Monday Morning

I decided I didn’t want to go out there this morning. It snowed overnight and threatened to snow more. The sky was the color of the ground, white.

I messaged with friends instead. One friend, in California, sent a video of her rescuing a swarm of bees. She was sitting in her car, wearing bee-protective gear, with a loud swarm of of bees in a couple of boxes on the back seat. Then she sent a video of her rescuing a goat that had somehow strayed onto the street. Another friend, in Santa Fe, sent photos of a hawk and a wild turkey that decided to live on his street.

If only we would use this pandemic as a new beginning. Have you seen the photos from around the world that show sights that hadn’t been seen in decades? Mount Everest in the distance, long obscured by pollution. Vistas that had been hidden by dirty air. Maybe we should not go back to business as usual. Perhaps this should be a new year zero.

Under Our Noses

Coronavirus patients around the world have reported the complete disappearance of their ability to smell, a condition called anosmia. Large surveys from Iran and the United Kingdom suggest that 50–60 percent of people infected with the virus have experienced anosmia.

And

Various studies have found that a majority of young people would sooner give up their sense of smell than their smartphone or computer. But those who have the misfortune to lose it quickly change their minds.

Under Our Noses, by Scott Sayare | Harper’s Magazine

I have heard that some people regain their sense of smell after they beat the Rona, but others don’t. This is a most puzzling virus. Some people have zero symptoms, others barely notice that they are sick, and some get very very ill and die. Is the reason for that genetic? Does it have anything to do with diet or habits? Could it have something to do with our personal zoo, those one hundred trillion critters that live in and on us? The human microbiome… Perhaps the presents or absence of a microbe decides whether you live or die.

Would you give up your phone for your sense of smell?

Photos

I am documenting this experience not only with those photographs of empty Santa Fe streets but also with lots of images I take around the house every day.

From Drumheads to Faceshields

Faceshield catcarousel 1177x540

D’Addario, the company who’s guitar strings I have used for the last thirty years, is producing face shields in their Evans drumhead facility:

The goal is to be in production by April 27th, producing up to 100,000 face shields per week. In many ways, the Dynatomy Face Shield is transforming D’Addario from a music accessories company into a medical necessities company.

“It’s our intention to manufacture these shields as long as they’re needed in New York or anywhere around the globe. We’ve watched the incredible efforts of our healthcare and essential services workers all across the world with great admiration. While we cannot match the immeasurable efforts of these selfless heroes, we feel an immense responsibility to do our part in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.”

Bravo!