Watercolor was never my favorite paint. When I was young I fell in love with the slow blending work of oil, but turpentine and work space limitations being what they are, I later transitioned to the beautiful imperfection of acrylics – usually with an element of mixed medium (metal foil, glue, papers, etc).

My Grandmother, however, prefers watercolors as her first choice. I once took a water color class with her as a child and I remember disliking the opaque nature of the paint (and ultimately, painting a grey cat far too thickly so it looked terribly muddy).

But now, time is of the essence. And quickly adding a bit of art to my day- in ten minutes, or even 5- is a highly desirable concept. Enter: the homemade Altoid tin watercolor studio.

How to make a pocket-size watercolor studio: Buy an Altoids tin, a $1-2 watercolor palette and some cheap brushes. Glue the paints into the bottom of the tin, trim down the paintbrushes to also fit (I suggest using garden shears!), and cut watercolor paper into small rectangles. Voila! An art studio in your pocket.

Independent Russian news outlet TV Rain was forced to shut down on Thursday, March 3, 2022 due to the Russian government’s crackdown on local media stations broadcasting unfavorable coverage of the war in Ukraine. Journalists signed off by saying “no to war,” before walking off the station’s set.

The network then broadcast Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, a nod to the 1991 coup attempt against the government of then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. As that coup was taking place, the ballet played repeatedly on television, an indication to viewers that something was wrong.

As far back as I can remember, PopPop painted.

It wasn’t that he ‘loved to paint’ — although perhaps he did, I can’t be sure because I never asked him. As a child, it never occurred to me to ask. But whenever my parents bought a house, he painted.

He painted my childhood room from a muddy mustard yellow to a sky blue. He painted the downstairs office, even when he doubted my mother’s dramatic burgundy color-choice (it ended up looking fabulous). He transformed my sister’s boring beige bedroom to a warm welcoming pink.

It wasn’t that my parents couldn’t or wouldn’t have gotten around to painting, they could and they would have done it all themselves — but they never needed to, because PopPop painted.

What a great and simple love is built of things like that: taking care of the painting.

At the end of a ten-hour vaccine clinic, a well-dressed man with a soft rolling-cooler full of flowers walked around the large atrium and gave every nurse, provider, pharmacist, pharmacy tech, and registration clerk a carnation. He had dozens of them, all different colors, and carefully ensured that every single person who had worked that shift was given the chance to pick a flower. 🌹

When asked what inspired him to do this, he only put his hand over his heart and said “I see how everyone is working so hard.” ❤️

This too shall pass. Someday soon we won’t need vaccine clinics that can serve 2,000-8,000 people / day. But right now we do need these events. This is part of history and we’re living it.

A patient told me, “I remember doing this for polio, too.” I asked her to tell me what that was like, and she did — recalling the day she and all her friends were vaccinated against polio with a green sugarcube. Now she’s been vaccinated against Covid, too.

I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to be a part of the pandemic response. This too shall pass, and I truly believe these vaccines will speed the end of covid as we now know it. I can hardly wait — I’ll work hard for that goal any day.

Today I worked 12.5 hours.

The first 5.5 in a covid vaccine clinic. The second 7 hours in an urgent care.

In the first half, I celebrated with patients who will never (or never again) catch Covid. In the second, I picked up my stethoscope to listen to the lungs of a 40yo F with Covid-pneumonia.

I want you to know, dear reader, that when I urge you to get vaccinated, I am not a shill for big pharma. Bill Gates has never cut me a check. I’m not a sheep. And I’m not saying these things because it’s my job.

I’ve been up close and personal with this virus for over a year now. And now, I’ve seen these vaccines up close, too. Not only did I receive both doses of mine, but I’ve given them, I’ve monitored patients who’ve just received them, and I’ve offered education about them — over and over again. I’ve watching in awe as 1,000+ patients are vaccinated in a single day.

From my heart, I believe these vaccines are safe. From my heart, I am afraid of what covid can do to your body and of the many things we still don’t know or understand about this virus.

From my heart, I believe getting vaccinated is the best choice. For you, and for our world.

Lately I’ve been grateful for some sister time on Hilton Head Island, SC, March 2021

Recommendations:

• The Omni Hotel
• The French Bakery & European Cafe

One of the very best days of 2020 was the day I received the first dose of my Moderna anti-covid vaccination.

Are you ready to move ‘up and out’ with me? Let’s bring about the end of “Covid Times” together. Video evidence below so you can see the exact moment when I received my vaccine. So happy!

Somehow the lyric “and death’s dark shadow put to flight” has a whole new meaning in 2020. May your holidays be blessed, friends. 💛