Ephemeral reminder of what we've been through

I spotted this on a sidewalk in Chandler, Arizona, yesterday and snapped its picture for posterity. We obviously will have no lack of somber reminders in the coming decades of what the COVID-19 pandemic, which is now more than three years old, has wrought. It's had one of the most devastating impacts in American history. (And, to be clear, the pandemic is not "over" until its end is declared by the World Health Organization, something that is tentatively expected to happen later this year.)

One of the small things we'll remember are these "keep your distance" circles that were ubiquitous in grocery stores, public spaces, checkout lines, etc. The circles themselves will fade, peel away and vanish over time. Photographs and memories will remind us of them. 

Twitter, if Elon Musk doesn't complete its destruction, offers a fascinating repository of the psychogeography of COVID-19, especially on the hashtag #covidstreetarchive. It is filled with vernacular photos of signs, graffiti, displays in front of homes and businesses, empty streets and buildings, discarded masks and gloves, and more. (I'm sure there are other similar hashtags.)

Papergreat pandemic posts, from oldest to newest

• Schoolchildren and the new coronavirus (COVID-19), March 2, 2020
• Junk mail in the time of COVID-19
• Many words about "The Stand" strung together
• Yup, still thinking about "The Stand"
• Postcrossing, postcards and the pandemic
• Mystery Polaroid of two dogs
• Topical postmark from the UK
• The joy of "Bookcase Credibility"
• The kindness of others
• Great links: Homemade maps describing life during COVID-19
• Real Heroes Wear Masks (that cover the mouth and nose)!
• Oh, that's what a mourning dove sounds like
• Snapshot of COVID-19 headlines
• Catching up with Postcrossing (Summer 2020)
• Postcrossing roundup, Part 1 (Late Summer/Autumn 2020)
• Postcrossing roundup: Late autumn/early winter
• A new generation for Castle Amber ... and for Dungeons & Dragons
• Headlines during Week 76, August 21, 2021

In curating these, I was fairly stunned to discover that, before today, my last post to mention COVID-19 was on August 21, 2021, and my last post to use the word "pandemic" was on September 13, 2021. Of course, I took a long break from blogging and have only had about 120 posts since autumn 2021. But I think it's still curious and notable that I've not used those words in posts.