How are you living day to day in the pandemic and with social distancing? What's working for you or bringing you solace? What challenges are you facing?

How are you living day to day in the pandemic and with social distancing? What's working for you or bringing you solace? What challenges are you facing?

Send us a photo and a caption. If you'd prefer not to share a photo, send us your "snapshot" in prose - 100 words or less. We'll post selected submissions regularly.

Last updated 10.16.2020
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When you reach a certain age, you stop asking too many questions and start to do a lot of navel-gazing, pondering things such as the ancient legend of the immortality of the frog.

The frog asked: "Who am I? What do I have left to do?” She sought the answer in the silence, and in her dreams.

How sweet life was then. She cherished doing nothing, and, after having done nothing, she found pleasure resting.

Such were the days of the pandemic in 2020.

Nora Klynjan - Carlsbad, Calif.

Friday, October 16

I started a new job on March 16, the first day of the state's mandated work from home. I was worried, but I learned you can meet and bond with people even in 2D virtual form. Teams have come together in a new way, and thankfully, it works.

Lisa Heard - Reading

Friday, October 16

Good advice on a napkin: Changing one letter makes all the difference. Take the advice on the napkin and vote in person or by mail. In Massachusetts, the last day to register to vote is Oct. 24, and applications for mail-in ballots must be received by Oct. 28. So don’t forget to register and then vote. (Thank you for the reminder and the advice, folded napkin.) With the uncertainty of the pandemic, it’s the least we all can do.

Helen Zazulak - Natick

Friday, October 16

I call it my morning constitutional — the 50 or so steps from the car to the door of the nursing home. There, I hand my daily love letter to the receptionist for delivery to my husband of 56 years. The ritual began in March, when afternoons by his side were prohibited. No more hugs and kisses. So I had to do something. We might be physically separated, but no damn virus was going to keep us apart. Today I will bring my 209th letter to my sweet John.

Mary Beth Fletcher - New Bedford

Wednesday, October 07

Planning our wedding during the pandemic was a stressful task for us. After many tears, worries, and guideline changes, our wedding day came. We got rain — lots of rain! It was the only thing we did not plan for.

It did not matter. We were married.

Natalia Vargas-McCusker - Lawrence

Wednesday, October 07

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was asked to integrate my two professions — singer-songwriter and mind-body psychotherapist — into a weekly livestream called, "Songs from the Heart, Meditations for the Heart." Providing uplifting music and an inspirational meditation has proved to be a valuable resource.

Linda Marks - Waltham

Wednesday, October 07

I never used to write poetry. These days, it's all that feels right. By putting things under a microscope, I can forget that the world itself feels smaller, one-dimensional. 

When the pandemic hit, it felt like all of my creativity evaporated. Everything I wrote felt stiff and stunted. Now, when I pick up a pen, I write a verse in five minutes and it's finished.

There are fewer rules in poetry, real or imagined. It's all emotion. 

I write poetry now. I am a different person. 

Can you feel it? A shift in yourself?

Susannah Bruck - Framingham

Monday, September 28

Organized religion has been on the decline in the United States. But boy, am I glad I belong to a synagogue in COVID times. Zoom prayer services and programs galore. Getting a couple of personal calls just to ask how I am doing. A drive-by gathering at our synagogue parking lot so that I can make donations for area food banks and can pick up a bag of goodies for our High Holidays. How valuable is this? Priceless.

Allyson Gall - Scituate

Monday, September 28

Spending time with my grandson and his puppy, Tug, at the beach. Since he has not returned to college, he has spent time with us talking about uncertainty in his future. This was a bonus for all of us and filled many days of our isolation.

Cynthia Spencer - East Freetown

Monday, September 28

Early in COVID lockdown, I planted dried black beans and a variety of other seeds, mostly from foods we were eating then. I wanted something to look forward to, some purpose to all of this staying at home. I’ve now been harvesting a bumper crop of fantastic kale and basil, gorgeous tomatoes (when Johnny the squirrel doesn’t steal them), green beans, oregano, and the black beans, which are a bit useless for eating unless you grow a lot more than I did. But these are still a visually beautiful part of this chapter, and they make me feel wonderful.

Victoria French-Sanches - Stamford, Conn.

Friday, September 18

Enjoying an afternoon on the front porch with my husband on a beautiful Saturday in early September, just the two of us.

David Davidson - Eliot, Maine

Friday, September 18

“We’re all in this together” — sea gulls social distancing while awaiting their fast-food dinners.

Ed Bayard - Salem

Friday, September 18

Seeking solace and happiness in the world of nature is a perfect solution. I have sought comfort by watching my bird feeder and taking long walks to see the flowers and the birds and animals. All I needed was my smartphone to capture hundreds of images of the world beyond my four walls.

Neha Shah - Westford

Friday, September 11

I feel like the world around me is falling apart. All these stores are shut down, and there are all these new rules and regulations we need to follow. Our classes have resumed, which adds a sense of normalcy during all of this craziness. I also feel like things are beginning to calm down. It's times like these where you're reminded of the importance of family.

Shane Korygoski - Lanoka Harbor, N.J.

Friday, September 11

I'm pleased to announce that Ponyhenge in Lincoln is in tune with the times.

Barbara Weinstein - Lincoln

Friday, September 11

I was thrilled to get my ballot in the mail. So at the age of 98, pandemic or no pandemic, I would never miss the opportunity to cast my vote.

Mary Murray McCarthy - Boston

Wednesday, September 02

This summer has been interesting, definitely. Quarantine was a dark time for me. As an extrovert, it was difficult spending so much time in solitude when I'm used to going out a lot and being around those I love. Once quarantine was lifted, I was blessed enough to get a new job and work on the Ocean City boardwalk with two close friends. I've been making the best of this pandemic by trying to stay positive despite the circumstances, and staying in contact with friends and family. I'm glad I have been able to see most of them and reconnect, since it had been so long since I had seen them last.

Joelle Myers - Somers Point, N.J.

Wednesday, September 02

Saturday night, Aug. 29, 8:10.
The Alewife train has reached Charles/MGH station.
And it’s a T rider’s dream come true.

Jon Vargosko - Arlington

Wednesday, September 02

Cooler nights are coming. The porch heater will extend the socially distanced outside visits.

Dennis Noonan - Wellesley

Tuesday, August 25

Shrewsbury School Committee member Lynsey Heffernan passes into town folklore for her resourcefulness. During a recent online public meeting, a lightning strike took out power to her neighborhood. But she was back in minutes, using her cellphone and pointing a flashlight at her face in the darkened room.

Melanie Magee - Shrewsbury

Tuesday, August 25

My chorus, the Mystic Chorale, has been hosting weekly virtual sing-alongs for months. These create a wonderful sense of community and connection. In the center of this photo from the spring is Berklee professor Jonathan Singleton and his wife Deborah Freeman leading everyone (more than 350 of us) in a rousing gospel song.

Nick Page - Melrose

Tuesday, August 25

My pandemic lunches are usually solitary. At first I looked at Facebook while I ate, but cats or political posts got to be unsatisfying. I wanted more engaging lunch partners. So I began the practice of “Having Lunch with a Poet.” Schools make poetry intimidating by demanding a “right” interpretation. I decided to ignore “right” and to simply respond to a poet’s insight, in one line or image, or in a whole collection. Lunch became an adventure. I felt filled with beauty and myster, not just a sandwich. My recent poet companions: Wislawa Szymborska, Andrea Cohen, and Christian Wiman.

Kevin Groppe - Wellesley

Tuesday, August 18

I turned 81 in April. A dozen family members sang "Happy Birthday" to me from the grass and parking lot outside my condo, with a big sign and balloons. So very special. Gotta love 'em.

Jeanne McCallum - Easthampton

Tuesday, August 18

Remotely teaching sculpture classes for a half semester with students, widely scattered, at their homes, away from tools, materials, and technical instruction, was far from ideal. The classroom shrank from an equipped shop, with access to clay, plaster, wood, plastic, and metal, to the shallow space of our laptops (the image here of my laptop propped up in my Boston studio is from late May). Students gamely stepped up to each assignment, substituting cardboard, string, paper, and cloth for other materials, and addressing the space of their bedrooms to meet requirements in the midst of much uncertainty. Perseverance!

Marilu Swett - Jamaica Plain

Tuesday, August 18

I am used to moving around. As a preschool teacher, it's all I do. Since March I have been home. When I started paying more attention to my surroundings, I would go to the backyard and listen to the birds chirping and see the skunks and bunnies checking out what might be there for them. I started walking over to the private beach nearby. Early mornings are my favorite, and getting to witness the amazing sunrises gives me a great jump-start to the day.

George Anastos - Quincy

Friday, August 14

Heading east on the mid-Cape toward the sea on an August morning, we laugh as a turkey flies up beside the road, as graceful as an airborne mop. The bruising semester of not being with my students is forgotten until a sign on a bridge overpass: "Teachers Want to Teach, Not Die."

Kathryn Mudgett - Norwell

Friday, August 14

I have a big postcard collection from a lifetime of picking them up wherever I went. Now I am sending them all out. I find it's a great way to tell my friends and relatives I am thinking of them. It's funny because it's also like a diary of my life so far.

Susan Tournas - Marblehead

Friday, August 14

I watch the world in my small backyard, where I’ve planted, with no landscape logic in mind, indigenous flowers and plants to lure butterflies and hummingbirds. I’ve replaced the grass with clover, which the bees love. I feed and watch blue jays, sparrows, finches, mourning doves, and cardinals. A pair of shy voles raise their young in this urban eden. I look forward to mornings, when squirrels hang upside down from the wrought iron grille on my back door to get my attention. But mostly, I watch the bumblebees. Sometimes, if I’m careful, I can stroke their fur.

Rebecca Jung - Pittsburgh

Monday, August 10

Two furloughs, one family member lost, three health insurance changes, two months of job hunting, one part-time job found. Countless books read and shows and movies watched ("Hamilton," anyone?). One birthday. One Zoom Seder. Two separate tailbone injuries. One sprained foot. This is my quarantine by the numbers. No one’s is alike, though many of us now know about Zoom backgrounds and "Tiger King." I used to walk miles daily in my neighborhood, grateful to see the city skyline and to be alive. Now my air cast prevents me from walking far, but I’m still grateful.

Jennifer Leavey - Roslindale

Monday, August 10

Let's hope a Dr. Seuss-inspired plea will convince some holdouts to wear a mask.

Michael Zimmerman - Brookline

Monday, August 10

Ah, my golden years. A long-awaited opportunity to see and do all that could not be done when working. COVID has thwarted this. No volunteer work, no trips, no concerts, no plays, no movies on the cinema screen. Not even lunch out with retiree friends. I’ve gone grocery and CVS shopping (masked of course) and done Netflix and Zoom and takeout. And there is the gym’s pool, just reopened. Limited occupancy and constant sanitizing. But I'm grateful for that escape. It’s both exercise and a cocoon for tired bones. I can almost forget the new world order that has wrecked all my plans.

Regina M. Pacitti - Waltham

Friday, July 31

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” sang Joni Mitchell. Watching sports (mostly football, basketball, and baseball) is one of my favorite things to do. Now I'm especially missing football. I long to see those Hail Mary passes, fumble recoveries, and interceptions. I yearn to watch the games with my brother and dad in our matching Patriots jerseys, and to yell and root for the Pats while sitting in the bleachers or at home. I miss trash-talking my friends who support the Jets and Giants. I can’t wait to return to my crazy superstitions, like crossing my legs, arms, and feet. Mostly, I wish to be together with family and friends again, bonding over something we all share.

Sanya Nadeem, age 11 - East Walpole

Friday, July 31

I'm sad not to be with the man I love, who is in Mexico. I've not seen him for almost five months, and it could be a couple more before it's safe to travel. But in the meantime, I'm finishing and will self-publish two children's books I wrote almost a decade ago, and I'm slowly completing a quilt for my granddaughter. I've also made friends with Oliver, a Steller's jay who calmly walks up my arm to take nuts. I'm grateful, explaining that this bird is the only living being I've touched in nearly five months.

Sharon Franklin - Eugene, Ore.

Friday, July 31

I stayed at home starting March 18. I had lots of projects — made cloth masks, started turning my lawn into a terraced garden, upcycled fabric into a painting. At the end of May, I was asked to come back to my job. About half the people weren't wearing masks, or were only half-wearing them. Now more people wear masks, but there are still some who don't. A week ago the first employee was diagnosed with COVID-19. People who were in direct contact with this person were told, but I'm not sure if they are required to be tested. I think that's the extent of the contact tracing. I'm worried and unsure if I should continue working there because of my age — 63.

Charlene Weinstein - Lambertville, N.J.

Monday, July 27

My family is nearing the end of a three-month project where we are walking every street in Arlington, and there are a lot of them. Using the map from our local phone book, we set out almost every day, sometimes twice a day, and pound the pavement. In the process, we have discovered extraordinary architecture, amazing views, secret nooks and crannies — and also how the Black Lives Matter movement has transformed our town. Every week we take a photo of the map to show our progress — we started May 1 and will finish Aug. 1. And almost every day we learn something new about a town that, after 17 and a half years, we thought we knew. We've discovered that we had barely scratched the surface.

Adam Pachter - Arlington

Monday, July 27

I am a watercolorist. For the past 20 years, I have focused on polar and frozen places. Once the pandemic hit, everything my work was involved in was canceled — shows, classes, etc. In a class I was taking, we were assigned to paint an interior landscape. The images of animals moving into “human” spaces during the pandemic captivated me. I’ve made over 30 paintings of these settings. “Penguin and the Cesari” encapsulates both my wonder at this new world and my longing for the old one.

Lisa Goren - Hyde Park

Monday, July 27

With the exception of our sheets, I’ve been hand-washing all of our laundry since the end of March. We live in an apartment without a washer and dryer, and I found myself dreading the laundromat when laundry began piling up at that time. At first, I thought of it as a stopgap, but I found that by doing a little every day, I was making quite a dent in the baskets. Now it is just part of my daily routine. Clothes hang in doorways and over chairs, but until things are much improved, we aren’t having any company anyway.

Trudy Gredy - Tampa, Fla.

Friday, July 24

I've been a widow for three and a half years. I thought I was doing OK, and then the pandemic hit. The loneliness was almost unbearable. I belong to a poets group, and I put together a poetry reading on Zoom that we recorded and shared via the local access TV station. Writing poetry has helped a lot of us get through this.

Karen Hayden - Methuen

Friday, July 24

I had gotten used to seclusion before most others since I was going through chemo treatments for breast cancer in the fall and winter and into spring. The loneliness came when I could not bring a loved one with me into the hospital for my lumpectomy, the last set of my chemo treatments, and my radiation treatments. I had a scary reaction to my first dose of this last cycle, and I had no one holding my hand telling me I was going to be OK. People are whining about having to wear a mask into stores. I cannot have a hand to hold while fighting cancer. It's a scary battle that deserves a hand to hold.

Sarah Cook - Gilford , N.H.

Friday, July 24

Caption: "Incognito"

Ros Winsor - Auburndale

Tuesday, July 21

Finding places to be normal when nothing else is.

Kathleen Young - Salem, Ore.

Tuesday, July 21

I had to evacuate from a Vietnam holiday and leave everything behind in China, including these two sweet girls I rescued from the side of the road last summer. I am desperate to get them here to the United States, but without flights, they must be shipped, and it’s insanely expensive. I am losing hope.

D’Anne Graham - Richmond , Va.

Tuesday, July 21

It’s been hardest on my 92-year-old mom. She still lives independently in her home. Loneliness is tough. But she enjoyed her drive-by birthday celebration in April.

Joanne Robertson - Wareham

Thursday, July 16

I was doing pretty well with the lockdown for the past few months. Reading and watching movies. While sitting outside, soaking up nature in my green and bird-filled yard. Then, pow! The heat wave hit. Summer in the Deep South means no going out except to get the mail. Now I am stuck inside, looking out the window.

Laura Brady - Hammond, La.

Thursday, July 16

I'm raising praying mantises after staring out the window all winter at the egg case on a rhododendron. One day, the window screen was covered with a dusting of baby mantises. They are now almost 1 inch long. Amazing to watch.

Karen Shine Nelson - Somerville

Thursday, July 16

I had gotten smug, bragging about how I had saved the day when my daughter broke her ankle. Super Me jumped into gear, merged our households, took over caring for her young children, and rounded up volunteers from among my friends to provide meals.

After nine weeks passed, I proposed a Phase Two plan for the summer. She listened.

"Sure, Mom, whatever you can do to help would be great." The answer came from some faraway place. "But what if there is no school next year?"

Judi Meirowitz Tischler - Newton

Wednesday, July 01

It’s so nice to be able to share my homesickness with you. My husband and I are stranded in our winter home in Las Vegas, where we never envisioned living year-round. In late January, I realized that the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan was going to head our way, but no one really believed me, so I did not reschedule our April flight back to Boston. Big mistake.

Needless to say, we are still out here, and I think we will remain so for the foreseeable future. I don’t believe it will be safe to fly home until there is a significant breakthrough in a treatment or a vaccine for COVID-19.

I miss New England. I miss Boston. And I miss our home in Haverhill. I miss lobster rolls, fried clams, Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee, green grass, woods, lakes, and everything about home. But at least I can still read my Boston Globe online every morning. Still, I long for the day when I can walk out my door and pick up a copy of my Globe to read over coffee in my Haverhill home.

Alice Magrane - Las Vegas

Wednesday, July 01

Here is a photo of our COVID protection rack, which we installed in late March, right by our front door — sort of like our key rack, but for our different methods of staying safe when we venture out beyond our front door. It now shows the accumulated methods we've been using: first, our "Covid cloths" in plastic bags (inspired by the Globe's March 17 letter to the editor, "Have 'Covid cloth,' will travel"), then a variety of bandanas, then an N95 mask or two that we scrounged from the tool closet, some hand-sewn masks made by someone in our synagogue, and finally, some store-bought blue paper masks.

Mark Schafer - Roxbury

Wednesday, July 01

Spending lots of time in the gardens. They're the most weed-free ever.

Nancy Bryan - Hingham

Friday, June 19

Here is my son-in-law, Rob, showing off his new son, Montgomery, born during the lockdown. They are at the sliding glass door to their deck so that their friends can see the baby. Here is unconditional love, pride, and hope in the midst of chaos. This is Father's Day 2020.

Judith Kackloudis - Foxborough

Friday, June 19

Like many people, I find solace in sunsets, baking bread, and children's laughter, but I caught myself especially at peace helping my father with yard work and observing his method of stretching out a new leaf bag. It seems ridiculous initially, but then you realize it's actually the most logical way to do it. Now I see why the elders are always the wisest. Thanks, Dad, for always being Dad.

Bobby Conlon Jr. - Lynn

Friday, June 19

A volunteer picked up groceries for me. I opened the bag, and there was a bunch of lavender tulips. Confined to home by both the pandemic and health issues, I had been longing for flowers to bring a bit of spring into my apartment. A stranger had granted my wish. When I texted her, she told me that she thought they would brighten a difficult time. I placed the tulips in a vase on my living room window sill, gazing at them often, until the petals dried and fell to the floor.

Elaine Gottlieb - Cambridge

Monday, June 15

Early in the pandemic, my three granddaughters came up with the idea of porch visits. They sat inside by the window. I sat outside. You published a Postcard of us on April 20. Now that warm days have arrived, our visits have evolved. We set up a picnic table on the porch. The girls sit on one bench. I sit on the opposite bench. We keep a safe distance, but we feel closer without the window separating us.
Recently, the girls devoured quesadillas while I read to them, and they savored ice cream cones on a hot day. We still can’t hug or share lunch items. But it’s good enough, for now.

Monica Stuart - Waltham

Monday, June 15

I have been taking pictures of flowers and anything outside that attracts my attention. It's a great way to start or end the day, and it always brightens my mood. There is beauty all around us.

Linda Encarnacao - Andover

Monday, June 15

We can all use a chuckle during these times, and this door fit the bill.

Michael Zimmerman - Brookline

Friday, June 12

My mom has been growing plants, and I’ve been helping her. It is acutely hard work, surprisingly. But other than that, I’m just outside all day or I’m doing homework.

Xavier Leveille - Blauvelt , N.Y.

Friday, June 12

Please don’t pass judgment or think that I am crazy. Here’s one thing that is getting me through the pandemic: the squirrels. Yeah, OK, I know. These abundant rodents are destructive to homes and property. But I just can’t help it. They are so entertaining, performing on-the-spot acrobatics for a few peanuts, and they are much better to watch than TV during the pandemic.

Helen Zazulak - Natick

Friday, June 12

One day my wife painted the balusters on our staircase while my mind was elsewhere. The pandemic is helping me to improve my listening skills.

Alan Bodnar - Wellesley

Monday, June 08

In the evenings, after another day of terrible news, I have been doodling and drawing cartoons in a COVID journal. It helps me. I drew this sketch of my dresser while in bed, about to go to sleep.

Robin Herman - Waltham

Monday, June 08

I’m a dining room attendant for AdviniaCare at Seashore Pointe in Provincetown. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, I’ve been dressing up in different costumes to bring some levity to the residents, since many do not leave their rooms. I just want to brighten up their day.

Kymberly Wilkinson - Provincetown

Monday, June 08

We’ve weathered the stay-at-home order very well in my piano studio in Newburyport. All 40 of my students switched to online lessons using FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom, and we are now completing our second virtual recital since mid-March. I divided the recital into sections by personal attributes that my students and their families have shown during this epidemic. The sections were: We are brave, we are resilient, we are creative, we are optimists, we are confident, we remain playful, we remain positive, and we remain grateful. Here is one of my students, Eliza Burton, age 10.

Penny Lazarus - Newburyport

Friday, June 05

I am a teacher, teaching Wayland students from home during the pandemic. I miss my students. Most days, the sadness is palpable. But last Friday (May 29), during a small-group virtual meeting, I dismissed a girl in order to work with some of the other students. She asked if she could stay because she was very happy there. Made my day!

Jacqueline Moquin - Arlington

Friday, June 05

With a dear friend’s 70th birthday approaching at the end of April, we wanted a party. But it had to be safe. A small backyard fire pit, with masks, maybe? Then the weather turned raw. A virtual party seemed unlikely since some in our group had never used Zoom or didn't even have a smartphone. A few days later, though, a spectacular party happened. A bag was delivered to each house with ice cream, candle, and mini bubbly. Everyone learned Zoom, and we toasted and serenaded our beloved birthday girl, Annie Hale. Can’t share birthday cake? No problem, thanks to our cake-themed face masks.

Lynn Hewes - Holliston

Friday, June 05

This is a shrine to what was not to be: my new white shoes for singing at Tanglewood this summer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. And the wee cake celebrating the Tanglewood Festival Chorus's 50th anniversary this — well, next summer. See you then!

Martha Reardon Bewick - Hingham

Monday, June 01

Spending time outside has really helped me with this pandemic. I love playing games outside or reading in my backyard. Having my parents around has been essential too: bonding with them over shared experiences and challenges, watching shows together, and just getting that social interaction. I miss hanging out with loved ones, but my parents have been a wonderful support network. This pandemic has been hard, but we will all get through this stronger.

Grace Van Dyck - Wellesley

Monday, June 01

My sister suggested I share this image that I took of my dad’s 65th birthday, on May 6. I’m a professional photographer, and I knew that with the right lens I could not only drop off handmade cards (and blueberry muffins) to him; I could also capture a picture or two of my parents at a safe distance. It’s not easy to be away from family, and we miss spending time together, but we are all making the best of it. These two have been married for 44 years, and I look up to them both so much. They chose wisely, not knowing all those years ago that they would be spending countless days together during a quarantine in 2020.

Bridget Parmenter - Shrewsbury

Monday, June 01

Here is my Day 73 photo. It has been fun being part of Postcards from the Pandemic, but this is the last bearded photo you will get from me. I’ve decided to shave it off. My reasons: COVID-19 restrictions are loosening up, I’m tired of the beard, the weather is getting warmer, and barbecue food does not look good in a beard. And perhaps most important, my wife doesn’t like it. (Editor's note: To see the "before" picture, check out the March 18 postcard.)

Jim Hamilton - Marshfield

Friday, May 29

My Tae Kwon Do online virtual classes, long walks, knitting, music, occasional baking, and my pet Congo African Grey Parrot, Aziza, have all helped give me solace during these stressful times.

Miki Polumbaum - Somerville

Friday, May 29

During this pandemic, I have been learning how to play the piano. I now know how to play several different songs, including "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran, "Ode to Joy," and other, more simple songs.

Michelle Mancia - Blauvelt, N.Y.

Friday, May 29

I have been creating one small artwork each day and e-mailing the artwork to friends, often including photos of the day.

Dianne Jenkins - Swampscott

Tuesday, May 26

Walking between buildings at the hospital about a week ago (I am a social worker), I was struck by how many beautiful days we have had — sunny, crisp wind — weather that makes one question how something could be in the air, on surfaces, and on our breath that kills those around us so swiftly. For a moment, I imagined the beauty of ignorance — of believing that the sunlight takes away our danger, that the bodies stacked up at nursing homes and hospitals around the world are merely hearsay. Denial can be beautiful in its own way, and I understand this. But make no mistake, we will pay for such ignorance. Fighting against the allure of ignorance takes effort: Ask any health care worker for advice on how to live every day with the intense need to stare ugliness in the face, fight for little bits of hope, go home exhausted, then wake up and do it again. To deny the truth of this fight is to spit in the face of all those fighting for the hope that one day, we will be out in the world again (yes, in the new normal), free of the unrelenting fear that the sun is only a facade, that the cool breeze is only carrying death, and that we will forever be just one moment away from the paralyzing reality of being afraid of something invisible yet deadly.

Johnna Marcus - Boston

Tuesday, May 26

I've been inoculating logs with mushroom plug spawn to grow edible mushrooms. Some of the advice I read on how to do it is conflicting, so I've been trying various methods and combinations of woods and mushroom species, resulting in a little mushroom farm on the side of my house. It's a delayed-gratification kind of project, since the mushrooms will take at least six months to start growing, and some much longer than that. I look forward to eating my first quarantine mushrooms but wonder what version of normal we will be living in by then. Regardless, I'm sure they will be delicious, and these days it's always good to have something special to look forward to.

Melanie Mendez - Arlington

Tuesday, May 26

Honking cars filled the cul-de-sac, children cheering through the windows. My little brother Theo was celebrating his 9th birthday, and his classmates’ families had driven to our house to give him presents and cards. I caught paper airplanes and Hot Wheels in my gloved hands while Theo talked to his friends and the kids’ parents chatted with ours. Of course, everyone wore a mask. Despite the 6 feet of separation, we enjoyed one another’s company. In these difficult times, Theo still found a way to have a birthday party with his friends.

Maria Maier - Walpole

Tuesday, May 26

My dog, Daisy, guarding my groceries before I spray and wipe them off.

Colleen Henry - New City, N.Y.

Tuesday, May 26

My 2020 college graduate son is isolating from me, but together we are planning his first vegetable garden, since he has the time. He may never garden again, but he can at least say that he tried it once.

Julie Knodler - West Springfield

Friday, May 15

Day 59 (May 13) of my shelter-in-place beard.

Jim Hamilton - Marshfield

Friday, May 15

On a recent morning, while I was praying in our chapel of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, who did I see out the window but a wild turkey waiting for the bus at the corner of Benton Road and Highland Avenue? After a few minutes, it took a turkey trot to the middle of the road. Traffic came to a standstill. One car tried to maneuver around the turkey, only to have the bird waddle to the driver as if to have a chat. Then the driver deftly pulled away, and the turkey returned to the sidewalk and proceeded toward Central Street. Wish I was quick with my camera.

Sister Margaret Anne Meyer - Somerville

Friday, May 15

My son Nolan graduated from UMass Amherst on Friday. He (the one with his arms up) and a few of his friends are making the best of a bad situation. Last Thursday they took graduation pictures of each other. A classic image to behold these days.

Maura Hardiman - Walpole

Tuesday, May 12

My husband, Boyd, and I have now had the time to read all the letters he wrote while serving on the front lines in Vietnam in 1968.

Karen Osler - Plymouth

Tuesday, May 12

Here is a sketch of something I think about: climbing a ladder to see my deaf sister at the window on the third floor. When I send her a card or letter, I copy the same sketch each time. In that way we are having a visit, and it feels good.

Claire Dee Ecsedy - Needham

Tuesday, May 12