Little Steps Poster ©Felipe Adan Lerma
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/little-steps-poster-felipe-adan-lerma.html

No April Fool’s stuff from me this year. I need trust more than a panic trick (even if innocent) right now. Even Google’s cancelled their traditional April Fool stuff! 😊

Social Distancing
Yesterday Sheila and I made our now rare trip to the pharmacy and picked up a few things. Lot of items (to have as back-ups) were gone or in last on the shelf supply. Toilet paper was all gone ‘cept for two unopened boxes in a cart. Well that was easy – pop open, grab two double roll packs (wiping each package down as we went). Clear vinegar was all gone, but two Apple Cider vinegars were left, both priced down to 99 cents each. Sheila grabbed them so fast I thought I’d just seen them there, lol!

Line to the register had the now familiar blue tape line social distancing markers for the mandate Austin put in weeks ago – back way back, early March, when SXSW was cancelled amid mixed (but now grateful) reviews. And, no one in line! Lucky us – by the time we were barely half way checked out we had 3+ people waiting behind us at the various blue strips of tape.

Except for one older man.

He moved to the front, past everyone, and nearly squeezed himself against Sheila, but backed off a few inches when I turned and moved toward him.

me: Sir, you have to move back to one of the blue markers

him: I can’t read what that says behind the counter (he points toward the cigarettes)

cashier: sir, you have to move back in the line

him: I can’t see the sign (points to cigarettes)

me: (moving a step closer to him, making eye contact) sir, my wife’s had cancer, and I’m on antibiotics for sinus stuff, you need to —

him: (startled) oh, oh, sorry (stumbles partly back to the line, stops)

me: sir (softly), you’ll have to wait your turn

The man seemed to wake, almost embarrassed, nodded, and moved to the back of the line. I can only imagine what the cashier and few staff in the store have to contend with through a whole day. They’re not medical personnel, but the store people at places like this, Walgreens, and grocery stores, deserve more credit. We depend on them, and they’re there for us.

Social distancing has had huge positive effects in lowering the virus’ curve on human life. It’s one of those simple non-tech solutions that we realize now, is also very hard to maintain.

Case in point —

A large group of UT students (70 I think) took a trip to Mexico from out of Austin, and at least 28 have tested positive for the virus. They’d chartered a plane there, but some returned via commercial flight. Details are still coming out – https://www.google.com/search?q=ut+students+with+virus+from+mexico&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari – but evidently a Nevada company was involved. And of course the students had the money and willingness to go despite the warnings and social distancing orders from the city (and now the state).

That was avoidable 😔

Tomorrow I hope to write a bit about our FaceTime with Max, the 7 year old 😊

Again, also simple, but when a seven year old is alone with only his parents, without his usual contacts with friends at school and sleepovers, well… 😂

Hopefully after that (Friday?) I can post a few pics in my daily posts of the paintings I’ve been (almost literally) tinkering with. Probably really sketches, watercolor, on my little 6×6 squares, but I like them ❤️

Stay well everyone!

Adan

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Series link – Aging Through Covid-19

Suggested link, Google search results about Social Distancing, with surprisingly nice variety of angles and bits of information on this lynch pin (along with universal testing) of preventing a catastrophe from this very aggressive virus – https://www.google.com/search?q=effects+of+social+distancing&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Do you have good, positive, useful or encouraging info to share? Please post in the moderated comments below 😊

Note: Each time I post while doing this series (may it be a short series, but if so, for positive reasons 😊), I’ll post one or more links to posts I feel are worth seeing or reading. Some will be COVID-19 specific, some just uplifting, some encouraging via exercise or nutrition etc, but all within the rubric of what we’re all facing tougher ❤️

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My Related Posts Here On My Blog

My Latest Posts On My Website!

• October 26, 2021 – I’ve Been Reading, and It’s Triggered a Realization on My Part How Important the Surface of a Painting, My Own Paintings in Particular, Are to Me….October 26, 2021
  …tinkering with the surface of my current art work. I enjoy doing that, immensely. The surface of my work often being as important, or I should say, as interesting to me, as the image as a whole. And of course now I want to make the image as a whole, whether seen from a short nose-to-the canvas space, to the further distance where the image is, well, simply just an image as a whole.
• October 25, 2021 – New Masking Fluid Project – “Angel”October 25, 2021
  Continuing with more new paintings I’ve recently set in motion, Angel appears to be a dark swirl but is actually hiding some carefully but casually placed masking fluid lines. I’ll be showing some detail shots of “Angel”‘s more recent state tomorrow, but am still working on the painting as a whole. This particular masking fluid experiment is almost a direct descendant of an abstract study on paper I recently wrecked, lol!
• October 24, 2021 – My Most Viewed Image This Past Week @FineArtAmerica, Arm Chair View Paris, an early #watercolor #blackandwhite #figureart circa Sept 2020October 24, 2021
  An interesting most viewed results on my Fine Art America site this past viewing period — Plus, as surprising, was the fact 4 of my top 6 most viewed images were Paris themed, 2 of the remainder were also from places we’ve visited (New York & Vermont), followed by most viewed “period” of an Austin pink sunset 😊 On top of that I’ve apparently never included an image of Arm Chair View Paris in one of my blog posts before! Well we’re remedying that here now ❤️
• October 23, 2021 – New #Acrylic Upload @FineArtAmerica – Mother and ChildOctober 23, 2021
  It’s been quite a development for this painting, growing from an idea of a previous work with a less defined at the time unrealized depiction of a younger and older person. Probably the most important development is my own realization of that development, lol! Frankly, though I often saw a realization-glimpse of that sort even from my 20s about my art, and maybe as a child, I literally blew it off and kept on going 😊
• October 22, 2021 – A Day With the 8 Year Old = Painting His Wooden Sword for Halloween, Circling the Trailhead to Barton Creek Greenbelt, Visiting Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Celebrating Veterans Art at the Old Bakery & Emporium, and Watching Big Hero 6 on Disney+!!!October 22, 2021
  This post is long on pictures, mostly because it was a long day from getting up to getting back to bed, lol! But what a good day it was ❤️ Here’s hoping this long post of pictures brings a similar good feeling! First up, above, is a special project Max has had his heart on, re-creating a magical sword he sees and experiences using in one of his video games – Zelda Breath of the Wild! All part of his progressing Halloween costume….
• October 21, 2021 – Delivering New Art to the Old Bakery and Emporium (across from the State Capital) Austin, Texas – 3 Piece Floral Set and 1 Autumn 6×6, all #WatercolorsOctober 21, 2021
  Despite my many gripes about living in Austin, Texas, there’s of course a handful of things I do like. Among them is the opportunity the city makes for artisans 50 or older living in the Austin area to show their creative work. I’ve been fortunate to have some sales, and am very grateful to be able to replenish my inventory with the paintings above.
• October 20, 2021 – Sold! At the Old Bakery and Emporium (across from the State Capital) Austin, Texas – Paris Dreams (Dreaming of Paris)October 20, 2021
  I’m very grateful to my buyer at the Old Bakery & Emporium in Austin Texas! 🙏 With as few months as the Old Bakery’s been reopen, and all the precautions needed to be taken recently here in Austin, it’s a miracle to be able to share my art a this time 💕

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Thanks again, everyone! 😊

Adan

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