Items

• 2020-04

  The Unseen Heroes: A Tribute to Essential Workers

  In the turbulent maelstrom of the COVID-19 pandemic, a silent but terrifying force has emerged: the workforce needed They were the unsung heroes of our time, navigating the treacherous waters of the mind uncertainty and fear to keep the public afloat. When I think about the impact of COVID-19, I am drawn to their stories, their sacrifices and their resilience. Each day as I scoured the news, filled with alarming statistics and heartbreaking stories, I couldn’t help but marvel at the dedication of these individuals. And from the health care workers fighting on the front lines, to the store clerks making sure things stay on the shelves, to the delivery drivers braving the delivery of vital supplies to our doors and them courage and selflessness are beacons of hope in the darkest of times. I remember a particularly poignant moment when I saw a picture of a nurse in protective gear holding the hand of an elderly patient. The painting spoke volumes about compassion and human connection in the face of loneliness. And it captures the essence of the epidemic: struggle, solidarity and the unwavering spirit of humanity. But amidst the chaos, there were also moments of beauty and resilience. I stumbled upon a series of Instagram posts featuring acts of kindness - neighbors helping each other, community members rallying to support local businesses, and strangers offering words of encouragement through virtual forums. This gesture was small, but powerful in its impact and served as a reminder that humanity triumphs even in the darkest of times Sharing these stories and ideas reminds us of the importance of documenting our collective experiences during this period of history The pandemic dramatically changed our world, leaving an indelible mark on our collective consciousness . . . . By preserving this information, we ensure that future generations understand not only the challenges we faced but also the strength and compassion that emerged in response.
• 2020-03-31

  Covid: My Experience in the Pandemic

  Covid: My Experience in the Pandemic The pandemic was an unforgettable experience for my family, as well as countless others. During a time of struggle, we faced many unforeseen challenges that were somewhat difficult for our developing minds to comprehend. Not to mention, the greater the understanding, the greater our issue seemed to be. However, in a time of dread, it became a blessing eventually. In the beginning, it was more of an adjusting period. The idea of quarantine rocked our worlds as we could no longer be out and about. Attempting to find creative solutions seemed challenging, which led us to free meals from different businesses attempting to be of service. Not to mention, on Sundays, we were unable to go to church. However, this soon became a blessing as we began doing “church at home”, which quickly led to a strong family bond. Around the middle of covid, things became slightly easier. We were beginning to adapt to the challenges presented to us. We began working with our neighbors’ family to complete online school, which formed an unbreakable bond with them as well. The grandmother of the house made everything go smoothly, and she supported us over the years. Moreover, in previous years, she would work with my siblings and I to ensure our success in academics. Finally, the end of covid felt like the worst. The transition back to school was not without its tribulations. Others like me had lost their sense of self, acting irrationally. In the midst of it all, the grandmother of our neighbor's family caught covid. Unfortunately, she didn't make it. It took a long time, but we came to terms with it and we were truly blessed to have met her and blessed because she was a chapter in our lives. In conclusion, my family as well as my neighbors’ felt the challenges of covid. However, instead of separating us, covid (ironically) brought us closer together than ever before. From bad to blessed, from terrible to terrific, a great tragedy ended up being a valuable experience. In the end, I'm thankful for covid shaping my character and strengthening my loved ones.
• 
  2022-09-11

  Covid-19 Reflection - Our Social Society

  My reflection on the initial shift in social norms in Tampa, Florids
• 
  2022-04-11

  Mom, what is hypocrisy?

  This is an Instagram post by childishscum. This is a meme where someone has overlaid a fake conversation in order to show a point. What the poster is arguing is that the same people saying "Free Ukraine" are also the ones wanting more lockdowns in their own cities and towns. "Freedom" in this case is taken very broadly, where fighting against an invasion for freedom is being conflated with wanting lockdowns lifted.
• 
  2021-07-06

  HIST30060: NO BASKETBALL FOR ALL!

  The local basketball courts near my house were closed due to risk of contamination with COVID-19, much to the dismay of my sweet young neighbours.
• 
  2021-08-14

  "Ways to Connect Despite Social Distance: Empower Ecuador"

  When being part of the program Empower: Ecuador at my school, we were preparing ourselves to travel to Guayaquil, Ecuador to be present with the families in the community. The families in the community were called our neighbors. Prior to traveling and meeting families in person, each person from the class was given a bookmark with a picture of a neighbor and a brief description of who they were. We were supposed to pray for the person selected and have him/her in our hearts until we meet them in person. Due to COVID-19, we were never able to meet these people whom we felt very close to and it was very sad. Therefore, we were tasked with the beautiful idea of writing letters to them about our prayers and best wishes for them in times of trouble. After a couple of months, I received a message through Messenger, and to my surprise, it was the person I wrote the letter to. She was thanking me for the letter and for how happy she felt when she received it. Also, she shared the desire to get to know me more through social media. It was a beautiful moment and proof of how we could connect with each other despite the social distance. To express this story I am sharing a screenshot of a conversation through Facebook (messenger) with a neighbor from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She is telling me that she received the letter I sent and how grateful she is for it.
• 
  2020-03-15

  Empower: Ecuador - Canceled (Personal Experience)

  I was part of the group of student that was preparing themselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically to go to Ecuador and be present with a community in Guayaquil. During this class and for the entire semester we were in retreats together, reading, journaling, and sharing our hearts with each other. We built a community and were deeply connected with the mission of the program and the desire to go to Ecuador and meet the neighbors. However, exactly a couple of days before traveling the lockdown happened, and the plans were canceled. We did not know that the world was going to change so suddenly and immediately. I clearly remember the meeting we had to announce that the trip was canceled and how most of us were filled with sadness and crying. Afterward, we kept being in connection to Ecuador with our prayers and writings. We even wrote some letters to our neighbors in Ecuador. So, this story is to reflects how we can be in connection and engagement with others even during times of depression and distance and how in specific this program had to adapt through COVID-19. To express the story I chose the screenshot of an Instagram post from the Community Engagement Office at St. Mary's University.
• 2020-03-21

  Gardening During the Apocalypse

  I can't think of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shut downs and lock-ins, the stay-at-home orders without thinking of my brief foray into gardening. My husband and I bought our house in northwest Baltimore in April 2019. Our little duplex sits near the end of an unbelievably picturesque street in a fairly affluent neighborhood known for its garden communities and HOA-hosted wine and cheese parties you have to pay to attend. The neighborhood is surrounded by much poorer neighborhoods and heavily-trafficked streets, the direct product of red-lining in Old Baltimore. While the Original Northwood neighborhood is much more diverse - demographically and economically - than it was when it was first established in the 1930s and 1940s, my husband and I, as some of the only residents under 40, still felt like we didn't necessarily fit in with our older, more well-to-do neighbors, despite absolutely adoring our little home, which had been lovingly renovated and reimagined by its previous tenants. Come March 2020, however, the noise from the crowded streets, the surrounding neighborhoods, and from our own neighborhood, died down substantially. Our streets and its surrounds have always been a great place to go for a walk, but now every day people were strolling by in ones and twos, sometimes in small family units. Everyone needed to get out of the houses they were now cooped up in, and I was no exception. Much to my mother's chagrin - and likely to my neighbors' embarrassment - I did not inherent my mother's green thumb. Because I am a millennial I found an app that identifies plants and set about rooting out weeds, pruning the flowers the previous tenants had not intended for me to neglect, picking up the endless stream of leaves from our several 100+ year old trees, digging up more weeds and debating with my husband about whether we should start an herb and vegetable garden or put in a patio in the little garden area that connects our front and back yards. I did not become proficient at gardening. I am much better than I was, however, at identifying the truly astonishing diversity of plants in my own garden and in my neighborhood by scent and even touch. I learned that the dried and withered allium stalks pull effortlessly out of the ground after they die, that African violets also give way to a gentle scooping from the earth, and that thistle, of course, will still try to prick you as it attempts to cling to the soil. I learned that those thin but tough shoots of elm and oak born from the seeds and acorns the squirrels missed not only grow rapidly, but are extraordinarily difficult to rip from the earth. And no matter how much seemingly-delicate clover one claws at, its roots will always remain beneath the surface, as virulent in a day or two as when one earlier tore at it in complete dismay of its sheer stubbornness. I did not become proficient at gardening. But I did relish the feeling of cool, damp earth underneath my hands, even in my fingernails, the crunch of dry leaves, the slick sliding of wet leaves, the red, angry weals left on my hands from those stubborn oaks. I felt accomplished as I pulled lovely, but ultimately threatening African violets and wild raspberry from underneath the spreading cover of the hostas, and as I pulled wild mint, lemon, and rosemary for tea and cooking. I told myself I'd use the ramps (a species of wild onion that smells and tastes sort of of like a combination between garlic and scallions) in a soup, as a college roommate of mine had done, but I forgot to harvest them in time. From what I recall, summertime is best, particularly late summertime. The other thing I remember about this time spent in my garden, hands in the dirt, sweat on my brow, bug bites inflaming every available inch of skin, is the new sense of connection I felt with my neighbors who stopped to wave hello, nod and smile at my gardening efforts. Neighbors who I hadn't gotten to know before the pandemic which now prevented us, due to fear of contamination from contact with other people, from truly getting to know each other still. But somehow, the simple act of being out in my garden, doing this simple, repetitive toil, made me feel like I was participating in a ritual, an activity that linked me to the less unsavory past of the community, and to neighbors who otherwise might have remained alien in a plague environment that seemed to bring a new apocalypse with every week.
• 
  2020-03-13

  Plight of a single Father

  Forcibly grown neighborhood community in the height of a pandemic.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Hawaiian party at home!

  Triggers Hawaiian Party Our experience through Covid and the lockdowns have greatly affected every aspect of social life from 2020 through 2021, this is a photo of Alan Montgomery (left) and Jake Montgomery (right) getting ready to celebrate Triggers (the dog) adoption and birthday via Hawaiian theme. Usually, we invite lots of friends and their pets to Trigger’s birthday/adoption day, but due to the virus, we kept it very small with just three other people and 2 of Trigger’s favorite playmates. Due to the severity and potential for spreading the virus we all wore masks at least until the drinks and food were delivered, needless to say, this pandemic has been very difficult for everyone, and having a small social gathering like this felt very good and in someways reminded me of how things were before Covid-19 created such chaos in peoples lives. The devastation of life and liberties at the time of this party greatly increased, and many small parties or gatherings were looked down on by not just friends and neighbors but the federal government and media as a whole. Parties like this were very difficult to metastasize due to the lockdown and extreme potential for spreading the deadly virus. This little Hawaiian party for Trigger might at first seem silly but it was our way of coping and normalizing during the lockdown and in some ways, it helped my friends and family feel a strong sense that things would eventually return to normal. This party was pre-vaccine so the risks were high but everyone tried to be very careful, washing their hands and face with soap and water and wearing masks through the duration of Triggers birthday. In many ways, this photo represents the determination and willpower my friends and family were willing to go to in order to carry on life as usual and to never surrender their liberties even when such a deadly and contagious virus was hurting so many, all while facing obscurity by others at the time.
• 
  2020

  Neighbourhood walks

  Some pictures of my local neighbourhood walks within my 5km radius of Albert Park, Prahran and South Yarra. Some cute and creative things that people did to brighten other peoples' walks. All taken during the long lockdown in Melbourne between August and December 2020.
• 
  2021-01-14

  D.C. Kept Swimming Open During the Pandemic. It May Have Saved Me.

  This is a story I wrote in Washington, D.C. in January 2021, during the pandemic, and in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. I had taken up swimming during the pandemic because the city happened to keep some pools open for lap swimming. This new activity brought me solace and comfort during a very difficult time for our city, our nation, and for me personally. This story captures all of this and distills it into a single poignant and emotional moment of solitude and togetherness at the end of the story.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Guerrilla Gardening in the Time of COVID-19

  The operation will take only a few minutes. I don my mask and slip the gloves and pruning shears into my back pocket and take to the streets. Walking briskly, I pass a row of 1900s brownstones, each with a small garden plot in front. On this block the specialty is roses, and every home seems to have a different variety growing. Towards the corner, there is a house with its iron gate ajar, and an overstuffed mailbox by the front door. I had already removed two small bags of garbage and moldering cardboard and a crushed toy fire helmet from the front yard, and also ripped out a row of mugwort that was blocking the big rosebush. I don’t know what variety they are – a peach-colored hybrid, with massive blooms that bent the rose stalks down. I deadhead the big old roses and the stalks spring up, attempting to gash my face. One does nick my arm, and I wipe the blood off on my mask, not thinking that I have left a red splotch of blood in its center, like a tiny pair of lips. Pretty soon I have collected about thirty roses – all massive and past their prime and bring them home in a plastic bag I brought with me. I don’t think anyone would mind, and I am sure the person who planted these roses doesn’t mind. A hybrid rose plant like this needs a lot of tending, but the blooms are enormous. As part of my quarantine routine, I take walks in the early morning. After a while, I got tired of seeing weeds hiding the “nice” plants and began reflexively pulling them. It was fun! Especially after a rainfall, when the weeds pulled out so effortlessly. After a few minutes work I would have a sheaf of shepherd’s purse, lambsquarter and mugwort under my arm. Fortunately, there is always an empty construction yard in our rapidly developing neighborhood, and that’s where most of my weeding crop ends up, lobbed over the green construction fence. Nobody has ever bothered me, except for the times older women will ask if I eat the weeds. Since the trees planted by the city have little tags on them that give tips on how to take care of them, including one that instructs citizens to keep the tree pits free of weeds, I consider that my carte blanche. “I work for Bette Midler!” I want to tell somebody, but nobody asks. Some houses show evidence that they were owned by gardeners that took a lot of pride in their plants but abandoned them this year. I see mugwort and lambsquarter cropping up in beds of well-tended plants –gardens that might have received some care earlier in the season but, for some reason, have been untouched these past few months. I reach over and – yank –problem solved. I know they would do it, if they were able. One home I pass by regularly had an infestation of mugwort that covered some nice lilies and other shrubs. After a few days I had cleared all the mugwort out, and stopped by every so often to rip the tiny mugwort sprouts that persisted – some of the roots are tough, baseball-sized clumps that live for years, and you often find odd things wound up in them like bottle caps and corks. This past week, our local news had the notice of the death a Haitian doctor in our neighborhood of longstanding repute, who had died of COVID-19. For the obituary, they showed not a photo of the man, but of his doctor’s office, which was the old house where I had been waging my war against mugwort. So many have died in our neighborhood – so many gentle people who once sunned themselves in front of their houses and apartment buildings and maintained the cheery tradition of saying hello to all neighbors. When they moved here, Flatbush was cheap, and a family from Trinidad or Guyana could buy decent homes for an affordable price, in what was then a highly unfashionable neighborhood. The untended gardens of my older neighbors are hard to miss, when you know what to look for. “Maybe they just went out of state, you don’t know,” say my kids, when I showed them the peach-colored rose bush I had been surreptitiously tending. They were horrified, and nervous that I was breaking a law. My daughter even closed and latched the small iron gate, while sternly looking at me, warning that I could get arrested, or worse. But I’ll be back. Those roses need me.
• 
  2021-04-19

  Covid, my Next Door Neighbor

  John, a close family friend who lived in the corner house at the end of our neighborhood. John, a father who held the best Fourth of July and New Years’ Eve Party growing up. John, a veteran and assistant coach to his son’s soccer team. John, who got covid. John, who spent months at the VA on ventilation and his family spent Christmas not knowing if he was going to make it. John was the first person who I personally knew who got Covid and watching the struggle his wife and children faced largely impacted me. My family had known them for years as my older brother and his youngest son were in the same grade, in the same little league, and even in the same classes. It was a very sudden progression as one minute his wife was posting photos of them together on Facebook, and the next minute my mother anxiously checked Facebook multiple times a day as that was the only outlet to post updates on John’s condition. Updates that were rapidly changing from John being in stable condition to being unsure if he was going to make it through the night. For months these updates were given through close family friends of John’s on Facebook. However, the last update came on March 19th, over 100 days after John had been in the hospital. The update started in big bold words “INCREDIBLE NEWS” as John was now in rehab and had a release date to go back home and hug his family. Before John got Covid, it felt like it was all just numbers. Increasing numbers of mortality, increasing numbers of positive tests. However, after watching the struggle John and his family faced for over 100 days as he battled Covid, the numbers became heavier and Covid was no longer a disease that seemed far away, covid was my next-door neighbor. The 17,000 people who have passed away from covid in Arizona were just like John, but their family and friends never got an update with incredible news. The weight of Covid has largely impacted everyone from those who have fought Covid, to their loved ones, to their communities. Covid was once something that was promised to go away in two weeks, now it is the root of many families’ struggle and grief.
• 
  2020-03-13

  Christianity Has Been Handling Epidemics for 2000 Years

  Religions, having been around for millennia, have a unique history of dealing with various pandemics. This article, written by a Lutheran Christian, details the message of Christianity that has been preserved through the centuries. Specifically, according to Stone, Christians have always taught, even if not displayed, that one is to love and care for their neighbor, even to their own detriment. It is not reckless care, where someone may go care for their neighbor and then spread the virus; rather, it is being cautious, but also continuing to love for one’s neighbor.
• 2021-01-21

  My experience with Covid.

  One day I was out for a walk with my dad and when we came home my mom told us that our neighbors, who we had hung out with the week before, tested positive for COVID! This was a bit of a surprise for our family because we had been really careful so that we didn't get our grandparents sick. Our neighbors ended up being perfectly fine, and so did we. We never ended up getting COVID. the week before they had gotten it we had played football with them at the park near our house.
• 2020-12-22

  Symptoms of Covid-19

  My neighbor got Covid last month and he was tired and in bed for a couple of days. Also, he did not feel 100%. When he was not sick anymore he looked great and you could not tell he had Covid. I felt sad when my neighbor got Covid but I was sure he would recover fine. it taught me to be more cautious to not get the virus too.
• 2021-01-21

  symptoms of covid

  one of my friends dads got covid but didnt have any symptoms he just go tested and found out that he had it one of my nabores family got it and they where tired and had a fever and lost some of there taste. my teacher got it and had a fever. no one i know though died from covid.
• 
  2020-12-13

  Covid-19 Mental Health Interview from the Perspective of a Pharmacist

  The contributor of this item did not include verbal or written consent. We attempted to contact contributor (or interviewee if possible) to get consent, but got no response or had incomplete contact information. We can not allow this interview to be listened to without consent but felt the metadata is important. The recording and transcript are retained by the archive and not public. Should you wish to listen to audio file reach out to the archive and we will attempt to get consent.
• 
  2020-01-20

  WuHan quarantine

  This is a TikTok video filmed by residents in Wuhan during the quarantine. They opened the window and asked neighbors if someone wants to make friends and have conversations in real life.
• 
  2020-03-17

  Corona DJ

  When faced with boredom, you either figure out a way to do something, or you rot away in peril. During the early stages of the pandemic, Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries in the world, the Italians would have to figure out how to do something when faced with the attached boredom. The residents in an unnamed neighborhood would innovate with this boredom in a fanatisic way. One of the residents happened to be a DJ and set up his rig to play to the whole block.
• 
  2020-10-12T09:40

  Our Six-Week, COVID-19 Baking Crisis

  My wife and I were both home from our jobs by mid-March because the COVID-19 pandemic had, for all effective purposes, practically shut down our home state of Alabama. During our long sequestration from the world, we often baked together to pass the time. Tamsie has a sourdough bread starter that was handed down from her grandmother, so to keep the starter “alive”, she has to bake bread every month or so, which of course requires yeast. I believe that millions of Americans were at home baking during that time because we were out of dry yeast for her bread and, though we searched every grocery within a 20-mile radius of our home, we looked to no avail; additionally, yeast was back-ordered on Amazon, Walmart online, and every other online store. We were beyond desperate for that yeast, and the starter had to be near death when, at long last, I discovered an in-stock yeast on Amazon and ordered six pounds of it. Needless to say, I ordered entirely too much and thus unintentionally became that obligatory hoarder with which we’ve all had to deal during the last seven months. Thus, we had to bake dozens of loaves of sourdough bread to use that yeast! My wife is a dentist, so we baked bread for all her employees and left it on both their front porches and garages. We also baked for our neighbors and our families. The sweet smells of sourdough bread and sticky buns filled our home for nearly six weeks, as baking became an inane, daily ritual in the Rogers household! Today, whenever I smell fresh bread or cinnamon rolls, I think of our time spent together with our puppies in the kitchen, laboriously prepping, waiting for the yeast to rise, baking, and cleaning on a daily basis. I am thankful for this time, and though we now laugh about and much fun is had at my expense over my overzealous yeast spending-spree, whenever I smell fresh bread, I will forever be transported to our happy kitchen along with its aromatic sights and smells during the early weeks of the pandemic. It is truly amazing to ponder what we take for granted in our daily walks, and though I am obviously glad we are standing on firmer ground than in spring in relation to COVID-19, I miss our time together in the kitchen, which seems lonely and destitute without the sweet aroma of fresh sourdough bread. My association with this simple, yet happy memory during the pandemic is reflective of the joys we should be seeking in small things. Our daily lives are measured by our relationships, our serenity and contentment, and the joy we both provide and glean from others. The extended time at home with Tamsie allowed us a “factory reset” of sorts in our lives, one that brought our already-happy marriage much closer together; consequently, we no longer take life’s simple, quiet moments for granted. In some ways, the lasting human effects of the pandemic on relationships have been positive, in that each of us has had ample time to again focus on those whom we love.
• 
  2020-10-06

  Approaching another Civil War?

  A friend took this picture of her neighbors’ house. It’s a duplex shared by two families- one that supports Trump and one that supports Biden. It’s hard to ignore the feeling of impending civil war here in the US these days. The political polarization only continues to get worse. It’s starting to seem like no matter what the result of the Nov 2020 election is, this division will not be remedied. Perhaps the worst part is that preserving the union doesn’t even seem as important as escaping “the other half.” The only thing that makes me want to work to keep the country together (not that I can make much difference) is the fact that there are vulnerable folks living in Red states who would be made even more vulnerable if the Blue states left the union or joined Canada or whatever other flippant solutions are bandied about.
• 
  2020-09-20

  Jewish Melbourne Rosh Hashanah in the time of covid

  Our Neighbours offered to blow the shofar for the street. A few Jewish families live on our street in Balaclava. We all gathered in the street, All still and all connected by the mitzvah of hearing the shofar. It was a very special feeling. I felt the need to document this extraordinary event, this moment in history. In this time when so many of us are disconnected this moment of togetherness felt precious. Shofar, Rosh Hashanah, community, connected, isolation, mask, generosity, neighbor, listening, Mitzvah, covid moment, improvising, Balaclava, outside, togetherness
• 2020-04-13

  Neighbours washing their car

  In the middle of the lockdown in Italy, things were looking pretty grim. Other than the obvious fear for the outcome of the pandemic people were feeling pretty on edge about police who were (rightfully) being very strict about abiding the laws about quarantine. People weren't aloud to see anyone other than the people they shared a home with and were supposed to stay inside at all times they weren't providing to their basic needs. One day I was looking through my window and I witnessed probably one of the funniest but surreal scenes of my life. A group of my neighbours were in the process of washing their car,there were maybe 8 people there between friends and family and they were very close, getting on top of the car and having fun. All of sudden they hear an helicopter approaching (police used them to spot "fugitives") and straight up jumped off the car and ran home all panicked. I couldn't stop laughing for an hour, it truly was a moment of release in the midst of worry and depression.
• 2020-08-15

  Campaigning in The Time of COVID - Nick Cook, Suffolk University

  (note: nothing written here represents the views of the candidates or parties represented here - this is solely the personal memoir of one Nick Cook) Volunteering for a political campaign even during the best of times is a weird experience. Your day to day mission is to knock on the doors of—or call on—complete strangers (or at best someone you have a vague memory of seeing at a rally some time ago) and ask them if they can take a moment out of their complicated and hectic lives to hear from the gospel of whichever chosen candidate you're preaching, in the hope that, in about a week or two they'll still remember enough of your spiel to fill in that person's bubble. The coronavirus has not made that any easier. I do feel, however, that it has created a weird sense of camaraderie in those of us who are still trying to push the gears of democracy in this plague year, or whatever name you media types have christened it. I personally am not the type of person who supports campaigns that can afford to have their faces splashed across TV screens and names plastered on billboards. Doorknocking and trying to love thy neighbor is—to me—still the best way to do the business of democracy. I entered politics because I wanted to have some sense of control of my life and community. To make the lives of the people around me just a little easier and a little less anxiety free. So that maybe one day no kid is going to have to come home to an empty refrigerator and no one will ever have to experience the pain of living paycheck by paycheck again. Seeing that lightbulb on people's faces when I talk to them about a candidate or that little smile on their face as I wave goodbye and thank them for their time is why I do this. It's knowing that maybe I made a little change for the day. So coronavirus taking that away from me was hard. I'd like to say that my doubts about campaigning digitally were actually wrong and one day I had a really fulfilling phone call with a voter where we both connected with each other in these lonely times or I had an incredibly amazing Zoom session that changed everything. But I didn't. It's just been a very taxing time that I'm pushing through because I can't stand sitting alone at the house with my thoughts anymore. In the week or so leading up to the election, I got the chance to do at least a little in-person campaigning. Waving and holding signs on street corners, putting literature in doorways, that kind of thing. As well as the chance to stand socially-distanced outside of polling places on primary election day. The people I met on the campaign trail here were just as tired and ready for things to change as I was. One State House candidate compared this campaign season to running for office in a cave and that about summed it up for me. Seeing Tanya Vyhovsky, a social worker and therapist, win her primary election to represent my neighboring town of Essex was also the first real-time I felt joy. Someone who comes from that background and experience and isn't just another lawyer or landlord and has a truly transformative vision for society winning is always great to see. Similarly my home state of Vermont also likely elected Taylor Small, our first transgender lawmaker, and someone who shares that vision. Seeing these victories and meeting everyone who pushed for them along the way has renewed me with a new sense of life in the political realm. Campaigning in the age of COVID has also begun to truly impart on me the lesson that democracy doesn't just come from the ballot box but needs to be expanded into our workplaces, community gatherings, and social lives. However, this is a story for another time. (Join your local union and mutual aid society!)
• 
  16/04/2020

  Smiles and Sidewalk Chalk

  I saw that MMR was having a sidewalk contest and I wanted to enter something cool, so I started this project on April 15, 2020. My neighbors helped me a bit and when my project was about done, we were washing our hands out side and the water spilled all over my art and ruined it. The next day, I redid the entire project! And that day and it was just starting to get hot outside at the time, but all the work was worth it! I also wanted to make people walking by, smile and bring a little color into this quarentine! My Family and I also put bible verses around our sidewalk to give encouragement to everyone! What gave me the inspiration to do this chalk art? Well, I saw so many other people and kids posting and doing chalk art around their neighborhoods, and it made me want to be more creative! #chalkart #mmr
• 
  2020-04-05

  Neighbors prepare for surge. 2 of 2 - Scituate, MA

  Image of food pantry stocked with fruits, vegetables, munchies, sweets and wine, after new warning from Gov. Baker.
• 
  2020-04-05

  Neighbors prepare for surge. 1 of 2 - Scituate, MA

  Image of cleaning/disinfectant supplies in stock for home use, after new warning from Gov. Baker.
• 
  05/04/2020

  And I looked and behold a pale horse...

  A fuzzy, through the trees picture of my neighbor's white pick up truck the day after he was finally arrested for something ; the police are called there a lot. This truck is a dingy white and the springs squeak loudly when it bounces across the gravel driveway. The property has 2 trailers and 2 RV's and people come and go all day long. There is an 85 year old woman who lives in one of the trailers. The owner of this white truck is doing renovations on the property. He goes back and forth as if it is still an ordinary time, leaving the property 6,7,8 times a day, those springs squeaking down the drive. In Albert Camus' the Plague the Dr feels that he can hear the sound of the plague rats in the labored breathing of one of his patients. That truck's springs sound like the wheezing of the Coronavirus to me. I call it the Pale Horse. And he who rode upon it was Death.
• 
  2020-04-19

  Happy Birthday Andrew

  Happy Birthday Andrew! I took a walk later that evening and saw some party lights coming from inside your house. I hope you had a good birthday. - your neighbor
• 
  2020-04-19

  A Neighborhood Unified Together

  During this pandemic it is important to stick together and lean on the people around us. This image captures neighbors coming together to support each other while maintaining social distancing.
• 
  2020-04-19

  The Covid Diaries Entry #14

  My experiences of this pandemic. Entry 14. i am greatly warmed by the neighborly exchange of goods that has resulted from this pandemic. my sister bakes two sourdough loaves a day and passes them out to neighbors. And Peter gifted me a produce basket of apples, pears, potatoes, and onions. April 15, 2020.FULL DISCLAIMER: the loaves did not exist physically in my reality - I only heard about them through story.Since Corona inception to current
• 
  2019-03-17

  Social Distancing Twitter Post @Caveheraa

  The screenshot is of a Twiiter post which features a group of friends sitting several feet apart from each other in their neighborhood. It shows us the change the pandemic has made on our relationships with each other and how we communicate and socialize.
• 
  2020-04-21

  Rock paper scissors with neighbors

  5 yo Maya Peralta-Kole plays "Rock, paper, scissors," through the fence with her neighbor and classmate from Scales Technology Academy. Though, it's a bit hard to play without a clear line of site. After calling "Rock, paper, scissors," the girls ask each other what they picked. The first to answer that question is usually the first to lose.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Neighbourhood herb handouts

  Neighbours have started up a practice of leaving spare herbs outside their gates for anyone to share
• 
  2020-04-13

  Militares persiguen a balazos a vecinos por impedir que entierren a un fallecido con COVID-19 en el cementerio

  En la ciudad de Cañete - Perú varios policías y militares, tuvieron que disparar al aire para dispersar a un grupo de personas que impedían el ingreso de un ataúd al cementerio General de San Vicente porque llevaban restos de una persona que falleció con corona virus. Los vecinos se opusieron al entierro por considerar el cajon como foco infeccioso. Algunos fueron llevados a la comisaría y finalmente el fallecido fue enterrado.
• 
  2020-03-31

  Rosemary for remembrance (and roast lamb)

  Neighbourhood in virtual lockdown but some people leaving out excess for others, corner of 14 Waterdale Road and Latham Street.
• 
  2020-03-17

  Social Distancing meme

  It is an image of real-life social distancing in action. This image depicts numerous neighbors staying far apart from one another yet still socializing.
• 
  2020-03-23

  Letter from neighbors asking for donations of masks and gloves to local hospitals

  Everyone on our block received this note asking us to donate any PPE (personal protective equipment, an abbreviation I did not know before the epidemic) to local hospitals. The note exemplifies the shocking failure of national preparation in the US and the way that medical professionals are looking anywhere and everywhere for standard equipment. They are doing this in advance of the horrible days that we know are coming. Our community has had only a few cases, but that won’t last. That the richest nation in the world has no masks, is scrambling for hospital beds, and will soon see deaths of not only older and medically vulnerable but also masses of poor people because of our refusal to provide health care, housing and living wages to all is just horrific, embarrassing, and sickening. My husband makes beautiful hand made tables and chairs. He found a box of gloves and 4 masks. We’ll ask friends to hunt too. This is not how we prepare for a pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-25

  Noisy neighbours

  We were out for a walk and heard a housebound resident in a local apartment banging out on the drums — more people confined to home might suggest taking up a quieter musical instrument! Neighbourly protocols might be tested.