Spring in the time of coronavirus

In a recent post I described some of the spring colors I have encountered during my neighborhood walks during this spring’s coronavirus-related shelter-in-place.  In that post I described fairly traditional things that I like to put in my “seasonal colors” posts: flowers, birds, and a few fun things.  I also saw quite a few things that were more specific to the coronavirus pandemic in which we all find ourselves.

So I decided to create a second post more specific to the pandemic, and one day a name suddenly occurred to me for this post: Spring in the time of coronavirus.  The name is a takeoff on Love in the Time of Cholera and is a salute to its author, Gabriel García Márquez.  I was introduced to some of his works, particularly One Hundred Years of Solitude, when I somewhat impulsively took introductory Spanish while studying physics in graduate school, and decided to try to read One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish.  The text is rich and complex and, even with lots of help from my Latinoamericano friends, I had to abandon my ambitious project after just a couple of chapters.  But the impression was deep and remains with me still, well over four decades later.

At times it has felt more difficult than usual to find joy in being confined to our houses and immediate neighborhoods.  This post is from approximately 10 weeks into the shelter-in-place.  While many people are beginning to experience fatigue, I am grateful that I’ve been able to take one day at a time and enjoy something in every walk I’ve taken – even if it is just the joy of being able to walk outdoors.

I suspect that many neighborhoods have experienced a surge in chalk drawings on sidewalks, driveways, and even streets.   It has been a great way for children of all ages to create art and express feelings.  Some neighborhoods have even had contests.  Here is one example of a colorful rendition of stained glass windows, drawn in a driveway.  So many variations are possible, and both the colors and the geometric designs seem almost endless.

Colorful chalk stained glass window

In other places I found various types of messages.  Here a youngster (I presume) is offering his or her sister on sale.  Of course I presume this was intended to be a joke, though I note that I found it relatively early in the shelter-in-place when many families were still getting used to getting along with each other amid distance learning and working from home.

Sister on sale

In my neighborhood there were various clues with messages written on the sidewalk, rather like a treasure hunt.  I didn’t try to follow a sequence, just noticed several messages as I walked past certain locations.  There was even one message in front of my mailbox, though it was not left by any member of my household!

I found a hopscotch-like game drawn in the street on a court (short dead-end street).  With so little traffic it seemed safe to play in the street in this situation.

Hopscotch-like game

On a sidewalk just a few houses from mine I found several messages that seemed to honor a beloved family pet who had recently gone to doggie heaven.

In memory of a pet named Marley

There were a number of yard signs with inspirational messages.  These two signs were back-to-back in one yard.

Inspirational signs

As many families are well aware, plans for 2020 graduations were changed dramatically this year.  It was nice to see signs honoring the local high school’s Class of 2020 in several yards in my neighborhood.

In honor of the class 2020

Near a neighborhood elementary school I found a Happiness Fence.  Visitors were encouraged to write something they were grateful for on a tag and attach the tag to the fence.  I think seeing the fence had the desired effect on me: I smiled and thought of a few things I was grateful for, also.

Happiness fence

In a few places there were less happy reminders of the pandemic.  I live fairly close to Stevens Creek Trail, a paved multi-use trail, and was disappointed to find a discarded glove at the side of the trail.  The most disappointing thing about this sighting was that, right next to the green sign in the background of the picture, there was a trash receptacle.  As a member of a high-risk group I was not inclined to pick up the glove – I do not carry hand sanitizer on my walks.  It was several days before I noticed that it was gone, and I appreciate whoever did pick it up.

Discarded glove next to recreational trail

As do many other homeowners in my neighborhood, I have a gardener, and he was not allowed to work for several weeks.  I decided to try to show how shaggy the lawn was getting.  And since the weather was getting warm I turned on the sprinkler system.  Fortunately, within about a week or so after I took this picture the restrictions on outdoor workers such as gardeners were lifted, and he came by on the second day it was legal.

My lawn was in need of maintenance!

Over the course of several weeks I walked along pretty much all of the streets in my neighborhood.  I tried to vary my route frequently enough that I didn’t get bored.  On one walk I noticed this sign, which I had never noticed before, even though I do periodically walk along the street where it was posted.  Whoever designed the sign had a sense of humor! – and it certainly made me smile.

Parking sign

Special signage has been posted at many parks, open spaces, and trails to remind users of social distancing etiquette.  This sign is courtesy of the National Recreation and Park Association.

Social distancing sign

There are several Little Free Libraries in my neighborhood, and I always enjoy passing them.  One day I happened to pause for a moment to see what was available, and was rather amused to find this title: Dying to See You.  I presume it is a murder mystery, one of my favorite genres.  This was early enough in the shelter-in-place that my mind immediately conjured up a coronavirus-related theme.

Book title in a Little Free Library

In addition to my regular outdoor walks, like many others I experienced several changes in my usual activities, as stay-at-home activities substituted for in-person social activities.  And, also like many others, I have spent some time doing jigsaw puzzles.  At the beginning of the shelter-in-place I had about a dozen puzzles that I had put together previously, in addition to 4 that I had not.  This is a collection of my “projects,” including three of the new ones and one repeat.

On the left is Girl with a Pearl Earring, showing the Johannes Vermeer painting from circa 1665.  I had seen the painting at an exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, and I had read the Tracy Chevalier novel after learning that she was a fellow alumna of Oberlin College.  I found the black background to be challenging.

Next is an Amish quilt, also from an exhibit at the DeYoung Museum.  I liked the geometry and the variety of similar and not-so-similar colors.  The quilt’s maker is unknown, though the quilt dates from around 1935 and was created in Holmes County, Ohio.  The name of the pattern is Tumbling Blocks, Stairway to Heaven (variation).  This puzzle has 1,000 pieces (the most common size seems to be 500 pieces).

The third one is entitled Rookery Above the Bay and is based on a photograph by Thomas D Mangelsen.  The puzzle has 750 pieces.  It shows a group of crested penguins, possibly Macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus), which are native to the subantarctic region to the Antarctic Peninsula.  I have been lucky enough to see a few species of penguin in the wild and, like many others, I am charmed by them.

The last one is, perhaps obviously, a stained glass window.  The box contains no documentation at all – no title, number of pieces, or manufacturer.  After completing the puzzle (this is the one I had done previously; I think it dates from what I call my “stained glass window period” around 40 years ago) I did some research to see if I could identify it.  I have made a tentative identification: the north rose window at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, dating from around 1250.  Many rose windows are based on a symmetry of 12, for the apostles, but this one is based on 16.  The colors look slightly different from the one photo I could find on-line, but I expect that the colors are greatly affected by the daylight at the time of the photo.  The puzzle is certainly based on a photo of not-so-recent provenance, since the image on the puzzle pieces is visibly grainy.  This puzzle was a challenge to assemble, due to the repeating geometry and overall dark colors.  It is likely that I bought the puzzle when I visited Paris in the 1970’s.

Selected jigsaw puzzles put together during the shelter-in-place

Over the years I have tended to prefer puzzles that depict works of art: I own several Monets, as well as a few Van Goghs, Gaugin, and Renoir.  The last puzzle that is waiting for me to gather the courage start is a 2,000-piece view of Cinque Terre, Italy, which I visited in 2015.

As coronavirus-related restrictions slowly begin to ease, our lives are once again changing.   In my case, it will make it possible for me to have a deferred total hip replacement surgery.  I plan to write about that later.