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Wednesday, June 10, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
O
P
I
N I
O
N
COVID-19 and
friendship
By Rosemary Vasquez
Guest Columnist
PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
Justin Veloso engaged in a solitary demonstration Wednesday. He was joined later by several Sisters youth and
by the weekend, many in Sisters had taken up his efforts.
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To the Editor:
We went with masks to the Redmond
Vigil, May 31. There might have been 100
of us, including children. The sun was set-
ting. It began with statements by the organizer
and then locals were encouraged to speak
and some (whites mostly and a few of color)
stepped up and took the sterilized megaphone.
The evening was lovely, peaceful and yet
emotionally charged by moving stories that
were deeply heart wrenching. They had fami-
lies that included members who are black and
saw the misery of what their black children
suffered that their white children did not. They
were old enough to watch the live broadcast
of the Rodney King beating in L.A. and were
sick and tired of the killings by police happen-
ing to other black men and women over and
over again.
Our black speakers shared their outright
fear in these times and thanked whites for
being with them this evening. Seniors to teens
voiced their shock and anguish. One woman
noted it was time for whites (as she was) to fig-
ure it out and be willing to be uncomfortable.
Two whites came from the event in
Prineville to share they were frightened for
their lives. MAGA hats came out (some were
armed) to protest the vigil and they outnum-
bered those honoring the death of George
Floyd. We were taken aback; it CAN happen
here.
A preacher shared a prayer. After which,
we were silent for eight minutes in solemn
sadness for the loss of yet one more innocent
being whose only crime was the color of his
skin. Eight minutes is a long time to know you
are being killed.
Lastly, we chanted <BLACK LIVES
MATTER= eight times and went home to try
to figure out how to help people in our towns,
states and nation to finally stop hating those
who differ. It is so hard to fathom the reason
for the hate because humans9 similarities are
far greater in number than any one physical
difference.
On the up side, at least this vigil occurred.
There is hope.
Susan Cobb
s
s
s
To the Editor:
Returning to Sisters on Sunday from our
desert lockdown, we discovered a protest on
the corner of Locust and Cascade in front of
See LETTERS on page 23
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<I made extra spaghetti
sauce, so here is a jar
for you,= says my friend
Melinda. <With COVID-19
I am spending more time at
home and cooking as if I am
Julia Child!=
<I brought you Kung
Pao chicken,= says another
friend, Paula, when she
arrives at my house for our
noon day walk. <If you put
it in the micro, it will kill
any COVID germs.=
She hands it to me with
gloved hands.
This sharing of food did
not happen before COVID.
According to an NIH study
of 2009, <&acts of kind-
ness flood the brain with
dopamine, a chemical that
creates a natural high.= A
benefit spurred by COVID.
We are trying to take care
of each other. Now when
I go to the grocery store,
I ask my friends if they
need anything to minimize
the time they must spend
inside a grocery store full of
shoppers.
With highlighted blonde
hair, hazel eyes that change
color like a chameleon,
Maria is attractive, and
energetic. Before COVID,
we met monthly in a writ-
ing group and, on occasion,
socialized. With the arrival
of COVID, the distance
between us has shortened.
She lives in Sage Meadow,
and I in High Meadow,
making it easy to see each
other often, and we do. We
have walked on the meadow
between our homes, one in
front of the other six feet
apart. The one in the front
yelling over her shoulder to
the other. It is hard to hear
with the six-foot distancing.
At the top of the meadow
there are two benches pro-
viding a panoramic vista
with a captivating view
of the Cascades. We each
brought a little backpack
with wine and snacks, a pic-
nic at sunset. Wine seems
to have the capacity to
strengthen bonds of friend-
ship, kind of a superglue.
We decided since we live
alone and are in our 70s, it
would be good to check in
with each other each day.
We text, <I9m OK. Are you
OK?=
We have time on our
hands, so we talk about
many things when we check
in with each other by phone.
We are more than writ-
ing buddies now. We open
ourselves to each other in
a different way than we
did before COVID. It is a
deeper friendship.
Pamela and I were con-
nected through our politi-
cal affiliation and volun-
teer work. Yet, we are as
different as the keys on a
piano. She has fair skin, a
winning smile, short blond
hair, piercing blue eyes, and
a willingness to help oth-
ers 4 as in making masks
for St. Charles and hiding
the holes the moths made in
my sweaters. I am the once-
brown-haired, olive-skinned
friend who does not sew.
She is a very bright lady
with computer skills that
never fail to impress me.
Her concern for the envi-
ronment is foremost. Pre-
Covid, she would say, <Let9s
take my car. I get great mile-
age.= Now if we venture to
a trail out of town, we take
separate cars. Before Covid,
we sporadically walked
together. Now, we meet
Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays at noon for an hour
walk. She organizes a cou-
ple of other friends to meet
for coffee to support local
businesses and to socialize.
You can see us in town on
a patch of grass across from
Fika, in our lawn chairs,
telling stories about our
lives in the 1960s and 970s.
Hours of walking and
sharing champagne on our
decks opens the door to
family histories, relationship
struggles, and career accom-
plishments. COVID has
given us time to nurture our
relationships and to deepen
the bonds of friendship. I
am now closer friends with
these extraordinary women.
Like the support beams in
a house, they have become
my SP9s (support persons),
and I am grateful.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
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