Chicago River piling. By Anthony Bruck. Click on image to enlarge.

Late last year our friend Laura was planning a trip to Paris to celebrate the arrival of 2020. (Remember when we could do such a thing? Remember when we thought there’d be  anything to celebrate about the coming of 2020?)

She decided to buy a camera — you know, a camera without a phone — so that she could travel and take pictures without the temptation of checking her phone for email or texts while on vacation.

That really stuck with me.

I like taking pictures — I started during journalism classes in college and strayed away during adulthood. When newfangled phones came out with cameras, I — in fairness, like many others — wondered why anyone would want to take a picture with their phone.

Welp. Over the past few years I found myself snapping pictures like the old days — except with my phone, not my trusted film camera of yore. That’s been fine but shooting with a phone has never been all that satisfying. And yeah, when it’s out of my pocket, I’m distracted by email, texts, or whatever.

With baseball absent and the world essentially closed, I knew early on in this quarantine siege that I’d have to find another pastime. And so, inspired by our friend’s idea, I endeavored to get a camera. I reasoned that, as I am wont to do in such quests, I would get consumed by the effort, and that it would fill some time. Plus, it would give me something to look forward to: taking walks with my phone pocketed and the camera around my neck.

I wrote in an earlier post about the generosity of our neighborhood friend Anthony — he loaned me one of his cameras to play with to get a handle on what might suit me best. Over our weeks in quarantine he’s responded to one question after another about cameras, about technique, and about digital photo processing. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot.

Anthony had also pointed me to some online resources. And lordy, the rabbit holes I went down. Every night for weeks, usually after Beth had retired for the evening, I pored over web sites, reviewing specs and lurking on user forums. (Anthony prefers the use of fora for the plural of forums. I’m sticking with forums).

There is something narcotic about going into deep consumer mode. It’s no accident: marketers invite us to identify with our purchases. You know, if I buy a professional level piece of equipment, I can be a professional. Or if I don’t buy high-end equipment, I’ll be selling myself short. If I buy this, I won’t be able to do that, but if I buy that I won’t be able to do this.

It’s like this for every industry. Motorcycles. Electronics. Camping equipment. My God, camping equipment. You can’t just buy a tent, it’s a defining decision!

During my camera quest, I recalled a passage from a novel called The Sportswriter. Author Richard Ford reminded me that consumer culture has been this way since long before the Internet and Amazon and Zappos. Ford  describes the protagonist and his wife grieving after the tragic death of their son and immersing themselves in the world of … catalogs.

From the book:

“During that time—it was summer—we spent at least one evening a week couched in the sun room or sitting in the breakfast nook leafing through the colorful pages, filling out order blanks with our Bankcard numbers (most of which we never mailed) and jotting down important toll-free numbers we might want to call.”

“I had animal-call catalogs, which brought a recording of a dying baby rabbit. Dog-collar catalogs. Catalogs for canvas luggage that would stand up to Africa. Catalogs for expeditions to foreign lands with single women. Catalogs for all manner of outerwear for every possible occasion, in every climate. I had rare-book catalogs, record catalogs, exotic hand-tool catalogs, lawn-ornament catalogs, catalogs from Italy, flower-seed catalogs, gun catalogs, sexual-implement catalogs, catalogs for hammocks, weather vanes, barbecue accessories, exotic animals, spurtles, slug catalogs.”

Frank, the protagonist, goes on to explain the allure:

“…there was something other than the mere ease of purchase in all this, in the hours going through pages seeking the most virtuous screwdriver or the beer bottle cap rehabilitator obtainable nowhere else but from a PO box in Nebraska. It was that the life portrayed in these catalogs seemed irresistible.”

Like I said, the marketers know what they’re doing, whether it’s in pixels or ink. And for the past few weeks I’ve kind of enjoyed being led along. I wanted my quest to last because I needed something to do besides watching covid reports or comedy shows about covid before I went to bed.

Years ago, I would’ve fallen for it all, probably bought something that ultimately was a lot more capable than I am, or simply more than I needed.

But like it or not, I’m older now. I ended up with a simple, elegant, and lightly used gem. It is not the latest or the greatest. In fact, I found pictures on the storage card dating from 2011. But it suits me to perfection. And I’ll tell you what it is …

… in some future blog post.

Meantime, I’ll leave you with another sample of our friend Anthony’s photography. He took it this past weekend on a long walk in downtown Chicago.

It gives me something to, well, shoot for.

By Anthony Bruck.

Gretchen and her granddaughter Adara.

I am pleased to introduce Gretchen McCann as our featured “Saturdays with Seniors” blogger today. New to Chicago, Gretchen joined the Thursday memoir class last summer and continues writing — and reading — essays while we meet via Zoom.

Born in New England, Gretchen was raised in California, graduated from Berkeley and met her husband, Skip, in Washington, D.C. during the heady days of LBJ’s Great Society program. They raised their family in Philadelphia, where she worked as a freelance editor and publicist for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. When it came time to downsize, Gretchen and Skip found a home in Chicago around the corner from their son and his family. She says her toddler granddaughter,  Adara, “provides the joy in sheltering at home.”

Life’s Little Lessons

by Gretchen McCann

I couldn’t seem to get a handle on Beth’s “Lessons Learned” writing prompt this week. I’m sure I’ve had a lot, but most seem not worthy of 500 words (for example, learning to play the accordion, or not learning to speak Spanish). The remaining could consume an entire, if somewhat tedious, autobiography. So I redefined the topic to “Life’s Little Lessons.” Herewith a few:

• I have learned that few folks appreciate the contribution of an editor, even if they’re paying for it. They don’t understand the changes suggested and resent the tampering of their deathless prose.
• Eyeglasses are a toddler magnet and will not survive their attention.
• It took a few years, and not a few dead plants, but I now see the secret of a successful garden is to water.
• It is impossible for a lefty to learn to crochet from a righty.
• I absolutely should not wear pastels.
• It may be true that a watched pot will not boil, but if I turn my back it will surely boil over. Especially if it’s tomato sauce.
• Black marble is a terrible choice for a bathroom counter.
• I thought we couldn’t have too many books, but then we decided to downsize and move 900 miles.
• The things that scared me the most turned out to provide some of the best life experiences.
• One should definitely read the book before seeing the movie.
• I’ll never learn to play chess.
• A new container of cayenne is way hotter than the one I bought in 1995.
• The trouble with housework is that I’m supposed to do it all over again tomorrow.
• If you rescue a stray kitten, be prepared to never leave your food unguarded.
• When I need a laugh, I should try on hats.
• In parenting, just when you figure out what’s going on with a child, they move on to the next puzzling thing.
• I won’t always know why I walked into a room.
• I’ve accepted that my spouse is not a mind reader and I should tell him outright what I want for my birthday. Or skip that and just get it myself.
• Once they leave home, children have wayyyyy more to share when they initiate the call.
• A duck can be a surprisingly wonderful pet.
• I can call them age spots, but they’re really from too much sun.
• I now appreciate that beach vs. mountain is a real dichotomy. I might have paid better attention to this.
• It’s true. Mothers-in-law, especially grandmas, really really really have to keep their mouths shut.
• An accordion is not an adequate substitute for a piano.
• Knitting is a wonderful — and useful — pastime, but some otherwise steadfast friends will find it amusing. And say so. Especially after a few drinks.
• Watching the news is not good for my mental health, and by extension, my temperament. This has not always been true.
• COVID 19 has put me back in regular touch with people I love. Is it too much to hope that this truly scary time will offer other positive life experiences?

School closures this year meant our presentations to students were cancelled, too. It’s been months since I shared new questions little kids ask about working with Luna, my Seeing Eye dog. I miss them!

Big kids to the rescue! Here’s a sampling of questions students in my memoir-writing classes have been asking me lately, along with some answers:

• Did Luna miss Mike when he was gone because of his Covid-19 illness? Yes. As Mike likes to say, he and I had established “separate kingdoms” at home for the ten days he was sick here before being admitted to the hospital. I slept on a pull-out bed in my office, His kingdom was our bedroom, and as his illness continued to get worse, he spent days and nights in bed there with the door closed. I didn’t want to be far from home, so I kept Luna’s walks very routine. And short. Boring for her, and she expressed her ennui by lying flat on her stomach with her chin on the floor.
• After Mike was admitted to the hospital, do you think Luna knew he was gone? Yes. Afraid of being exposed to the virus, I kept the door to his kingdom closed the entire time he was away. Luna started looking out the window hoping to find him.
• Does she like to play? Yes! Dog parks in our area are closed right now, so she’s left to chase her ball and Nylabones around the house. Mike throws a ball better than I do, see above about her searching out the window for him while he was away.
• Was Luna a comfort to you while Mike was away? Luna was a tremendous comfort to me throughout Mike’s illness. She’s a good listener.
• Was it hard to take care of Luna when Mike was in the hospital and you were all alone with her? The Seeing Eye trains all of its graduates to care for our dogs on our own, whether we live alone or with others. It’s dark when she goes for her last outing of the day, and for safety’s sake here in the city he usually takes her out for that final “empty.” Without him here, I donned a mask for Luna’s nightly walk and, assuming bad guys are staying home during the pandemic, I wasn’t scared.
• Did you know that the city ordinance to pick up after your dogs specifically exempts blind people and their service dogs? Yes, but I always pick up aftr Luna anyway. Here’s why: I hate stepping in poop left behind by other dog’s. I couldn’t feel so righteous barking, as it were, about the negligence of other dog owners if I didn’t pick up after Luna myself. Bonus: picking up after her consistently is a good way to make sure she isn’t sick and/or hasn’t eaten anything rotten.
• But how do you pick up after her if you can’t see? We’ve designated a couple neighborhood spots for her to, well, go, and I take her harness off when we get there. With her leash still in my hand I can sense she is walking around in countless circles, and when she finally stops circling I feel for her back. If it’s rounded, it’s #2, I place my foot near her tail, slip a plastic bag over my right hand, reach down to feel through the bag for warm lumps, pick them up, fold the bag over my palm, tie a knot in the bag and deposit it in the nearest trash can.
• Does your dog get confused when you wear a mask? Well, she doesn’t balk if I’m wearing the mask and call her to come, and she follows my commands en route, which means she can hear my muffled voice through the mask. Her sense of smell is wayyyyyyyyy stronger than her sense of sight or sound, so if anything is confusing her right now, it’s my aroma: I didn’t used to wash my hands every 20 minutes!
• Are you (and Luna!) enjoying the relative lack of car traffic compared with normal times? Not really. I rely on the surge of traffic at my parallel to recognize when the signal is green, and with so little traffic now I’m not always sure.
• How does she do with social distancing? With Mike back home and feeling better now, I feel more comfortable going on long walks with Luna to keep her guiding skills sharp. Luna was trained at the Seeing Eye to slip us by obstacles (including people) without either of us brushing them when we do. She doesn’t know to keep six feet away, though! On these longer walks through the city, footsteps and voices of people walking ahead of us in the same direction alert me we’re coming close, and when that happens, I just stop, give Luna the “sit” command, and wait. When we can’t hear them anymore,. I pick up her harness, command “Forward!” and we’re off again. It’s harder to detect people standing still or walking towards us, especially if they’re the silent type. I talk more to Luna during walks now, trust others will look up, see us coming, and slide six feet away to the side. As far as I can tell, they do!
• Luna is so young, do you worry being home so much will make her forget everything she just learned at the Seeing eye? I wrote a post about a phone call The Seeing Eye had with graduates earlier this month, and during that call they assured us our dogs won’t lose their skills. They also reminded us how important it is to correct our dogs if they start getting a little sloppy. Luna is a bouncing bundle of black Lab energy — she loves getting outside and going to work. She is so enthusiastic, though, that when we get to a street without any traffic she sometimes forgets to stop. I give her a correction, either verbally or with the leash, then show her where she made her mistake by bringing her back to the curb and commanding “Sit!” I tap the curb with my footthen and praise her. “Good girl, Luna! Here’s where you stop. Good girl!” We take a few steps backwards then, maybe two dog lengths, and we re-work the approach to the curb. Luna almost always, always gets it right the second time. And when she does? I praise the bejeezus out of her. “Good girl,Luna! Attagirl!” I rub her up. Her tail wags. “Good girl, Luna. Good girl!” Luna eats it up, and she rarely misses that curb again.

Luna is curled in a ball sleeping under my desk as I type this, but once I hit the “save” button and grab my shoes, she’ll jump up ready to go. I’ve been trying to keep a routine going, and that includes an hourlong walk each morning. It’s good for both of us.

If you missed it, grab a Kleenex and read this beautiful post Mike wrote about his experiences for his Mondays with Mike column after returning home from the hospital clear of COVID last month.

I’ve had the dreaded virus, and though the jury’s out, it’s fairly likely I have some immunity for some time. That means it’s likely I’m a pretty safe bet to be around for at least awhile.

But.

My fancy mask, courtesy of Donna Hippensteel.

I like wearing my mask.

I like signaling to people around me that I’m taking this seriously, and that I care enough about them to make this tiny little effort. It’s a show of solidarity. And I appreciate seeing others doing the same thing. Besides that, evidence shows if we wear masks, we can drastically reduce the spread of the disease.

I also completely understand that how one views this virus thing has everything to do with where they are sheltering in place. At the board of directors Zoom meeting of the organization I work for, one member told us that in Maine, where he lives, covid19 is just not much of an issue up there. (Though, it is an issue at the local nursing home, which is why even in such places, we should be careful.)

Our friends in Champaign-Urbana are having a substantially different experience than we are up here. It’s an issue there, to be sure. Students are taking classes online, dorms are empty. And residents are mostly taking it seriously, according to some good friends we’ve been in touch with since this started.

They don’t have the problem back in our old stomping ground that we do up here in Chicago. And they’d like to keep it that way. But our friends there tell us that people from surrounding towns come into Urbana and Champaign to shop and do other business, and apparently, just don’t bother with the masks.

Beyond that, a friend’s father-in-law had to go to an emergency room for a heart-related issue in Decatur, Illinois. He’s 89. People in the waiting room weren’t wearing masks. He asked the security guard about it. “I asked them to,” the guard replied.

The kicker is, at one point, he had to ask a nurse, a NURSE, to put on a mask.

Yeesh.

I simply don’t understand that. I understand concerns and reasonable arguments about when and where to suspend the lockdown orders. But I don’t understand laziness and selfishness. And I call bullshit on the freedom people. Freedom doesn’t mean an absence of social obligation and responsibility.

It’s crazy. I feel like I’m that kind of old guy Republican from my youth telling shaggy-haired callow young guys like me that freedom didn’t equate to sitting around and smoking dope and having sex all day. (Still an attractive thought, though,)

Only now I’m telling people that freedom doesn’t mean being able to carry rocket launchers around in public and ignoring the health and safety of fellow citizens.

Whatever happened to that kind of Republican?

I am pleased to introduce Ann Parrilli as our featured “Saturdays with Seniors” blogger today. Ann joined our “Me, Myself and I” class at the Chicago Cultural Center this past year and continues writing — and reading — essays while that class meets via Zoom.

Born and raised in Chicago, Ann moved to San Francisco right after college with two suitcases and a radio and stayed for eleven years. After leaving the West Coast she spent 6 months in Rome and one year in New York City before finally returning to Chicago. Here she is with an essay many of us can relate to.

The World inside out

by Ann Parrilli

I seem to have lost all means of measuring these days. It used to be I’d know exactly what time it was without having to look at my watch. Now I’m constantly surprised by where I am in relation to Greenwich Mean Time. Days slide into one another, and my list of things-I-want-to-accomplish today grows longer instead of shrinking.

My organizational skills have morphed from the precision of an erector set to a dish of melting ice cream. I’ve had to give up on quaint things like instinct and finally make a physical checklist of things I need to have in hand when I exit my house. Besides the usual suspects (sun glasses, money, Kleenex, sun screen, cough drops and phone) I now have to remember hand sanitizer and a face mask. Oh, and add wipes to that list, too, for all door handles I touch leaving and re-entering my building.

I’m glad no one is here to see the contents of my refrigerator. Once in the grocery store, I am held captive by visions of an impending collapse of the food-supply chain. I throw things into my cart that will sustain me through the apocalypse, somehow forgetting that I live alone and am a pretty light eater to begin with. The colorful vegetables that looked so inviting in the store regard me with reproach every time I open the fridge door. I’ll get around to making that daily salad, I promise myself. But then suddenly it’s two o’clock and I haven’t yet taken my bounty of produce out of the fridge to warm up to room temperature. And who wants to eat a cold salad? Too late for today, I say as I reach for peanut butter and a slice of bread. My freezer is stocked with home made dishes I’m saving for when fights break out in the grocery store.

I can’t remember the day I last gave the apartment a good cleaning, but the afternoon sun discloses dust particles on every surface outside of the kitchen counters, which, yes, I wipe regularly.

Okay, already, I’m busted, I get it. I add “dusting” to my list of things to get done. Maybe someday I will actually put on my pearls and do a June Cleaver imitation, vacuum and dust cloth in tow.

For some reason my car seems to be an oasis of calm in all this disarray. Contained in my own little world with no schedule to adhere to, I enjoy a leisurely drive to the north suburbs. The soft green of an awakening spring soothes my ragged soul. I put aside the imperative of exercise and give into the soft underbelly of comfort and ease. The radio is off limits. I crack the window to hear my avian friends celebrating life. It’s back to the 50’s, when the Sunday drive was a family event. And, ecology suspended for now, it feels just right.