Items

• 2020-09-01

  Incense, Prayer, and Wool

  One of the most profound sensory experiences I had over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic was the new yet comforting experiences that engaged all the senses of visiting St. Anthony the Great Monestary in Florence, Arizona. My first visit, I stayed for a long weekend. Visitors remaining at the monestary for more than a day are put to work on the grounds, aiding the monks in their daily work. I was put in the kitchen due to my previous experience in a commercial kitchen setting. The diet at the monastery is remarkably simple; a bean and rice soup, bread, and tangerines grown at the monastery. None of the smells of these foods were new or remarkable to me, but instead this provided an interesting aural experience. The monks pray constantly in everything they do, and kitchen work was no different. Low, repetitive Greek prayers were the only auditory input in the kitchen, aside from the hum of the dishwasher and the clinking of utensils against pots. Services were held in the early morning, around 3:00am. While making my way from the guests' lodging to the church, I heard a rhythmic wood-on-wood striking, reverberating across the monastery. I saw the source. A monk was striking a wooden board, suspended in the air by two chains, with two wooden mallets. This was essentially the call for the service to start. I later learned from another pilgrim that this practice was adopted by Greeks living in Ottoman-controlled Greece when restrictions on church bells were implemented. The service itself, too, was a sensory experience unlike any other. Sonorous Byzantine chants, clouds of aromatic incense, all lit by candlelight and a handful of small oil lamps. The sense of touch was also engaged; I felt the wool prayer rope in my hand, each knot a tactile counter for the number of prayers completed. Nearly every sense was full engaged in this temporary and much needed respite from the chaos of the outside world during uncertain times.
• 
  11/27/2020

  Cristiano Favazza Oral History, 2020/11/27

  C19OH
• 
  2020-08-11

  "The Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Florence’s Wine Windows" - Atlas Obscura

  The COVID-19 pandemic, aside from encouraging people to take up new hobbies, has encouraged people to look to the past for methods of dealing with the risks of the pandemic. In an article for Atlas Obscura, journalist Matthew Taub looks at how the people of Florence, Italy, have dealt with the new reality of COVID-19 by using a medieval innovation: wine windows. According to Taub, a wine window, or buchette del vino, is a type of medieval storefront common in Florence that dates back to the 17th century, when the plague commonly ravaged the population of the city. Insteading of risking exposure by entering an osteria, or bar, Florentines eager for wine and merriment were passed wine through a narrow window by metal plate. Shopkeepers would then sanitize the metal plates used to transfer money and products with vinegar. Over 200 wine windows have been tallied, or 1 for every city block. With the arrival of COVID-19, 5-6 restaurants in Florence have reactivated their wine windows to serve wine, as well as coffee and gelato. Aside from providing modern Florentine shoppers with safe access to red wine, these reopened wine windows are also raising awareness about Florence's medieval past and the necessity of preserving antique architecture.
• 
  03/30/2020

  Al Bailey Oral History, 2020/03/30

  Al Bailey grew up in the Midwest. He joined the Navy and worked on nuclear submarines for six years, has a degree in nuclear physics, worked in many nuclear power stations, and has been retired several times. He is an avid collector of paper money, enjoys ham radio, and is planning to go to law school this August. He has been married twice and has five children. Al and his wife Sara Bailey are currently living in Florence, Kentucky, with their youngest daughter Melanie. Sara is working in Kentucky at a chemical plant and is currently not required to stay home. Al’s life has been filled with many interesting events and experiences from his time in the military to 9/11 and more. In this interview, he reflects on current events related to COVID-19 and its political implications as well as how he and his family are handling the social distancing and isolation.
• 
  3/18/2020

  Florence (MA) Pie Bar social distancing sales

  The Pie Bar in my town created a system to keep selling food with zero customer contact. Sign in the window instructs people to call. (for pre-orders, you wave through the window to indicate you are there). They package order inside, then place on the care outside of the door. The person can only approach when the staff person is back in inside.