It was the best of times; It was the worst of times. — A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
What a revoltin’ development this is! — Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley
So, how are you doing? It’s May 1, 2020 and a hell of lot different than a year ago. Here in Maine it’s spring in the manner that Maine has spring. It’s still pretty cold, it’s muddy but what’s supposed to grow is starting to do that despite the lack of a human welcoming committee.
Those of us retired like I and my wife are pretty much sheltering in place. The most risky adventure we or I should say my wife makes is a biweekly shopping trip to a supermarket. Other supplies and occasional take out meals are picked up curbside.
We know we’re lucky! I am completely aware that being born in America as part of the Baby Boom generation I’ve been lucky for 73 years so far. But this is a time of misfortune for my country and without further amplification of my own opinions why beyond the pandemic I’ll get to the point.
“What did you do during the pandemic?” I doubt I’ll live so long to be asked the question by someone who didn’t live through it their self. But if I were asked I’d say, “You know, I created cartoons.”
So here’s my output for the month of April. I intend to keep doing these every day until life returns to normal. When will that be? I think I have a lot of cartoons to create!
Cartoons for April 1 through 30
April 15 was Jackie Robinson Day, baseball’s annual tribute to him that marks the day in 1947 when Robinson became the first black to integrate the major leagues. I got to see Robinson play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Ebbets Field when I was a kid and he had to leave that game after colliding into the wall chasing a foul ball.
The game was against the Chicago Cubs and their Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks hit the winning home run. Some 40 years later I met Banks in Los Angeles.
Ernie Banks was famous for his love of baseball and a quote that encapsulated that. “Let’s play two,” is what he would say, meaning his desire was to play a double header and not just a single game. That day in LA he also displayed a fantastic memory after I told him I’d seen him hit the game winning homer on the night Jackie Robinson was injured in Brooklyn so many years ago. He thought for just a moment and then looking me in the eye said, “Yeah, I remember that game.” I have no doubt that he did.
Normally, baseball season would be well underway and I miss it. But I miss even more the example of courage and integrity that was the life of Jackie Robinson.
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