Delta Means Change
By Loel Kathmann | August 3, 2021
After getting vaccinated, I had curbed my (maybe unhealthy) fascination with my countys’ Department of Health data. And a handful of weeks ago? I had a skip-happy-hand-in-hand-with-the-CDC moment when I stopped for street corn, realized I had left the house without a mask, aaaand realized it was safe to pop in for my takeaway treat anyway. But now? Oh, delta. In math speak, delta means change. It’s an apt name for a variant that has shifted the pandemic and in my area is filling ICUs, causing long waits at the ER, and backing up testing lines so badly vehicles block the highway. “For a hot lil’ minute” depicts how my hope was rooted in unstable blissful ignorance…butterfly flitting…precariously perched…soon to be buried under rising case counts and worry for my too-young-to-be-vaccinated little boy.
Loel Kathmann, For a hot lil’ minute things felt hopeful, Watercolor on paper, 11″ x 14″ 2021
Lately, I have also been playing with ways to communicate the divide in America being brought into even higher relief by the delta variant. As a scientist I am trained to be objective. But, I confess, the data make me feel sad.
Loel Kathmann, Opposition, Watercolor on paper, 4″x 6″ (each) 2021
Copyright © 2021 Loel Kathmann
Loel Kathmann is a scientist turned science writer turned mama and watercolorist. She specializes in quirky and evocative abstracts and florals. At home her style is referred to as “absolutely no formal training whatsoever.” She is grateful to have found a medium to communicate clearly what is in her mind.