Today’s Walking Photo: On a bulletin board near a school near my house. These boingy red star antennae are apparently “cheap,” so maybe I should’ve taken them, put them on my big ol’ head and worn them for the rest of my walk. I mean, arguably it would make as much sense as anything else right now, and maybe it would’ve given someone a welcome reason to smile.
Today the governor of Oregon announced that all restaurants and bars must close for four weeks, and that gatherings must be limited to 25 or fewer people – similar to restrictions enacted in several other states. So I will not be playing music outside the house for at least the next four weeks, and a long list of gigs that were on my schedule are now canceled. That means a pretty substantial loss of income for me and many other local musicians (and of course many many others in Washington, California, New York…the list goes on). A closely related concern, though, is the restaurants and bars where we play – this kind of closure, even though it is absolutely for all of the undeniably right reasons – might not be survivable for some of those establishments. We’re all kind of drawing in our breath and trying to grapple with this new reality. And believe me, I’m well aware that many others in the country besides musicians, club owners, servers, cooks and bartenders stand to lose their income and suffer major hardship.
Honestly, I don’t have any great compelling point or insight that I was winding up to. I’m just offering a snapshot of what’s on my mind today. I guess you don’t have to worry about continuing to see new Walking Photos though, as I should have plenty of time for that.
All my best to you, wherever you are. Please take good care of yourself.
