The coronavirus pandemic and our efforts to stop the spread by quarantining in our homes has thrown me into a bit of tailspin.

No surprise there, eh?

So it’s been a while since I’ve written a blogpost, and now I have quite a bit to blog about … because I’ve kept myself busy as a way of staying sane.

The first big project I worked on after the shelter-in-place order went into effect was a series of porch portraits in Pine Lake. My original idea was to photograph artists and musicians on their porches and then ask them to tell me how their passion for their art was helping them thrive (or at least survive) during quarantine. Once I started the project I realized that not all artists were using their art as a way thrive. Some were gardening, or spending more time with their kids or sewing masks. So I decided to broaden the project to include any neighbors who had found a way to thrive/survive.

Here are a few photos with writings from someone in the photo:

Susan Reardon, Flower Side of the Lake:

My violin has always meant the most to me as a means of connecting with other people.

Growing up, I was an orchestra geek and played in all kinds of ensembles - a strolling strings group playing cheesy elevator music at luncheons, theatre pit orchestras, accompanying church choirs, chamber groups, duets with my mom. As an adult, I've tried to keep this up with amateur orchestras and music camp and private lessons with a partner.

The past year or so, my violin has given me a new way to connect to my brother. A CPA and nonprofit development director by profession, it turns out he is a a songwriter at heart. Lending a fiddle line to his tunes and playing together with him and his band has added a whole new depth to our relationship.

So, during quarantine (having come to the frustrating realization that it is IMPOSSIBLE to play together over Zoom because of the lag) he is sending me recordings of him playing and singing. I record myself playing along and send it back to him. Not quite the same joy as making music together, but it keeps us in ongoing conversation, and builds hopeful anticipation for the day we can jam together again.

But honestly, what's getting me through this quarantine more than anything is walking around this beautiful town we live in. Miles and miles each day - meditatively walking by myself, taking our dog out for exercise, walking and talking with my husband, walking (with safe distance between us) and talking with my dearest friends. Moving my body through these streets and trails is what's moving me through this unprecedented time.

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Valerie Boyd, Flower Side of the Lake

As a writer, editor and teacher of writing, I often talk about the power of narrative—about storytelling's capacity to influence our understanding of the present and to change and impact our possible futures. For me, a saving grace has been writing and deeply thinking about shaping narratives of the pandemic even as we live through it. As I consider the impact of the words we use, I’ve started to call this moment The Great Pause—and to see it as an opportunity to reimagine everything, to reinvent ourselves, in the godliest images we can conjure.

I also am privileging joy, seeking and finding beauty, comfort and solace in the smallest of things: a satisfying FaceTime conversation with a friend; my late mother’s simple cornbread recipe; a stump planter of rosemary and cilantro; a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the pancake batter; a bottle of cold-pressed juice that boasts the perfect balance of lemon and watermelon juice; a successfully executed cardamom-lime loaf; a bright idea.

Valerie Boyd Author of Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston
And the forthcoming Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker

Suzie Pope, Tree Side of the Lake

My neighbor is taking porch portraits. The payment was a sentence on what is helping me thrive in this time.

"Working towards a world where every person is treated with dignity is what helps me thrive."

When they arrived they asked if it was just me. Well, nope! I am working towards that world with the strength and love of my parents (pictures of them in the 70s fighting the good fight on the Bernie poster), the strength and love of the women before me (pictures of my grandmothers, Elmira and EvaLena on the table), and working for that world with the strength and love of soldiers of equality like Bernie Sanders and the many others with names we know and those with names we don't know.

Also, I am wearing my "Medicare For All" shirt and that is my dog, Pinto Bean.

Viva la revolution!

Roshana Paxton, Teacher, Tree Side of the Lakee

During this time, having Khloe in the house is helping me mentally.

Her energy keeps me on my toes. Without her I would probably would go crazy. Watching her play and teaching her all the cool things I learned as a kid keeps me going!

Everyday I try something new, from playing Jacks to popping wheelies on her bike. I know through her learning, she's teaching me how simple life can actually be.