JAZZ CELEBRATES ELLIS MARSALLIS' LIFE

L.A. MASKING

We have now been told to wear cloth (cotton) masks we can make ourselves – NOT to use the N95s and respirator masks that should be for hospital doctors, nurses, health care workers being exposed to COVID 19. 

Soon after, today's TV news interviews with Los Angeles County health officials recommending we wear masks which could protect against the larger COVID 19 virus molecules Californians began taking action.   

I lamented in an email to a friend my sewing machine to make a mask was in need of repair.   She forwarded a link to this Karen S. Kloset video her son had just sent her that will show you how to quickly and easily make your own mask with no sewing required.   

Here's a link to another "zero-stitch mask" designed by Runa Ray that creates a pocket allowing insertion of a filter should you acquire any.

                                    

Shortly after emailing me my friend devised a cloth mask for herself without sewing.   She used her granddaughters’ hairbands for hooking around the ears and cut up a colorful old nightgown for fabric, sending me an email photo wearing her mask that I jokingly characterized to her as “bandito” that I won’t share here in respect for her privacy!

Just as I was chuckling at her photo my doorbell rang.  Opening my door I saw an Asian couple I didn’t recognize standing at some distance in my driveway.   These limited English speakers offered me a small bag with free face masks which I appreciatively accepted.   The bag was left for me to retrieve after closing my door to provide the social distancing we maintain.  What a thoughtful generous gesture from unknown to me caring people.

We're being told by some health care professionals to anticipate several more months ahead much as we're experiencing now.  Stay well all!

Addendum:

This is the last from the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 2013 testing the efficacy of homemade masks against influenza for what it’s worth:  “better than nothing”.

For any interested in comparisons of masks worn by doctors, nurses, healthcare workers from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM)  at the University of Oxford.

JAZZ CELEBRATES ELLIS MARSALLIS' LIFE AS MUSICIAN AND EDUCATOR 

Born: November 14, 1934 New Orleans, La.     

Died: April 1, 2020  New Orleans, La, -- Complications of COVID 19

Pianist, patriarch of a renowned family of jazz musicians including internationally famous Bradford and Wynton plays his composition - "Homecoming" on his 80th birthday at Lincoln Center in this NPR video.