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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. We were in a bar in Northeast Albuquerque on a sunny Sunday afternoon to raise a glass to a dear friend who had died.
The four of us have been friends and colleagues for years, as was our friend, yet we rarely found time anymore to get together like we had in our younger, less tethered days.
Taken on March 15, 2020, this photo at Gecko’s Bar and Grill marks the last time these friends could get together before New Mexico imposed COVID-19 restrictions on bars, restaurants and breweries and gathering in groups. From left are Ollie Reed Jr., Pamela Johnson, Joline Gutierrez Krueger and Scott Gullett. (Joline Gutierrez Krueger/Albuquerque Journal)
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The post was going around on social media over the weekend, a long, sad pronouncement on how the struggle in these days of COVID-19 and cold and discontent is taking a toll on our desires to socialize and to smile.
“It’s not you. It’s everyone. We are spent. We have nothing left to say,” one verse read. “We are tired of saying ‘I miss you’ and ‘I can’t wait for this to end.’ So we mostly say nothing, put our heads down and get through each day.”
Chako is never far away from his human during the pandemic, and that’s a good thing. (Joline Gutierrez Krueger/Albuquerque Journal)