In recent years the political and ideological divide we’ve all been a witness to here in our Country and around the world has been tremendously disconcerting. It bubbles over as our governments and our peoples struggle to sort out and best react to the tremendous challenges of fighting a worldwide pandemic. Both economic and health concerns put an additional strain on an already beleaguered civil unrest and it can be hard to find a balance, to look for the good when it feels like the whole world has been shaken like a snow globe and the dust has yet to settle. Some of us have lost our jobs, our source of income – or it’s been put on hold temporarily. Others are on the front lines either in hospitals or food service stores, pharmacies, etc trying to protect their own health as well as that of their patients/customers. Many are isolated from their loved ones, most are not living the life they had just three months ago. The worst off are dying without family nearby to comfort them and say farewell.
When something as awful as this pandemic grabs us by the proverbial throat, something else happens along with it. Remember the response we all had to the 9/11 terrorist attacks? As horrifying as that event was, and I hope we never witness something like it again, it also brought us together. There were flags everywhere! People waved, honked, and thanked first responders, healthcare workers, police and firemen – those whose careers and COURAGE! put them on the front lines every day. We were nicer to our neighbors, didn’t matter what their political affiliation or nationality, they were us and we were them. We were proud of our flag and it stood for what it should – our pride and love for our Country. We were Americans, all. This virus spans the globe, not just our Country. We’re really and truly all in this together. Perhaps some good will come of it, a coming together of sorts as we figure out how to wade back into some sort of normal. Those flags are now rainbows drawn on sidewalks, hearts in windows and on mailboxes, red ribbons tied around trees. They say – THANK YOU, WE’RE WITH YOU, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. And indeed, we are, once again. Let the good things that come out of this pandemic ripple out and the togetherness remain.
In the meantime… I’ve picked up my paint brushes again to see what I can create…..finished this last night … Little Cinnamon Beach, Peter Bay, St. John…
Made this a few days ago and oh, man.. easy to make, delicious too – give it a go if you like to cook, and maybe even if you don’t! It’s sooo good…
And… I’ve been playing with goats! Our new little Star and Bella have been a wonderful distraction from the troubles of the world. Goats are so friendly when raised with kindness. They call out to us when they see us walking up to their little pasture and come running to rub up against us. If we’re sitting with them, they’ll lie next to us or try to climb up on our shoulders, no kidding! No pun in tended!
As the world begins to lift the stay at home orders and businesses begin to re-open, stay safe and be kind. Those with significant health issues will need to be as vigilant as ever. Anxiety will still be present, the concerns are real and the virus has not gone away. As my friend Sean says at the end of every post… WashYourDamnHands.
Till soon, friends…
Hello,
God Bless all our heroes and front line workers. The St John scene looks so inviting, I wish I was there now. Love your cute goats. The gnocchi meal looks yummy. Take care and stay safe. Have a great day!
Yes, continue to stay safe, everyone! The goats are so cute. And what a lovely painting!
Love your painting! The goats are so cute.
What a well written post my friend! I hope everyone will stay diligent while we make our way out into the world around us. We all need to keep making an effort to stay safe. I love your art and I’m so amazed at your talent! I am going to plan to do more art in the next few days. And thanks too for letting me know what the breed of horse the Fjord was. I enjoyed doing a search and learning more about them. Have a good day!
Great post. Hope you continue to stay safe.
That painting is awesome and the goats are cute.
Lisa
Great post, Karen. And, another beautiful painting! The notecards are awesome (been wanting to tell you and well, my brain) 🙂
xoxo
Love your painting, girl. That gnocchi looks fabulous! And the kiddies are gorgeous.
You alway nail everything–and I’m not going any further on this—we know. I’m responding a day after your post. There was just an article on recent finding from Columbia University that concluded that if the US had shut down a week earlier than we did, it would have saved approximately 36,000 lives. I watched a doctor almost break down on television when he shared this these findings. I can’t say anything more about this. We all know how this happened and it clearly get worse everyday.
I love your goats…so darn cute! Fab recipe also! Thanks for your visit to the blog.
Jane ❤️
Your painting is beautiful!!!
I hope the pandemic will bring a rethinking about how essential workers are paid, and the benefits they get.
I do like France’s system: minimum wage is €10 an hour or €1521 a month. But the government has generous aid for low-wage workers, like subsidized child care, help with rent, monthly payments for each child up to a certain age; everybody, working or not, gets excellent socialized medicine. It means that small businesses are able to hire people at the lower wage, but the workers aren’t hurt by it; bigger companies and rich people are taxed more heavily to pay for these programs. In the U.S., it’s mostly big companies like Amazon, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s that get to pay low wages and also pay low taxes.
I wish Americans in general understood more about the economic and social safety structures of the European nations. Our notion of “American exceptionalism” has kept us ignorant of the advances the working and middle classes across the Atlantic have made since World War II. The corporate elite and the billionaire class in America have divided our population against itself in order to stay in power and siphon off more and more of the nation’s capital. They have shown themselves willing to destroy our democracy to remain at the top even to the point of letting a crazed toddler with orange hair fiddle his way through a deadly pandemic. They’re safe and so is their money, nothing else to be concerned about. And they are not taking hydroychloroquine. Neither is the orange terror.