Pulling Back the Curtains

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Art for Housewives

The Curtain

Every morning, once out of bed, the first thing I do is open the shutters, pull back the curtains, and check out the sky’s mood. What I see outside the window will, in some way, influence my day.

For 37 days we’ve been living the lockdown. Every evening at six we have a briefing from the Civil Protection so we can have an idea as to how things are going. Yesterday’s good news: the number of people in intensive care continues to decrease and the number of “cured” continues to increase. But “cured” has its ambiguities as we’ve seen in China where “cured” can be followed by “relapse”.

Here in Italy massive testing for COVID continues although it slowed down a bit over the Easter week-end. People continue to be infected but, percentage wise, 20% less than a month ago. Luckily, the number in intensive care has drastically gone down and 65% of those recovered there survive. As before, the sooner you are diagnosed with COVID, the more possibility you have of surviving.

Unfortunately, people are becoming restless. When the weather is lovely (as it has been lately) people get itchy and want to go outdoors and mingle. But going out only increases the possibility of contagion.

Massimo Galli, director of the infectious diseases department at Milano’s Sacco Hospital, was asked the other day if he couldn’t be more precise as to when the lockdown would end and everything would be opened again. He replied: “Reopen everything? Get the virus to give us a date, and then we can talk about it.” It’s obvious that most people still don’t understand that COVID offers more questions than answers. There are so many variables to deal with that scientists cannot honestly give specifics at this time.  Maybe those eager for a quick superficial answer would be better off consulting a fortune teller.

One of the many things that has emerged from lockdown is that so many people have difficulties being alone with themselves and are mentally rigid. They have no flow. They continue to believe that it is their right to impose themselves on the world without understanding that it’s because we’ve imposed so much that we’re in this situation.

And the problem is not limited to Italy.

The state of New York is c. one third the size of Italy. Nevertheless, it has 202,208 COVID 19 cases compared to Italy’s 162, 488 (data from Worldometers). Why? It had so much more time to prepare itself.

In Italy (but in Europe in general), the people are overwhelmed by what they see happening in the U.S.—the homeless sleeping in parking lots, the dead buried in mass graves, and the long lines of people in line for the food bank—how can this be happening in the world’s richest country? It would seem that America is the world’s fastest growing slum.

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Posted in Art Narratives, Drawings & Paintings, Rome/Italy | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Balcony garden update

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Art for Housewives

The Balcony

The weather in Rome has been fantastic making it all the more difficult to stay indoors with the lockdown. Luckily, we have a balcony and I have decided to spend more time there than on internet.

The sun is a magician and can transform the cholesterol in skin cells into vitamin D. Vitamin D is not only good for the bones, but, for adults, also helps the immune system, regulates blood pressure, and fights against depression.

Container Garden

Our balcony is populated mainly by yuccas because they are easy to care for. But I am trying to find space for a Victory Garden. So sometimes I just stick a smaller pot into a big one. Luckily I had some lettuce seeds and planted a few in a place where there’s just the right amount of sunlight. Too much sun makes the lettuce taste bitter.

Balcony Garden

It hasn’t been easy finding space for the new plants but I have managed to make room for some tomatoes and bell peppers using seeds from store bought vegetables.

Balcony Garden

And I’m also using the bottoms of lettuce to grow more lettuce.

I’ve had to clean out much of my aloe vera (the most versatile plant around). I use egg shells and coffee grounds as fertilizer.

This is an update on a previous post: The Garden of Eden on a Balcony

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The Windmill in my Mind

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Art for Housewives

The average age of those who’ve died of COVID-19 in Italy is 78.

Sixty percent of those infected are men. Seventy percent of those who die are men. Women, for reasons not yet explained, seem to be more resilient. Maybe it’s their biology and the fact that their bodies are engineered to create and sustain life.

Parian Windmill

Last summer we would take our evening walk on a road that followed the sea. At a certain point we would sit down on the little wall flanking the road just to watch the sunset. Once the sun disappeared behind the horizon line, we’d sigh then continue our walk past the windmill that’s now a bar. We knew then that we were lucky and that made us even luckier. Because if you’re lucky and don’t know it, it’s like not being lucky at all.

Despite the lockdown, we continue to be lucky. First of all, we have one another…I can still get a hug when I need one. Plus we have Volver, our cat, who continues to purr and rub himself up against us. Food is not lacking nor is a warm bed with clean sheets. There’s no shortage of art supplies and internet helps keep us in touch with family and friends. Of course I miss and worry about my loved ones. But they are safe and holding out psychologically.

It’s another beautiful day to be alive!

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The Garden of Eden on a Balcony

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Art for Housewives

In the U.S. more people have died of the coronavirus than from the September 11 massacre.

In Italy, we’ve reached a plateau indicating that things are getting better. Unfortunately, because so many parents are freaking out having to stay inside all day with their children, permission has now been given for a parent to take a child out for a walk. It is, in my opinion, a very unwise decision. After China eased up on restrictions, people began getting infected again.

My sleeping schedule is in disarray. A couple of weeks ago, I would fall asleep but then wake up during the night with a sense of anxiety. Now I don’t even fall asleep.

What is so very overwhelming about the coronavirus is that it saturates the atmosphere with the presence of death. There is no spontaneity in daily life, just a constant worry to take necessary precautions or wind up dead. To give me hope, I’ve planted seeds. Because planting a seed means believing in a future.

Every morning I rush to the balcony to see if any of my seeds have sprouted. Of course it is too soon but I’m like a child eager for the arrival of Santa Claus. Just as a child looks forward to the gifts he’ll receive at Christmas, I look forward to the day when my seeds will transform into little green heads pushing up from under the dirt.

Balcony Garden

The yucca have been rearranged to make room for food producing plants. But I’ve read that much of the yucca is edible.

Balcony Garden

Since I can’t go out to buy seeds, I’ve planted the seeds from fresh produce. Above: cherry tomatoes and bell peppers.

Harvested lettuce.

Sometimes, if you want a paradise, you have to make it yourself.

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Posted in Ecofeminism, Lifestyle, Plants & Gardening | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Little Red Hen

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Art for Housewives

We’ve been in lockdown for three weeks now.

Yesterday the news was good. Fewer people are being infected. However, it’s still too early to relax. And, unfortunately, there are fools running around outside instead of staying home. If they are stopped by the police, these fools risk a fine of E400-E3000.

It would appear that many heads of state and politicians were deprived, as children, of bed time stories. Like that of “The Little Red Hen.”

The Little Red Hen

A little red hen by the name of Rossa saw that the food supplies were running low. So, to prepare for the future, she decided to plant some wheat to make bread. Rossa asked the other farmyard animals for help but they said no as they preferred strutting around at the stock show. So Rossa planted then harvested the wheat all by herself. When it was time to take the wheat to the mill to turn it into flour, she asked her barnyard friends for help. But they said, once again, no and, instead of helping, sat in the sun mooing and neighing and oinking as if they didn’t have a care in the world. So Rossa took the flour and made some bread. The lovely smell of the freshly made bread had everyone running to Rossa’s ready to eat. But Rosa simply replied ”Shoo! Shoo!” and ate the bread herself.

Moral of the story: if you want something to eat, you’ve got to get organized and prepare. Just as you have to do if you want to be ready to affront emergencies like that of the coronavirus. Worldwide, budget cuts were made in terms of healthcare. But, in the long run, how much money was saved? The economic aftermath of this pandemia will leave many people penniless. Businesses will be destroyed and people left without a job. By far more money was spent fighting the virus than was money saved with budget cuts.

And although I have been pro-Europe, it is not obvious that you need more than a common currency to create a union. Maybe it’s time to regroup. The Mediterranean countries would be better off creating uniting together as the alliance with Germany has been, for the most part, a stress. It is blatantly obvious that, to adequately affront the COVID-19, much money is needed and not just in terms of medical care. People in quarantine cannot work and, for many, this means no income. Therefore it is imperative that a state funded income is needed.

Italy is not the only European country with this problem. So, along with some other countries, proposed issuing joint “corona” bonds to help with the economy. But Germany, along with the Netherlands, responded with a sharp “Nein!” Pity that Germany has a short memory.

After WWI and WWII, Germany, largely responsible for the wars in the first place, was overwhelmingly in debt. Furthermore, according to the 1945 Potsdam conference, Germany was to pay the Allies $23 billion to compensate for some of the damage they’d done. Angela Merkel has forgotten how Europe cancelled half of Germany’s war debt to help Germany get back on its feet. Germany should show more gratitude because, had it not been for this cancellation, Germany would not have the economic stability it enjoys today.

Furthermore, it thanks to a German (from Bavaria) that the virus arrived in Italy (as I already mentioned HERE).

Solidarity is a word not everyone knows the meaning of.

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Related: The coronavirus crisis has brought the EU’s failings into sharp relief + German state minister kills himself as coronavirus hits economy + La rabbia di Tullio Solenghi contro la Germania che nega i coronabond + Prodi: “Se succede la grande crisi gli olandesi a chi venderanno i tulipani?” + Failing to coordinate against the coronavirus pandemic may be very costly for the world, says Stanford scholar + Fighting Pandemic, Europe Divides Again Along North and South Lines + Eurozone misses a chance to cover its flaws with ‘corona bonds’ + Coronavirus, il vademecum della Polizia sulle nuove multe + The Little Red Hen is an American fable first collected by Mary Mapes Dodge in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1874.

Germany owes Poland over $850 billion in WW2 reparations: senior lawmaker + «La Merkel ha dimenticato quando l’Europa dimezzò i debiti di guerra alla Germania»

The debt write-off behind Germany’s ‘economic miracle’, Six decades ago, an agreement to cancel half of postwar Germany’s debt helped foster a prolonged period of prosperity in the war-torn continent. The new government in Athens says Greece – and Europe – now need a similar deal + Dividing the Spoils + Reparations – Complications of cold war compensation + Coronavirus may have reached Italy from Germany, scientists say

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