Items

• 2021-01-14

  Sensory History: What Does The Plague Year Smell Like?

  If someone asked me ten years from now the defining smell that I remember from the plague year, I would quickly respond with hand-sanitizer. Before the start of the pandemic, it was the smell of bleach and Pine-sol that reminded me of those bygone days when my mom would wake up early on a Saturday to open all the windows and scrub the house from top to bottom because “cleanliness was next to godliness” as she would say. In the past, the smell of bleach and Pine-sol had come to mean a sense of cleanliness and the simpler days of childhood, where my biggest fear was missing the latest Power Rangers episode. However, hand-sanitizer mixed with its scent of alcohol and strong perfume has now become the smell that I relate to cleanliness. Hand-sanitizer has become that essential item in my purse that I cannot leave the house without first checking to see if I have more than one bottle. When I leave a public space, the first thing I reach for is not my car keys or my cellphone; instead, it is my Bath & Body Works Pocketbac Sanitizer. It has become an accessory that matches my outfits, masks, and even daily perfume choices. This past fall, when I celebrated my birthday, one of my most exciting gifts was not my seasonal favorite body spray, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, but the hand-sanitizer that shared its name. Hand sanitizer has become a safety net and tool to make venturing in public spaces with high touch areas a bit easier. While handwashing, social-distancing, and proper face coverings are the most effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19, hand sanitizers can hold one over until they can wash their hands properly. Anyone with children can agree that hand-sanitizer is a necessary tool because kids touch everything.
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  2020-11-13

  Can Low Turnout at Local Christmas Events during Covid Alter Future Events?

  When the pandemic caused many local annual events to become canceled or adjust their presentation, I did not think of how it would affect the Christmas Holiday events in Virginia. The Norfolk Botanical Gardens, "Dominion Energy's Garden of Lights," has kicked off its holiday light display and events with a walkthrough known as the "Million Bulb Walk," tram rides, family events such as crafts, and readings of the Polar Express for over nine years. Due to local Covid-19 restrictions, many of these events are now canceled or offered with limited capacity. Generally, the week before Christmas until January 2 is reserved for drive-thru only. However, the garden has canceled the Million Bulb Walk and open the Garden of Lights as limited capacity tram rides or non-contact drive-thru only events. My family and I drove through the drive-thru event last month, and the garden was figuratively dead. Usually, traffic is backed up blocks away from residents anxious to get into the gardens, particularly on the weekends. Despite choosing a peak time on a Saturday, I only saw two vehicles. What usually is a 90 minute to 2-hour event was finished in less than 20 minutes. With so many events canceled and places shutting down permanently due to operation costs exceeding incoming cash, I have to wonder if low turn-out will forever alter the Garden of Lights. The NBG is a non-profit organization, and the Garden of Lights is one of their primary fundraising sources. An underwhelming turn-out could cause financial strain on the garden that could hinder future events.