Union Rat: "The giant inflatable rat, with its sharp buck teeth and beady red eyes, has been a staple of union construction protests in NYC and across the country for decades." I was taking my walk one morning, turned the corner, and was face to face with "Scabby" the 12 foot inflatable Union Rat placed in the bed of a pick up truck. These rats are placed in front of construction projects that are not using union labor.
When I was still taking a walk every day I very quickly sketched this "bigger than life size" sculpture of Romeo and Juliet in front of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. It was really cold, and the wind chill even lower that day. I still have drawings from my walks that aren't painted and that gives me something to do now that all outside activity is over for the last week. I love and appreciate all of the opportunities that are being arranged every day, but somehow my brain is happiest now reading. Our Book Group met via Zoom Monday night and it was wonderful!
Most of my time is spent keeping up with the news, reading for pleasure, and watching a few episodes of a streaming series in the evening with my husband. As retired physicians we applaud the front line doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, EMS workers that are working so hard under such miserable conditions. We have children and grandchildren spread out from Manhattan to Long Island and DC and we've been able to use Zoom with 3 grandchildren in NYC and Facetime with the others.
Stay in, and stay healthy friends.
Romeo and Juliet Sculpture in NYC Central Part:
This is another drawing I did when taking a quick daily walk around my neighborhood for fresh air. Unfortunately, many people in Manhattan were not practicing social distancing, and were walking in groups making it difficult to keep 6ft between people. Last Sunday night at 8PM Gov Cuomo imposed a "stay at home restriction" for NY State except for walks to get groceries or meds.
A grocery store 2 blocks from our apartment designated 7-8AM as Senior Citizen shopping time - and it took us only 10 minutes to get a few things this morning. This week we even had our monthly book group meeting on ZOOM which was wonderful. We can do this!!
Yesterday was a pivotal point in NYC. Schools were shut for one week already, workers were working from home if possible, city residents were decreasing their activities, limiting groups to 10 or less, and slowly the test kits became available. My husband and I had enough food in the apartment and were comfortably staying at home with one walk per day (with social distancing) for fresh air - and not even together. Then Cuomo "shut the valve," a move also favored by our Mayor. Our lives won't change substantially unless we are exposed. But case numbers are increasing dramatically every day. Seeing those ignorant kids in FL filling the beaches for Spring Break makes me so angry.
The surge in cases arrived, and hospitals are having trouble keeping up with patient influx for testing and hospitalization. Their supplies are very limited and soon all protective gear will be gone and ventilators are already down to just a few in most NYC hospitals.
Our children are adults and parents, and they are now worried about us because of our age. Last evening they asked us to stop our walks until we see what is happening. I can do it, my husband less so. I will miss drawing on my walks!
This drawing was done at Canine Styles -part of my window shopping series - the dogs are standing in artificial snow.
My daily solitary walk is giving me some fresh air, keeps me sane, and lets me do a quick drawing. When I come home I return to my heating pad for back therapy and I'm usually anxious to pick up my current book. I think I finally figured out why reading is taking precedence during this period of self-induced isolation. I escape to another time and/or place and I don't feel guilty when I'm reading. At many other times in my life a full day of reading made me feel guilty because my Mother asked me why I was reading so much, or I was studying for exams or conferences, or I had way too many things to do for my job and family.
I turned a corner on my walk this week and saw my first flower box full of daffodils for the season. They were gorgeous and needed to be in my sketchbook during these troubling times.
Quick News: Morton Williams, a family-owned grocery store in Manhattan, emailed customers yesterday to say that their first hour after opening each day (7-8AM) was reserved for Senior Shopping. We were there at 7 and only had contact with the one cashier, walking just 2 blocks to and from the store.
