Sidetracked Charley

Life Finds a Way   My sister, the nurse who has worked this pandemic, says no. But this Thursday there was a glimmer of hope. The CDC said those of us who had received both vaccines and made it past the two week max antibody development marker could go without masks. Outdoors or indoors in less than max capacity situations but maybe not maintaining social distancing go barefaced into this brave new world. For me the news hit just as I was getting dressed to meet with other artists to decide if we could actually have an art season. I paused in my search for a mask (one of hundreds I made during this last year) to match my outfit. I did not abandon it but put it in my jacket pocket just in case. You never know. But I had decided to attend this event because I knew everyone who would likely be attending. They were all vaccinated. I had been keeping track on posts in social media. Our numbers are always small so it would not be packed. They would all be respectful of others. And if I a...

Has it occurred to anyone yet that we are at that special time when Trump said it would just go away? It is even worse than that. We are at that part of the calendar when most viruses seem to go dormant. And we are having infection rates of 70,000 a day. If this is the lull before the fall second peak what will that look like? And heaven forbid flu season this winter. Wondering, if we survive, if this time will go down in history as the second dark ages. We seem to be denying science and throwing truth sayers under the bus, calling out the troops on those demanding a hearing on their grievances. Can we be very far away from burning witches. Okay, I admit we seldom burned them. Joan of Arc maybe. We drowned them, hung drawn and quartered them, stoned them, pressed them, tortured them to death. And at one time in England, during the Black Death, we locked them in the house with all their relatives sick or well and waited for them to all die. Then landlords could rent the pro...

March to the End of Day I am a loner. The term these days is introvert. When I was a child my mother called me painfully shy. I stuttered so that seemed to fit. I chose the edges of life. The corners of a room, the far side of the playground beyond the swings. And because of my chosen position I became an observer. I admit to being a people watcher. But I would rather watch four footed animals. They behave better. Humans can be inspirational but they often disappoint me. The pandemic has been education in human nature. In adversity people show who they really are. I got a political call yesterday. I quickly informed the caller I had already mailed in my ballot. He impressed me when he didn't ask if I had voted for his candidate but congratulated me in voting by mail. He then asked if I needed anything. Did I have masks, and enough food? Or just someone to talk to. I informed him I was making masks for as many of my friends as I could. And in spite of two garden fails had f...

I had no sooner finished the previous blog when I found myself asking who was I just the day before. Or the minute before I read the article which made such a difference in how I saw my future. The glib answer is, "The same me." But I know that isn't so. If it was then the article would not have had such an impact. I knew we were facing dark days. I knew it was very important to resist the direction this clown and his party were taking our country. I knew I had zero in common with any of them. But I also knew I had friends who I cut off because after the election they became someone I did not recognize. It was as if the election of Donald Trump had given them permission to use his words and his mocking tone, and his rude and crude behavior. It was almost as if pussy grabbing was contagious or at least I was afraid it was contagious. Yesterday, I was totally fine with the loss of those few friends almost as if I believed it was a temporary quarantine. I would c...