I reached out, in these challenging uncertain unprecedented times, as they say, (over and over and over they say it—enough already) to a few friends and luminaries, stay-at-homes, that life’s compass has privileged me to meet and asked for mug shots and some words about their no-place-like-home-bound days and nights.
The masked pair were seen in Central Park. Do not approach.
Wick Beavers and friend Tess (both NYC photographers)
“At Central Park West decked out in the latest yachting gear .
(a friend in Newport has revamped his sail loft and deck cushion factory into a mask making facility).
Since I was a good (credit worthy no longer and they still haven’t paid me my $1200 yet!)* customer back then, he sent me four.
Our masks are 100% washable (just remove the pipe cleaner first) and are made of the finest waterproof and breathable Evolution Marine cloth, gaily festooning both me and my girl here as well as on the gaff sticks on Marjorie Meriweather Post’s fine yacht, “Sea Cloud.”
The trailer is for a 10 ft. aluminum Lone Star single masted skiff and the car is a Crosley SuperSport Silver Ghost…
“An added benefit is the Kevlar-cored ear strings, which means it’s highly probable your ears will give first in a stiff breeze or the more likely Mugging in the Park.
And for the second picture, my daily driver’s been ‘shedded’ what with the quarantine and Cuomo’s rules for 60-somethings and over, of just “staying in”.
*(Ed. note: That makes those masks worth $300 apiece. That ain’t exactly sale cloth.)
Just another delicious day in paradise…
Dianne and Daniel White (Teacher,Press owner, writer, Taiwan
"Here in Taiwan it's prettymuch life as usual. One of the few countries in the world where we got ahead of it early. School is still open and economy stable. In another month possibly free of the virus. We eat out about once a week. Usually we eat at home just because we like to cook.
“Taiwan got ahead by recognizing what was wrong early on. Taiwan suffered under the SARS virus and learned from it. They went to Wuhan, China when the rumors started, to investigate. They reported it to the WHO who ignored them. Countries that ignored the warnings fell way behind. With this stuff you have to act fast. And err on the side of super-cautious. Being independently minded at a time like this is not an advantage. The whole community has to work together so that everyone can stay safe.”
Mayor Elvadus Fields, St. Joseph, Louisiana
Mayor Fields conversing with a constituent while maintaining a social distance…
(Note: Mrs. Fields was at home when I contacted the mayor, who was just finishing some grocery shopping and in his truck during the conversation. We have talked before when I featured him in a sculpture show “A Love Letter to Tensas Parish.” )
M:“Yes, how are you? We just distributed masks to residents, donated masks. I got the aldermen to do their constituents...(laughs) easier than doing the whole township on my own. We need more masks.
GW: Mayor Fields, I found an interesting fact online—that Tensas Parish and St. Joe were the least affected by the virus in the state of Louisiana. Can you elaborate on that?
M: “That’s true. And I did an analysis. I have a theory about it...”(at this point, some shouting, laughing, back and forth as he is in conversation with a person in town. They are socially distanced apart, and he is now out of the truck...
Catfish with the Mayor. Save me a seat…
M: “Sorry, that was (garbled) wants to know about the post office building. It’s for sale. Someone wants to buy it and move it over to Lake Bruin, but it’s a historical building, don’t think we can do that. It’s just sort of a house you know, down next to city hall. Town could use the money, but...”
(Note: At this point we talked about everything except the virus. And, as usual, the conversation lasted for well over an hour. He is so fascinating, and has done so much since he arrived in St. Joe in the fifties. A kind, generous, outspoken man who, if we lived closer together, we would spend hours talking over iced tea, or fishing in his merc-powered outboard (“Too heavy for me to get into the water at 83, fiberglas, so my grandson comes over and we fish...”
M: “Well I got to go, too. You come to St. Joe, I’ll take you to a place I know, serves catfish, collards, red beans...you can get a t-bone, you want, rib eye...it’s just take-out now, but after this virus thing is done, tables, outdoor place to sit, shade trees...”
(Speaking of catfish) Catfish McDaris, Poet, Master Storyteller, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cat Daddy captured in pencil. 30 years of his work is at Marquette U. Special Archives in Milwaukee. Go delve…
My wife has me cutting patterns for face masks, she’s sewing for the VA Hospital. Our daughter is a cop, so we will be supplying the Milwaukee Police with masks too. Music helps during these days: I like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Willie Nelson, Rage Against The Machine, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck. I keep busy. I still run a third of: http://ppigpenn.blogspot.com/ with Mendes Biondo from Italy and John D Robinson from England I also help Mendes run Ramingo’s Blog from Italy. And I’m contributing odditor from the Odd Press in Kolkata, India. We’re looking forward to visiting Mexico again and often when things normalize. My wife, Aida Elizabeth Aguayo was born in Mexico City and lived there with her family until she was 13. Then they moved to Guadalajara. We met in Mexico and married in 1983 in the church there and the court house, in Milwaukee. Aida has lots of relatives in Mexico City--we visit often and go to Casa Azul there. Frida’s house, now a museum. Trotsky’s fort-like house is three blocks away, where he was assassinated. The entire area is inhabited by tile and pottery makers. I could spend weeks there. Frida is a favorite artist.
Shali Wade, Executive Director, office of Global CEO, VMLY&R
‘Dorbs, as the old ladies say. Just ‘dorbs…love this pic
My dad* used to quote poet Philip Larkin: They f**k you up, your mum and dad./ They may not mean to, but they do./ They fill you with the faults they had./ And add some extra, just for you. The poem goes on for two more stanzas, making the point that we’re all fated to pass along our “misery” followed by the advice to avoid procreating in general. I didn’t take that advice and had two amazing little ones at the “geriatric” age of 36 and 39. They are now my favorite things on earth.
Sheltering in place takes on fresh meaning in the Wade household. Spoiled? Naahhh…
During these super scary and confusing times, these little ones are my rocks. But I can’t help but worry about how much I am messing them up…in addition to my inherited quirks, I’m passing along new anxieties - teaching them to be paranoid of the mail and of doorstep packages, keeping them from their grandparents, and forcing them to sing “Happy Birthday” twice when they wash their hands -- they are very confused as to why we would sing this song when it is neither of their birthdays – and also, WHEN is it going to be MY BIRTHDAY?!!!!! *tears*. I hope that together we’ll come out a little stronger, a little closer, and only a little bit more f**ked up than anticipated.
ED note: Shali’s dad was Pulitzer-nominated G.S.Sharat Chandra. I have his “Family of Mirrors” collection and return to it often.
Friday Msokwa, teacher, Republic of Malawi, Africa
I am a teacher by profession, but I do not work now due to closed schools in this covid-19 pandemic. I have a wife and four children. We are okay at the moment and not in quarantine. The shops in our locality are open every day. There was pending lockdown which was intervened by human rights group
Life is so dull. There is fear and we are not free. The country is getting new infections. Fear grips because the country has tested not more than 500 of the 19 million people and borders are so porous. The government can not provide for healthy workers enough protection and they limited tools last week. Now they are back because government promised protective clothing and risk allowance. However, the testing kits are few in Malawi. They (government) are doing the best they can in an uphill battle.
I have stopped traveling distances to avoid catching the virus. We do not know how we will survive if the infection gets wild. Our hospitals do not have space and not enough for the population.
Malawi is landlocked, but with a huge lake, the horizon of which looks like an ocean…this may look paradsiacal, but Malawians are in dire need of supplies with which to fight or avoid the virus. Any thoughts?
Mia Natsume, Sr. Designer, Co-Creation, Mazda NA (LA)
Mother. Daughter. Good days coming.
My daughter lives in Brooklyn in a borough next to a hot spot, so reading the news each day was more concerning. She finally agreed to fly home, and it’s been a relief to have her here for the past four weeks, but she flies home today, so…We’ve been working from home for five weeks now. I feel extremely lucky to remain employed, particularly while others have been either furloughed or laid off. I’ve been spending non-commute hours helping a friend pivot his business to manufacture PPE, donating to various charities, trying to get closer to a zero waste household, and occasionally driving around LA just to get out of the house now and then. It’s been eerie to see the sky above LAX devoid of planes.
Definitely not the L.A. I remember. Spooky. (Not you, Mia—the empty freeway)
Mendes Biondo, Poet, Journalist, Translator, Editor-in-Chief Ramingo Italy
Fumes from painting the kitchen? Open some windows, bro..LOVE this pic!
I spent the whole day painting the kitchen. Now it is Pompeian red, the best color to open up wine bottles. Ha.
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From Bedroom To Kitchen (A Voyage To Inner India)
silence
the weather forecast said rain is yet to come
I'll watch it from my windowsilence
just a car or two are passing
like sea waves
silence
the dog upstairs is barking
all the neighborhood wants to kill him
we are all fine bro
don't worry about usmaybe it is not so true
but this kinds of lies
are our everyday bread
silence
I left my body back
since I started my voyage
to find soul city
a lost place into inner india
columbus said that was the place
he wanted to find
instead of america
silence
elena is calling in
the phone is vibrating
I open the call
hello there honey
how are you?
in less than a second I forgot
quarantine
boredom
lost freedom
fear of death
and even soul city
is getting
nearer than usual
(ED Note: A final word. Some entries here are lighter than others but the undercurrent is the same. This is us, man. This is the world with a No Shit sign. Like Daniel said, independent thinking is not an advantage. If you can think of something that helps, do it. If everyone who reads the blog pitched in a couple bucks, we could send a family of six in say, Malawi, a package of face shields, masks and corona-killing supplies that might get them through this. It doesn’t need to be a big, grand gesture. Just something that says we really do care.)