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2022-04-17
Still Masking!
This is a Twitter update by myrabatchelder. This woman is saying how grateful she was for people that avoided large gatherings this year for Easter, yet is being made to share space with unmasked neighbors going to big events. -
2022-01-03
It finally happened
We’re two months short of the two year anniversary of the Covid outbreak here in the US. My family of four followed the rules, masked up, quarantined and my husband and I were vaccinated as soon as we were able. This holiday season we found ourselves living life as we had before Covid, we got too comfortable. Our children are small and we were still unsure if we wanted to get our six year old vaccinated. We went into public spaces unvaccinated, participated in all the family Christmas festivities and then we got sick. I thought it was a cold at first and then one day it dawned on me that my sense of smell and taste were gone. Then the guilt and shame set in. We got too comfortable, we lost sight of the fact that Covid is not gone. People are still dying. My husband and I are fine, it’s like a cold with the added adventure of not being able to taste anything. I worry for my kids though. I feel guilty that we didn’t get my oldest vaccinated. I hate to watch her fight this with only over the counter medication to help her. I feel for my three year old. I hope they don’t get worse. This was a rude awakening for us all, Covid is not gone. -
2020-09-19
PHOTOS: How The World Is Reinventing Rituals
This article captures images of the continuations of and changes in rituals around the globe during the pandemic. -
2021-07-13
New daily COVID-19 cases in US have doubled in past 3 weeks
The COVID-19 curve in the U.S. is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And all but two states — Maine and South Dakota — reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks. -
2020-12-01
Hannah Rand Illustration Wear a Mask
The best gift you could give this season is wearing a mask • • • • #ladieswhodesign #girlsmakingmagic #creativewomen #womenwhodraw #creativeasswomen #typingfeminism #letteringcommunity #letteringlove #femaleartist #womenofdesign #typetopia #womenofillustration #justgirlproject #femmetype #goodtype #typeyeah #editorialillustration #beautyillustration #fashionillustration #feministjazzy #womenoftype #typeoftheday #wearamask #wearyourmask #staysafe #stayhome #holidayseason -
2020-12-25
Jesus will understand if you stay home during a pandemic
One of the first things my parents did when they retired and moved to Arizona was find a church. I was very vocal about wanting them to wait to return to large group gatherings but for some strange reason, they seemed to think that they couldn't get covid in church. My mom thought that after all the hardships brought on by the pandemic she needed to be back in church. A month later my dad got sick. We all naively thought it was the flu until I saw the shortness of breath. I told him to get sick and sure enough, he tested positive. Two weeks later my mom contracted Covid. I was hoping it wouldn't hit them too bad but my mom is a diabetic and they are older (late 50's and mid 60's) so I was a bit worried. As the days went by neither of them was getting better. My parents were sick through the holidays, I made Christmas dinner and we ate "together". I dropped off food at their front door then went to their back window where my kids and I ate picnic style. After three visits to the ER for my dad and four for my mom we finally started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I have lost many people to Covid, but it never hit me as hard as when I thought I was going to lose my parents. Thankfully, it was a massive lesson learned for my parents that covid spreads even in the church. -
2020-12-01
Tea Time Together
I am very close with my mom, and used to regularly visit my grandmother, but I moved across the country right before Covid-19 and was unable to visit this year. I was feeling extremely homesick during the fall, as my grandmother and I have birthdays near each other and usually celebrate together but we were unable to do so this year. While my grandmother and I did send letters and cards to each other and I facetime with my mom fairly often, I was still experiencing a feeling of loss and a lack of connection. To bring us together, my mom proposed that the three of us all use the same tea advent calendar to celebrate the holidays. We all got the same mug, the same tea set, and spent the month of December enjoying tea from three different places, which allowed us to feel a sense of togetherness, even when we are apart. -
2021-02-02
It's a pandemic, let there be cake
I was at the supermarket this morning and bought a King Cake on impulse. It was pretty pricey for a supermarket cake ($17). But, it only took me 3 seconds to justify it, my 6 yo has been out of school for a year (she’s learning online, but it’s not the same). The 2 yo is also home and they both get stir crazy. I have really found memories of eating King Cake every year at my best friend’s house, they lived in Louisiana and brought the tradition with them to Michigan. The fun, in addition to cinnamon, bread, and icing, is that there’s a small plastic baby inside the cake that someone will find in their piece. I hid the baby in the cake this morning and told the kids they could have a piece after eating breakfast. The tradition is that finding the baby is good luck, and depending on where you are, you might have to make the next cake. -
2021-01-31
My Second COVID Christmas
My wife and I just had our second COVID Christmas, this time with my mom's side of the family. Because very few on that side can work remotely, almost everyone has had and survived COVID due to work exposures over the past six months. Until we're able to secure vaccines, I also expect at least some of us will have to endure a second round of illness. Having Christmas in January was a strange experience, much like Baseball in November from 2001. I'm glad we finally got to assemble for a few days, and I appreciated most everyone's responsibility with their conduct. My sister is a nurse and treats the pandemic with too little respect. Although she's potentially outside her immunization period, she still acts as though she's chock full of antibodies capable of defeating every new identified strain. AND, she waited until we'd all been together for a full day to reveal her boyfriend has had COVID symptoms for a few days but refuses to be tested. Beyond the drama and anxiety that inspired, I'm grateful to have seen my grandmother, and I'll be even more grateful to know that she doesn't develop signs or symptoms of illness in the coming days. The lesson I learned from this family function is that I can't trust those closest to me to candidly assess the risks those pose to the rest of us. They can't differentiate between their right to make their own health choices and my right to do the same. My understanding was that we had all been sufficiently careful for several weeks to ensure no one would bring COVID to the Christmas celebration, and I was wrong. My bad. I promise it won't happen again, and I won't attend another family function without being vaccinated first, at least not with my sister or a clear, deliberate, and sworn confirmation that everyone I see has been sufficiently cautious. This entire pandemic at this point for me is a balance between mental and physical health, and it turns out they can't both win. -
2021-01-13
Covid Holidays
My family normally meets at my parent's house for Christmas every year with my Dad's infamous filet minion dinner. However, I have not been there in-person for the past decade or so because I always work on Christmas. Unfortunately (or I suppose fortunately), paramedics are needed to staff ambulances on holidays. Though I did not work on Christmas this year, I was still unable to go to the family party due to Covid. The biggest difference this year for me was that for the first time, I was not the only family member who participated in the holiday party remotely. This is not to say that I was happy that my family could not get together like normal, but there was something oddly comforting to not being the only person on zoom/whats app/etc. during the holidays. Everyone prepared their own dinners at home, we jumped on zoom and did a family toast and showed each other our respective meals. We all logged off to eat and then jumped back on to continue to celebrate the holiday and do the annual secret Santa exchange. Overall, it was a more normal holiday for me than for the rest of my family, but it was overall a great Christmas. -
2020-12-14
Santa to the rescue
This holiday, we were on an emergency stay at home order. Solano County advised that all gatherings should cease. Meaning that our holiday was unfortunately canceled. My family has been working hard to adhere to the rules and orders, but we are all feeling a little exhausted from it all. I especially wanted to visit my parents in Oregon. Originally, we were thinking of getting tested for Covid right before we headed up to Oregon. But my mom being a medical worker did not feel that she could guarantee our safety. So for a little change in our routines, we made hot cocoa at home and filled up our new mugs. We got warm and cozy (All in our jammies and hats) and piled into the car with blankets. Then we drove to a local neighborhood that is well known for its holiday spirit. The locals call these streets Lollypop Lane, and it adjoins with a road we call Candy Cane Lane. We just cruised in a big loop listening to Christmas music for hours. Whatever, the kids were happy and we felt like we were doing something out of the ordinary for the first time in a long time. At one house, a man dressed as Santa yelled to the children in their cars and told them that he knew they had been good. It was sweet. All and all we went looking for Christmas lights every few days. -
2021-01-01
Japanese New Years Open House Covid-19 Style
This picture shows how my family celebrated our annual Japanese New Years Open House during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The annual event in my household is one of an open house where there is lots of food, friends, conversations, and wishing of a Happy New Year and blessings to them and/or their family. This year the pandemic affected our annual event by not allowing anyone to come except one person besides our household. This event means a lot to us as we are a multi-racial family with various ethnicities and heritages. We make dishes that bring new and exciting food choices to people who normally would not be exposed to this cuisine. -
2020-11-26
Social Holidays: Christmas How to tell family their Christmas gathering is too risky and you're not going
This article provides tips on how to best celebrate Christmas holidays and encourages Canadians to stay home. -
2020-11-26
My COVID-19 Story
During my COVID-19 Thanksgiving, I only gathered with people I have been in touch before. Thanksgiving that day never felt like a normal Thanksgiving, but it felt forced like we were supposed to act normal and there was not a pandemic. The restrictions for covid were not even allowing us to have family over so technically my family. During the day, I had some fun with my cousins(they live across the street) and had the weirdest Thanksgiving dinner. I could barely gather with anyone and it was very quiet-my family has already been around each other so we really had nothing to talk about much. Overall, I am hoping for change and I do hope people stay at home more to get over this pandemic so we can live we did before this whole situation. -
2020-12-07
Santa's Naughty List Pandemic Season
A friend shared this on her Facebook page. I wanted to share it, but this type of imagery is so polarizing that it's sometimes exhausting to get into a social media battle. I do think about unfriending people who don't think COVID is real and don't want to wear masts. The truth is, one only need to look at Australia to see that strong public health restrictions actually do stop/slow community spread. Anyway, if there were a Santa he'd say put your mask on and be jolly about it. -
2020-11-19
The Holidays Will Be Different This Year
The New Mexico Department of Health, created a short video encouraging people not to gather for holidays such as Thanksgiving. It is said that large gatherings increase the odds of transmitting or getting the COVID-19 virus. The video clip shows a family gathered for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, however they are communicating through their online devices. The conversations have not changed, just they way they interact. Every year my family gathers to enjoy a meal with one another. Holidays will be differnt in 2020, we will not be gathering but we can still speak and interact online. -
2020-07-22
Black Friday for Walmart Employees
What I have submitted is important to me, because while I have worked retail and understand the important of everyone being able to share Thanksgiving with their families and friends and also the importance of everyone’s safety during the pandemic, I happen to be someone that did not celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving day. My family was always working and instead of being home alone on the holiday, I went shopping by myself, or if I was lucky, with a friend. I’m beyond ecstatic for retail workers that will finally get to spend the holiday with their families and friends as some have not had the holiday off in over 20 years. Perhaps this year, we as a family, will celebrate on Thanksgiving day for the first time in almost 15 years. -
2020-10-31
Tour Virtual por Halloween al cementerio Presbítero Maestro
Evento virtual para celebrar Halloween en Lima, Perú. Están ofreciendo un tour virtual del cementerio Presbítero Maestro. Por s./ 19 se pueden recibir un enlace para visitar el pabellón de suicidas, el pabellón de niños y no nacidos, tumbas de asesinos, zonas de brujería, tumbas de ex presidente y más. Los datos son lo siguiente: No vamos a permitir que por esta pandemia te pierdas la experiencia de Halloween en el cementerio mas misterioso y antiguo de Lima. Así que nuestro equipo de grabación irá al cementerio esa noche para traerte este recorrido virtual EN VIVO para que lo disfrutes desde donde estés, con la misma chispa y emoción como si estuvieras allí. -
2020-10-12
A Covid-19 July 4th, 2020
One of my favorite holiday rituals is to go to a park, lay a blanket down, enjoy a picnic with my circle of family and friends along with the many other groups who are also awaiting the start of the fireworks show. The aromas of barbecued items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn wafting in the air mixing with other ethnic delights are reminders of the diversity of this country. I open the doors of my Jeep, connect my iPhone and select my July 4th playlist to share with the people around me. In the distance I hear other groups talking and commenting on the music; it's nice to have background music as the show begins. "What's a July 4th show without the good 'ole '1812 Overture'?" is a common remark. The attraction of the fireworks, at least to me, is being there to hear the reverberation and smell the sulphur as they explode in the air besides the visual display. Timing the music to the show, especially the finale, is my annual challenge; one that I've been somewhat successful several years in a row. This year's holiday was spent indoors, by myself. I just didn't have the energy or interest to go to the bother of barbecuing for just me. My friends and family were all hunkered down at their respective homes. To observe July 4th via TV was just not same. For me, there would be no physical sensation of the sounds or of the smells that are so closely associated with the holiday. So, I passed on recognizing July 4th as a holiday...it was just another Covid-19 day in the year 2020. -
2020-08-29
Halloween in August
After 5.5 months in quarantine, we are bored. Like really bored. My kids starting asking if we could put up Halloween decorations around August 10th. We love Halloween. My birthday is even on Halloween. But Halloween decorations in August is a bit much - even for me! After a few weeks, asking turned into begging. By August 29th I decided "What the heck?! Let's do it. Halloween in August it is!" The kids, in their matching candy corn pajamas, had a blast decorating the house and trying on old Halloween costumes. Now let's hope we can keep the excitement up for 2 months until Halloween actually arrives! -
2020-07-01
COVID-19 pandemic unmasks anger on Parliament Hill, picnickers elsewhere
"As Dominion carillonneur Andrea McCrady played her 30-minute afternoon Canada Day concert on the Peace Tower’s 53 bells, pounding out The Log Driver’s Waltz, a megaphoned preacher (of sorts) was standing on the ledge of the Centennial flame urging listeners to 'repent and be converted,' while refusing to budge for tourists hoping for a clear selfie shot ('I was here first,' he rebuffed one visitor in Old Testament style). At the same time, an array of organized speakers addressed the crowd, warning of people like George Soros and 'so-called medical experts.' "'Our plan,” said one, 'is to infect as many people as we can with the truth.'" A news article describing events in Ottawa on Canada Day. Usually the streets, and particularly Parliament Hill are packed with thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of revelers as the Capital city is the centrepiece for celebrations across the country. The article discusses people going for walks and picnics but also protesting a variety of issues on The Hill; everything from Black Lives Matter to "5G Kills" or stating that wearing a mask is a violation of rights.