The 19-Year-Old Funeral Home Employee Facing a Flood of “Death Calls”
Last month, Donavan Diaz planned as many funerals as he might have in six months pre-pandemic.
Notes on a Pandemic
Health
December 22, 2020
Unwilling to Call in an Exterminator, 89-Year-Old Carlene Stalks a Tiny Foe
I’ve been living in my house for 31 years, and I never had a mouse in the house. Well, a few days after Thanksgiving I found a candy wrapper on the floor beneath my kitchen compactor. It was one of those Kind bars, with nuts in them. I
Health
November 16, 2020
I Live in the Middle of Nowhere. I Still Got COVID.
Eight miles from the nearest town, our ranch felt like a sanctuary. Until it didn’t.
News & Politics
June 22, 2020
How I Became “The Guy Who Waves”
During the pandemic, Sam Waring put a sign in his yard: ”If the Curtain’s Open, Give Us a Wave, Eh?” Passersby obliged.
Health
April 28, 2020
A Rural Nurse Has Just About Had It
Suzanne Ohlmann is a heart failure nurse based in San Antonio, serving rural Texas. On Facebook, she’s waging a war against misinformation.
Health
April 23, 2020
“We Touch Everything That You Touch”
I’ve been employed with Austin Resource Recovery for sixteen years. I’ve always wanted to work for the city. It’s good benefits: it’s a job that a lot of people want. It’s steady, and you know it’s something that you can depend on and your family can depend on.
Style & Design
April 21, 2020
With Salons Closed, an 89-Year-Old Houston Woman Washes Her Own Hair for the First Time in Decades
Unable to make her weekly appointment because of social distancing, Carlene takes her hair into her own hands.
Being Texan
April 16, 2020
An Eighth Grader Battles Existential Gloom, Watches Netflix
The kids are alright, but they’re getting a little bored.
Being Texan
April 14, 2020
“We’re Prepared for Just About Anything That Comes”
On a remote property near Terlingua, a prepper community is thriving.
Border & Immigration
April 9, 2020
A Minister on the Border Tries to Keep Despair at Bay
In our series “Notes on a Pandemic,” we invite Texans to share their coronavirus experiences with us—both the lighthearted moments and the deeply painful ones. Here, 19-year-old Donavan Diaz, a funeral home employee in Deaf Smith County, tells his story to Peter Holley. There are about
Being Texan
April 7, 2020
He Hoped Sheltering in Place Would Save His Marriage. Instead, It Led to Divorce.
“I guess the pandemic didn’t exactly end my marriage. It just revealed that it no longer really existed.”
Health
April 6, 2020
A Pharmacist Struggles to Keep up With Demand During the Coronavirus Pandemic
In the face of specious medical advice and hoarding, Dallas pharmacist Emile Abdo tries to keep vital medications in stock.
Being Texan
April 2, 2020
A Woman in Quarantine Mourns Her Mother’s Passing Alone
Shortly after Holly Allen fell ill with COVID-19, she learned that her mother had died. At home in Fort Worth, she grieved in isolation, watching her mother’s funeral online.