And They’re Not Over Yet
The past six months have reminded me of my two favorite Spanish sayings:
- “No hay mal que por bien no venga.” Nothing bad ever happens that doesn’t bring something good along with it.
- “Todos los días son días de aprender.” Every day is a day to learn something.
It was the end of February and I had just had a group in my studio of 18 art students from The American School in Switzerland (TASIS). I worked with two assistants, María José and Carmen (bottom right in the photo), which permitted us, in addition to teaching, to produce a volume of work, enough to mount a show when the students got back home. It was a print production experience and it worked wonderfully well. Everybody was delighted with their prints and I was ready for a rest.
It Was a Long Rest
I didn’t realize then that we were in for a six-month–and counting–rest, as the coronavirus lockdown started shortly afterwards. Life changed radically. No more escapadas to our favorite fried-fish-and-chilled-white-wine bars. No more visits to and from friends and family. No more students. What day is it? What is the meaning of life, anyway? Are we going to get out of this alive?
Essentially I think the most important tool for dealing with dramatically unexpected circumstances is creativity. I’m always saying that creativity is not just about modeling clay or putting paint on canvas. It’s about everything we do in life. It’s our most important resource, especially in tricky times.
How to start? First of all, reading. Mike bought me an ereader for Christmas and downloaded tons of quality books. I started with Tolstoy–what a revelation–Mark Twain, Dickens, biographies of Caesar and Bonaparte, among other greats. (Conclusion: Nothing has changed.) Then cooking, first spending a month nurturing sourdough bread and pancakes (Mike says sourdough is an extraterrestre.) We’ve almost eliminated meat from our diet, replacing it with dozens of variations on different kinds of beans. Then cakes and baked apples. Oh, I almost forgot the big homemade jam selection. Our son has a fruit orchard. That helps. It’s creativity you can spread on pancakes.
As it turned out, we were lucky. We weren’t totally locked down, The regulation had a loophole for people to walk their dogs, so Diva saved our health and sanity. We would take her for walks along the old Sierra Nevada tram line or the river walk almost every day.
Another bright side: They say adapting to change keeps you young. So, when the initial shock began to wear off I decided to go back to painting. Painting was my first love, but I hadn’t had much time for it since the late 70s when I took up printmaking. Now the time was right. I even had oodles of paint and canvases I’d been buying over the years for a future when I could paint again.
Sometimes Mike Would Take a Camera
What’s Next?
Next is to keep on coping. To continue dealing with changes, surprises, alarms, disappointments, simple pleasures, polishing one’s sense of humor. If adapting to change makes you young we’ll be 10 years old before this is over. And that’s a good thing, as President Trump says Covid-19 doesn’t kill anybody… except old people.
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Printmaking Courses in Spain 
So good to hear you are well! Beautiful pictures and story! We want to go back to Spain! Much love! XxOo
Cope on my friends! I’ve retreated to more novel writing and enjoying my wooded five acres. And don’t get me started on Trump! ;-(
Delightful to hear from you Harald. Glad to hear you’re shacked up with your computer. I don’t talk about Trump on my days off. That said, my blog is called “Trump and All the Rest,” http://trumpandalltherest.com. I’m doing my best to get America turned around. Wish me luck. Where’s your wooded five acres? It sounds pretty sylvan. Novels, indeed. I wouldn’t dare. I’ve always been more non-fiction, both for reading and writing. I should have gotten a PhD in history. Then again, if I had I would be here, would I? All the best to you, take great care, Mike & Maureen
Love this wonderful and positive update, and love you! Missing you and all these beautiful things your life is infused with. Big hugs from the masked Midwest…been making prints, food, and more, and relishing having all my boys here. ❤️❤️❤️Deborah
Hi Deb, Nice to see you looking on the bright side with “all my boys.” We think about you often. I run across you from time to time in my picture files. How’s your Mom? We think that, after meeting her, we understand you better. Next week we’re driving over to see our granddaughter, Lucía and our two great grandsons. (We have two more, actually, but they’re in England.) We hardly ever see them during the lockdown and confinement. Lucía is such a heroine, raising them on her own. She gets great support from the Spanish state. She’s an agricultural engineer but she’s been working as a high-school teacher. The big son, Daniel, 4, is so clever he stops adults in the park and engages them in15-minute conversations. In Spanish or English, indistinctly. (In Spain, if a person is big headed and boasts a lot, they say, “No tiene abuela.” He doesn’t have a grandmother.) Enough silliness. Take the best possible care of them boys, and yourself. Big hugs from Granada, Maureen and Mike
So good to hear you two are well! Your post came just after I had been wondering! Beautiful art, Maureen! Epic photos, Mike! Longing to visit with you again! XXOO
Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Rhonda. We’d love to see you again. Is the virus weaker in Alaska because it’s colder up there? Stay well and keep in touch. Big Spanish-style hugs for both of you, Maureen and Mike
We did fairly well with the onset of the virus in March through May since many stay inside during the cold weather. We had a fairly cold spring and much rain through the summer. So far 52 deaths out of 8,477 cases. I think we are doing okay–it doesn’t seem that bad here. We minimize our contact with others and going out as least as possible. Thank you for the Spanish-style hugs! You guys are great! Love that Maureen is working on her art and sourdough cooking! I have also been doing sourdough cooking and even froze a starter for later–just in case I neglect my batch, which I eventually did after a long time ;( Preparing for winter now 🙂 Sending polar bear hugs from Alaska–Rhonda & Rich
A polar bear hug ain’t bad either.