The coronavirus hit the planet like a ton of bricks. From normal life punctuated by faraway news stories of the Chinese being devastated by a new virus, to an America we barely recognize in almost no time at all.

Social distancing, facemasks while in public (do we wear them or not? Seems like now the answer is “yes”) and empty aisles in the paper products section of the grocery store. Changing directions by our governors, daily presidential briefings. And of course, a whole lot of hand washing.

Our family may be luckier than most, living 8 miles from a tiny town, in “the middle of nowhere” as my daughter-in-law’s father put it. Instead of missing our grandkids, we can take hikes with them, celebrate birthdays together (our family has an entire springtime birthday cluster) and still grab the occasional hugs. We live out here together, as one big family, in 2 separate homes on our 20 acres. Of course face masks and hand washing are still a big part of our lives when we go to town for groceries, but mostly we don’t see many other people, even close friends who live in Albuquerque.

But we’ve gotten pretty good at communicating through Zoom. I still think talking to those little live images of my friends is kind of awkward. However, it’s a small price to pay for seeing the faces we love, and being able to communicate in real time.

How do we keep occupied? For The Magic Zoo, there is no question of busyness. I have taken this time to get more organized, to call my wonderful veterinary customers and see if there is anything they need and to text lots of my other customers besides. (I love it when you text or call me back!)

Life has slowed down just enough to grant me the time to pay more attention in general.  I’ve had some long conversations with some of my veterinary friends on how covid19 has affected  their lives and their clinics.

Yet you keep on going, servicing your clients and all their beloved pets. You are total super heroes!

And…I designed this new 2020 covid19 lapel pin to honor all those in the veterinary profession working hard right through this epidemic. I must confess, one of my customers suggested this idea to me. I loved it, and not surprisingly it has taken off.

This is a fine pewter lapel pin, plated and shiny with the numbers “2020” in the middle of the pawprint design, blackened meticulously by hand. A subtle and beautiful way to acknowledge all our wonderful veterinarians and their staff.

I know a lot of vets, but you know a lot more. The next time you have to take your pup, cat, dog, rabbit or guinea pig to the doctor, take along one or more of these little acknowlegement pins. They are my least expensive design… I don’t make a lot of money on them, but that is not why I created them. They are my “thank you” gift to some of the finest people I know.

How is your veterinarian doing during this crisis? I would love to hear from you!