17 April 2020. This is a park bench in Albany's Washington Park urging people to "spread random acts of kindness." In the first weeks of the pandemic, a lot of similar messages were painted or chalked onto sidewalks and other surfaces. These messages of hope and solidarity marked the first few weeks, or even first couple months, of our experiences. Then people seemed to grow weary and more pessimistic by summer. I write this on 16 March 2021.
March 17, 2021
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¿De que manera el coronavirus le está afectando su vida en este momento? Cuéntenos sus experiencias, sensaciones/emociones, y pensamientos.
Está semana no he estado muy bien emocionalmente hablando, he notado que estoy cansada de llevar la misma rutina, es como vivir un día de la marmota eternamente , levantarme a las 10am tomar clase de yoga, desayunar, repasar el inglés, comer, hacer ejercicio, comer, salir a correr y dormir y así todos los días desde que empezó esta cuarentena... Pero hoy decidí salir a caminar, eso es algo que siempre me ayuda a calmarme y pensar en las cosas que me atormentan, caminé hasta llegar a un lugar llamado Costanera Sur en Buenos Aires, descubrí que este es mi lugar favorito de la ciudad, el haber llegado ahí sin planearlo fue un regalo, cómo cuando sientes que ya todo está muy oscuro y entonces de pronto un arcoiris se asoma a lo lejos, así fue. Pienso que nada es para siempre, ni siquiera está monotonía que parece nunca acabarse, sé que no soy la única que se siente así, y que hay muchas personas que están allá afuera Trabajando para tener algo que comer o luchando contra el COVID, gente que quisiera poder estar a salvó en sus casas, pero su situación se los impide. Así que no me queda más que agradecer el poder tener un techo sobre mí, tener salud y comida. Si la situación no se puede transformar, entonces no me queda más que transformarme a mí.
March 17, 2021
Text & Image
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Photo sketch 1: Caption: So awkward. Covid days. Creating the illusion of characters being in one room for a play I wrote took lots of Zoom coordination. The play streamed, and I was happier with some moments more than others--- Zoom is tricky. I always seem to over express myself because it's easy to feel isolated and not heard or seen by others on Zoom. I'll often try a joke and get no response, and I end up wishing I had just kept quiet. Zooming can be lonelier than being by yourself.
March 17, 2021
Text & Image
Talk about how the events of recent months have affected either your work or your ability to work.
Forcing forsythia. It is still wintery here, but I derive a sign of hope from cutting early forsythia branches and bringing them indoors. This is called forcing, because it causes the branches to bloom weeks earlier than they will outdoors. One year ago I did the same with many vases of blooming forsythia placed around my apartment. This marked the beginning of the pandemic, and I hope that the flowers now mark the beginning of the end.
March 17, 2021
Text & Image
Talk about how the events of recent months have affected either your work or your ability to work.
Do you know what affects my ability to work? Dishes. Every time I walk past the kitchen sink, there are dishes to either wash or put in the dishwasher. Or they are in the dish rack and need to be put away. Remember that Beatles lyric, "I look at the floor, and I see it needs sweeping?". Once of the challenges about working from home during this pandemic is ignoring all the chores while I'm supposed to be working. Or I'll take a break to toss some laundry in the machine, run the Roomba, mop, scoop the kitty litter, clean out the fireplace, tidy the living room, or think about dinner. Who can concentrate on work at home? There's a reason people came up with the concept of offices. In my office, I have a much more limited range, so I get more work done. After I get vaccinated, and we get the okay to return to work, I look forward to going back to my office.
March 17, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
A year ago, our lives changed in ways we would have previously considered unthinkable. When in March 2020, schools switched to online teaching and we were working from home, we couldn't imagine that life a year later would not be back to normal. Although it was hard to manage the stress of work, the craziness of kids' online homeschooling, constant exposure to screens, and the incessant disruptions of everyday life, being together and working on projects was also a deep source of joy. Elementary school is now (thankfully) back in person, and I'm sharing a page my 5-year-old son brought home just a few days ago. I'm so glad he seems to have enjoyed building a shed together as much as I did.
March 17, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Every day gets a little bit better. This morning was spent with a friend harvesting a neighbor's tree of fresh lemons, oranges, and grapefruit. For the first time in many, many, months there was no talk of Covid. Just sunshine, laughter, and friendship. This simple task brings much joy.
March 18, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
My 11 year old is doing online school. He’s an only child and he is really lonely as we are social distancing and just moved to a new state during the pandemic. He is starting therapy in April. Worried about him.
March 18, 2021
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Do you feel like your life is going well right now? Has the pandemic changed this? If so, tell us about it.
March 11, 2021 Photo Sketch: Caption: This green dot has been the only way I've been able to "look" at my students, family members, my arts community, my activist friends, my church community. It's amazing to me that most of my interactions have been one dimensional for a full year now. It's like living in a new, flat dimension. Will people continuing zooming out of habit when Covid is over?
March 19, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
When a local doctor’s office cancelled our second Pfizer vaccination appointment due to lack of vaccine on hand, my husband and I, as seniors, were frantic. We scanned the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) for any nearby openings within the recommended time frame, but none were available. However, I just happened to access the website of a large healthcare system in our state and discovered that this system was partnering with the National Guard and other volunteers to stage a Monday through Saturday drive-through vaccination site in a neighboring county where second dose Pfizer vaccine walk-ins were permitted, as well as first doses by appointment. We jumped into our vehicle, drove 30 miles and ultimately joined a long and winding queue in a football stadium parking lot. After a two-hour procession, we steered our Silverado under a huge tent, rolled up our sleeves and received our final vaccinations. My husband of 41 years chuckled when he could see that I was having difficulty suppressing tears of relief and joy. (I couldn’t help it—after a year of anxiety and isolation—we are finally free to dream of the future and reboot our lives!) Nevertheless, I remain concerned for the elderly and the underprivileged who are struggling to locate available vaccines, make appointments and find transportation to vaccination centers. Government officials and policy makers need to work relentlessly to ensure that all citizens have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.
March 19, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham acted fast to slow the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020. Among other venues, hair salons closed for several weeks. My partner and I usually get our hair cut together every five weeks. I wasn't sure when we were going to be able to get a trim again. It was one of the stressors of the early stay-at-home pandemic period. I watched some Brad Mondo videos on how to cut hair, and tried trimming my bangs with kitchen scissors. The last time I cut my own bangs was when I was in second grade. How'd I do? Check out my yearbook photo where the results were immortalized. This time my haircut went better, but I thought "If I'm going to be doing this more, I better get the right tools." So I added a pair of hair cutting scissors to my next Amazon order. I was surprised by how much of a difference it made. The hair salons are back open now a year later, but if we have to return to do-it-yourself haircuts, I'm prepared.
March 19, 2021
Text & Image
Talk about how the events of recent months have affected either your work or your ability to work.
Since April 14, 2020, I've been creating a daily Haiku accompanied by an image and posting it on my Facebook page. This is my Haiku from March 11,2021 It's one year ago Global pandemic declared Worldwide lockdown starts
March 20, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
... Lions Gate Bridge from West Vancouver. You can just make out Mount Baker in Washington State it was so clear out. Spring is definetly here, flowers blooming. I feel like we are coming out of the long dark winter and things are looking up with the rollout of the vaccines... life can only get better!
March 21, 2021
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If you feel your mental health has changed since the pandemic started, talk a bit about how, and why.
I feel like I have gone through the whole grief cycle in the last year. First “it’ll never come over here” and “it won’t last”. Then great and anxiety about food supply chains and wishing desperately that we had room in our tiny house for a chest freezer. Then “what the hell people, wear your damn masks or we’ll all be trapped in our homes forever!” Many, many weeks of depression and palpable anxiety. And finally, in just the last week or two, something approaching acceptance. I’ve figured out a system that works for me while [my husband] is deployed, and hopefully will work for him when he gets back and we have to share the space again. E. has a good routine and social life with daycare and our daycare family bubble. I can bake amazing challah and pizza dough after making them both nearly every week for more than 50 weeks now. More and more people around me are getting vaccinated. Maybe soon I can be vaccinated. There is still a cynical voice in the back waiting to be let down or disappointed, but in general the optimist is winning.
March 21, 2021