The tension between protection and freedom is playing out in Colorado today as a microcosm of what we see on the national news. The statewide “stay at home” order ends Sunday and will be replaced by “safer at home” guidance, which is shaping up as a patchwork across the state. Some communities want to “open up” (damn the torpedoes) while others want caution and clear guidance as they slowly return to a semblance of pre-pandemic life. Stay tuned (and stay home if you can).

Today I went for a walk, sat on my balcony, then dropped off ballots and picked up takeout—Bingo Burger!—for dinner. Through all of this, I was disappointed that so few of my fellow Puebloans were wearing masks in public. I would like to believe that we are concerned about the well-being of our neighbors (and listening to our Governor), but my observations do not support either conclusion. However, as I have said for several weeks now, that is to a large extent the result of the initial “don’t wear masks” guidance. Any teacher will tell you that your first instructions are the most important. Backtracking is really, really hard.

Masks are one symbol of protection. Another symbol that has recently become popular is a creature from 19th-century Japanese folklore known as the Amabie. In stories, the Amabie advises people to show its picture to everyone to protect from an epidemic. Many creative images of Amabie are showing up on the internet, including in articles on NPR and Modern in Denver.

I decided to make today’s LEGO challenge more original than building from a kit, and created this Amabie:

Definitely check out the links for more artistic versions, but here’s another simple version just for fun.