Covid-19 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Stopped by the Plague

We had a 2 week vacation trip planned. And it ended on Day 3. I had thought my sinuses were acting up, but to be careful I decided to have a Covid-19 test. It was a 1-hour quickie. Negative. Okay! Let’s go!

Our first stop was in Independence, CA, along the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, traveling on Hwy. 395. My husband had a cold, mild, some sniffles and a cough. On Day 3, we left Independence, and continued north. Next stop was to be Virginia City, NV. Well, as we moved further north, the air became cloudy and sooty. The smoke from the fires in NoCal was moving east, and I could smell it. So could Tom and Judy, Josh’s parents. Josh couldn’t. We had mints. We could all taste them – except Josh.

And so the decision was made: return home and have tests. It was the ethical thing to do. Josh’s test came back positive; mine was “presumed positive”, and the antigen tests Tom and Judy had came back negative. Ethical decision made, people and places were called, and now we are self-isolating until our next test on 9/13. Test results will be around 9/15.

So, stopped by the plague . . . and ethics. Neither Josh nor I felt sick other than a tad under the weather. Josh has is sense of taste and smell back about 95%.

We have plenty to do, despite being stuck at home. I have a sketchbook, planned to document the vacation, and so the first drawing is the Winnedumah Hotel, built in 1927 for the film industry back in the days when westerns were shot in the Owens Valley.

Reflections

The end of the year is here, and a strange year it has been. For me, it has not been a big change in the life I have been living since I retired, but if I were still working, it would have been a big change indeed. For so many others, the world just turned upside down, and not just in the US, but globally.

I feel like I am living in a bubble, but now, the walls are beginning to tighten closer to home. A few people I know have died, some from the virus, some from other issues, but the isolation necessary to keep from becoming infected means not being able to say goodbye or to spend time with others, or even help out if needed. I am of an age where my peers do die, which is just normal, but it is also sad when connections other than a Zoom or a text are not available.

I miss a good cup of coffee and chit-chat at Peet’s! I miss looking people straight in the eye and laughing or getting a hug.

As a result of needing to limit contact with the outside world, a trip to the market is like a major outing. People to talk to! I had my teeth cleaned a couple of weeks ago and it was like a spa day. Yacking with my sister and brother, especially this time of the year, brings back memories from days of yore. Just reading about the thrill of a vaccine – at last – for the Covid-19 virus and the reactions of parents in the 1950s to the polio vaccine is reliving history – so many things to be glad for because of research and science. Little things, big things – our lives are simple, complex, unpredictable, repetitive and dull – but all of these are the fabric of how we define ourselves and our world view. And, we need to find time to think, reflect, be grateful for those around us and our own individual selves. Connections all.

For some reason, while not the dreary parts of Hamlet’s soliloquy, I keep returning to the words:

What piece of work is a man, how noble in reason,
how infinite in faculties, in form and moving,
how express and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension,
how like a god!

And that is where my world lies – amorphous, strange, exhilarating, unknown – a fragility to be cherished in the here and now.

Back to Prison We Must Go!

Sung to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down:

Back to prison we must go! We must go!
Back to prison we must go, oh dreaded Covid!

As of this writing, 85% of California will be back on lock down. More than 50% of the state’s population is in my neck of the woods, specifically Southern California, and it begins at midnight tonight.

Regulations are designed to reduce the spread of Covid-19 as well to prevent a lack of ICU and hospital beds occurring.

I don’t find our restrictions so draconian as other places, nor are they as restrictive as when the first lock down began last spring. These are restrictions we can live with as we are not changing our lifestyles all that much. The only difference we have is a lack of family gatherings or a beer or coffee with friends. That makes it socially . . . isolated. Social isolation helps and hurts, as we all know.

California state mandates have fine details, which should be read, to get more informed information about the okay and not-okay. For instance, the newspapers are saying that households cannot mingle, but the state website, when I type in my county, states:

Small private gatherings

Are allowed outdoors only with modifications
– Masks and physical distancing required
– No more than 3 separate households attend (including the host’s)
– Gatherings should be 2 hours or less
– Those with symptoms must not attend
– Those at high risk of severe illness strongly encouraged not to attend
– Singing, shouting, chanting, cheering, or exercising strongly discouraged

See guidance for gatherings and holidays.

So, we could have a family Christmas gathering within specific parameters; however, I expect if we have one, it will be very, very small.

What I do not understand, and I would think this way even if I was much younger, is a failure to realize that this is not about me, but about us, meaning the good of everyone. I wonder if this is a characteristic of the American culture, this rugged individualism and selfishness. Do other countries experience this defiance of the collective for individual “rights” which endanger every other person? I expect so, but it seems that a failure to show consideration for others is more and more in the public eye, from the self-aggrandizement of “leaders” to ICU nurses bragging about flaunting safety outside the workplace.

Whatever the situation, we – my household and extended family – will embrace these restrictions for our own good and the good of others. If we stay healthy, we help others stay healthy.

Adaptation

Technology is taking over so much of our lives during this whole Covid-19 pandemic. Some of it is great, some is not so great. We won’t get into political meddling and hacking here, which really is fake news anyway! Instead, let’s look at how technology is at least keeping us all from living in isolation and ignorance, like troglodytes in a cave.

First off, let’s look at teleconferencing and meetings and phone calls. Being retired at just the right time, I don’t have to deal with converting classroom materials into online resources for free, that is, being expected to write curriculum on my own time. Many teachers I know are doing this, and the truth is, the amount of time they put in would cost a district far more than they would want to pay – that is, in the K-12 arena. While I am a proponent of in-class and in-person teaching, this virus precludes it from being realistic. Sadly, not everyone and every place has good internet connections, and not everyone can afford a computer or tablet, much less parents who can help. It’s just not realistic. But in the private realm, the TV-like qualities let us see family and friends face-to-face and enjoy their company. It helps, but does not replace in-person contact.

Besides phone calls and virtual medicine, I am entering into the new age with signing up for a virtual classroom this fall to continue the pastels class which was interrupted by the lockdown across the state of California. I have no idea how well it will go. The instructor struggled with the overhead projector, so I hope she is getting good training for the class. I know I would need it as I really don’t like that kind of stuff, particularly if I am expected to learn it on my own without pay. This was a hallmark of my school – you should be happy to donate your money and time to our students! (Yes, I was actually told that, but as an hourly employee, I expect to get paid – salaried would be a different story!) Back to the classroom. Other people I know have done this, and the results vary from person, teacher, etc. I’ll give it a shot.

Next, if you cannot teleconference, or don’t want to, you can meet in person. Social distancing does work, and it also helps to relieve the sense of isolation that builds with not having valuable time with people you like face-to-face. 3D is very important when it comes to people, I think! I like being around people. So, I am taking a chance and meeting up later this morning for a portrait drawing class in a park, on picnic tables, wearing a mask, bringing my alcohol spray and wipes, and settling down 6 feet apart. The weather is fine this morning, a bit misty, but is should burn off by the time class begins. I don’t think the risk is greater than going to the market. How people behave will determine if I go again.

However, not all education cannot be held outdoors or online! Where I live, outdoors is more do-able, but in the heat of the Arizona desert or in the blizzards of Frostbite Falls, MN, not so easily done. As we move along in this new world, we will find new ways of doing things. It is challenging and creative, as well as annoying and dispiriting. Human contact is important, and some of us need more and some need less. As a retired person, my world is now severely limited and human contact is usually going to the market. It is creating a level of mild depression, and that is not something that is easily dealt with at times.

This is why I am taking the risk of an outdoor drawing class – an activity with others, others with a shared interest. Before the pandemic, I had rejoined my photo club and weavers guild, started pastels and pencil portrait classes, and so on. Then, a screeching halt. A few months of isolation is okay, but months and months begins to wear you down. We all need to decide how to adapt to our new times. We take classes, connect outdoors with those we love, exercise, whatever – but in the end, I really believe we all need face-to-face human contact. At least I have that opportunity and access to good technology (and an IT guy for a spouse to help), and a willingness to try new things. And a willingness to risk it with sensible precautions.

There Were Three Jolly Fishermen

It was a bright day out on the Ventura Pier, soon after the heavy stay-at-home ban had been lifted. Lots of people out and about, enjoying the sun and a sense of freedom. These guys were really fascinated by my camera – a Yashica Mat D TLR – and were willing to pose when asked. Not a bad catch, so to speak!

Yashica Mat D, Kodak Portra 400.