Day 74

Friday, May 29, 2020

Since we have lots of time these days to wander through bits and pieces that one might skip over because it would take time away from other so-called "more important things", I give you this wonderful piece from Iceland. I thank my good friend Bob for this. There are bits that make you think, that make you laugh, that make you envy the ingenuity. And Iceland is itself an amazing place that was on my list of places to see but I doubt I'll get there now. It has had a fascination for me - it feels mysterious and a place which holds many secrets and strange creatures. But then, I am a big fan of fairy tales!

On a more mundane but joyous note - I have a hair and pedicure appointment! And Bill has a hair appointment! Thanks to Sue, Darlene and Sandra. Not only is the hair part kind of important (the pedicure is as much medical as anything else), the fact that we can see people and talk to people is an uplifting that is really desired. The rules are strict - wash your hair before you come, stay outside until one is called in, wear a mask, and sanitise hands on the way in. I can sure live with that and I am very grateful to see old friends again. It is also so important for them to get their businesses up and running. I think they miss their customers too.

I see the US is heading towards the abyss with racial tensions (a euphemism, I know) mounting by the day, overlapped by the COVID-19 crisis which is killing African-Americans disproportionately and being overtaken by a long hot summer shaping up. All this with an irresponsible person as the country's leader does not make for a calm time. I am old enough to remember the Watts Riots in 1965, the Chicago Riots in 1968 and the Los Angeles Riots in 1992. There have been others, of course but these are the ones that come to mind this morning. In our own history, there was the Winnipeg General Strike of 1918 and others. But I won't list them all. 

The tinderbox that is present in the country to our South feels very dangerous. Aside from all the people who are being affected by this atmosphere, I am concerned that it spills over to our country. For some reason, I remembered all the draft dodgers who came here during the Vietnam War. I wonder if there are people in the US that are thinking about that now.

In the meantime, stay in touch with your family and friends however you can. They sustain me through all this stuff. They have made me laugh and given me hope for a gathering and maybe even a hug or two.

Onwards!

Week 10

May 25, 2020

 I was thinking about all the folks who are now working home, plugging away on their keyboards and doing ZOOM conference calls with cats, dogs and kids in the background. I remembered one of the neat jobs I had for over 5 years starting in 2005 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and ending here in Centrelea in 2010. I was the editor of PermaFrost Media, a news aggregator for the oil and gas industry which was making a pitch to run a pipeline along the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories. The reason I thought of this was the conversation going on about the internet services in rural Canada. When I started in Inuvik, the local cable/internet provider was my boss so I got the best service available - it was slow but manageable. When I moved back to rural Nova Scotia I had Bell (very slow and intermittent), then I had Xplornet (which didn't like the rain and cost a fortune), then I had Eastlink (which died periodically) and finally I have a small Nova Scotia company called NCS Network which works like a charm. Working from home suited me just fine. I did get to travel back up North a few times plus got to Alaska for a conference. I learned lots and "met" some really interesting folks. Thanks, Tom!

I watched PBS yesterday. I saw the last part of Yo Yo Ma performing J.S. Bach's six cello suites in the afternoon. It was quite wonderful. And then I tuned in to the Memorial Day Concert. I have mixed feelings about the militaristic nature of the day. However, in a rather odd way it was a glimpse into what the U.S. used to have a worldwide reputation for being - a people who were proud of their country and were almost childlike in their devotion to their military personnel. The patriotic music was stirring, as it was meant to be. In contrast, seeing the front page of The New York Times was journalism at its finest. It's hard to distinguish the different faces of this complicated country to our South. It's hard to distinguish between the way it was and the way it was imagined it was. Is the way it is now, the way it has always been and we just didn't want to see it?

On a lighter note, we have a clever raccoon raiding the bird feeder at night. S/he climbs up the so-called squirrel-proof metal-clad pole, flips out the plexiglass windows and eats all the black-hulled sunflower seeds. Nothing like feeding all the local creatures - squirrel, groundhog, skunk and now raccoon. Oh yes, then there are all the birds!

Onwards!

Day 66

Thursday, May 21, 2020

As many do, I'm pretty sure, I was up in the middle of the night (you know the drill) and looked out the window. Lo and behold, there was the Big Dipper, Ursa Major, Big Bear, The Wagon, Charles' Wain, The Plough among other wondrous names. It really was quite spectacular. Mind you, I was not all that awake but still...

I have had some really nice phone calls with family and friends over the past days. I did observe today that the calls are getting shorter and shorter as our lives are more and more limited these days.

As you know, Spring for me is when the humming birds return. They have arrived! There are 2 feeders by the back door so they can happily squabble and hum for the rest of the summer. They are usually gone by the end of the first week in September. Like the flowering pear trees, they are about 2 weeks late this year. Fortunately the weather seems to be co-operating and we are in for a good long spell of warmer weather.

I want to send my thanks out to 2 local businesses that we deal with regularly - Pharmasave and Graves Freshmart. I have mentioned the terrific service that Sarah at the grocery gives us. I picked our groceries up this morning. Today I would like to thank Kirk at Pharmasave. He got me a prescription that I didn't have to go to the doctor for - saving a spot for someone who really needed it. Not only that but he called me a few days later to see how I was doing! I was astounded and delighted.

I note that I am one month past my usual haircut date. I had forgotten how fast hair grows. I see many are saying the same thing so I won't go on about it but...

In the reading department, I am back reading Templar stories. I find the whole Templar truth and fiction quite fascinating. Mind you, I have been know to throw myself into Viking material as well. I'm sure this tells you all something about me but I'll leave it to you to decide that.

As for the pandemic - both viral and US political - I have been trying to limit myself to the amount I pay attention each day. I watch the federal and provincial daily COVID-19 briefings to make sure I am up to date on what I can do and what I can't. I am part of a study which I thought might be interesting. I fill in a questionnaire each day and I will be given my entries when the study ends or I decide to bow out. I think I've been doing this for about 3 weeks. As for the political pandemic, I keep informed just until my blood pressure starts rising and then I bow out.

Onwards!

Day 62

Sunday, May 17, 2020

I am a Royal Canadian Air Force brat. My Dad was stationed in many places in Canada, the US and Germany over time. I lived on two air bases with planes - Trenton, Ontario and St. Hubert, Quebec. 

The hammer that hit us here in Nova Scotia today was the latest blow with the loss of  Capt. Jennifer Casey, crew in the Snowbird that crashed in Kamloops, British Columbia today. The Captain was from Nova Scotia, She was a graduate of Kings College School of Journalism. Prior to joining up, she spent several years working in broadcast radio as a reporter, anchor and producer both in Halifax, NS and Belleville, ON. That's all I know as I write this. These pilots were going across Canada to entertain folks as we were all hunkering down during the pandemic.

The previous hammer blow was when Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke (all from Nova Scotia), Capt. Kevin Hagen of Nanaimo, BC; Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin of Trois Rivieres, QC; and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins of Guelph, ON went down in the Cyclone helicopter in the Ionian Sea.

There is still that missing little boy near Truro. He wandered away from his Grandma's place and after days of search and rescue folks looking for him, that search has now been declared a "recovery" operation.

And the blow before that here in this benighted province was the dreadful massacre of 22 people in the Portapique and area.

Then the dreaded COVID-19 has taken a reported 55 people in this province since March. There will be more. While we certainly hope not, I don't think this virus has finished with us yet.

I started by saying I was an Air Force brat. I love watching planes. My dad flew Spitfires in WWII. His story can be seen on this blog. It pains me, as I am sure it does others, to hear of a crash like this. I saw the original video when the Snowbird went in. My reaction was visceral and totally startled me with its intensity.

My heart goes out to all. I am grieving for all but somehow it feels like the grief is all wrapped up in the young woman pilot who died today.

Onwards!

PS - I debated posting this today. But I decided to do so. This blog is about my thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic and the above are my thoughts tonight.

Day 59

May 14, 2020

The other day, our excellent neighbour put our Summer Back-40 lawn ornaments out. They are lovely, gentle, giant Clydesdales and I look forward to seeing a few more as the months go along. Here is a photo taken a couple of years ago to give you the idea.

I subscribe to the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - just for fun. This amazing sentence cropped up today. I am in awe!

"The full bow of the crescent moon peeps above the plain and shoots its gleaming arrows far and wide, filling the earth with a faint refulgence, as the glow of a good man's deeds shines for a while upon his little world after his sun has set, lighting the fainthearted travellers who follow on towards a fuller dawn." So British author Sir Henry Rider Haggard described the light of the moon in King Solomon's Mines, published in 1885."

Aside from the fact that refulgence is a delicious word and I am a fan of King Solomon's Mines, the writing of that sentence blows me away! LOL

And just in case you thought I was losing interest in political shenanigans, I recommend a column written by Heather Cox Richardson. She is an American historian and Professor of History at Boston College. She previously taught at MIT and the University of Massachusetts. She was born in Maine which gives her a bit of a pass in my books. New England feels familiar to me. Check her out on Facebook and YouTube. 

Onwards!

Eight Weeks +

May 12, 2020

Holy Cow! It's been 8 weeks and one day since I imposed self-lockdown here on Mt. Crossman! I have been out of the house and off the property exactly 9 times since March 16.

I look out the window next to my desk where my computer is to see the changes of the season. The grass is a beautiful green now and I can see the buds on the Golden Linden tree, the pear trees, the crabapple tree, the lilacs and the various shrubs that were planted without too much thought given to formality. The plants have given their joy for many years now. 

While many of them have some kind of significance that I may have forgotten, my favourite is still that Linden. It was planted in 1999, the first summer we were here. I have taken photos of it almost every year to watch it grow. When it is in its brand new leaf gown and a zephyr comes by, it is like a dancer. I have to confess that I think of this tree as a beautiful girl so "it" is actually a "she" when I think of her. A few years ago, I discovered that when my mother used to take me to the Grosvenor Park in Chester, England for walks, there were lindens there. A bit coincidental, but lovely too!

I have been trying to figure out how the Ladies Who Do Lunch (all 5 of us) can go to a restaurant that does takeout and get together socially-distancing VERY SOON. I miss seeing their for-real faces! Hugs can come on National Hugging Day whenever that is declared - as soon as it's safe. I'll keep working on this.

I have had some lovely phone calls plus a video call (which surprised the heck out of me!) over the past days. The video one showed up on my cell and I actually made it work. All the way from Victoria, BC! I do find that the calls don't last as long as they used since most of us aren't doing anything worth blabbing about. At least, I'm not. 

Onwards!

Day 49

Friday, May 8, 2020

So the longer we are in isolation mode here on Mt. Crossman, the less I seem to have to say. Here is the content of an email I sent out yesterday to friends I haven't seen in a very long time - a couple of months anyway. These are folks I meet with on the occasional Friday at the local pub. They are really neat guys who always have something interesting to talk about.

I miss Fridays at End of the Line Pub! I miss hugs and real smiles! There, I said it out loud!

Bill was outside MOWING for the first time yesterday. The various lovely annuals are opening up. The grass is SO green. 

No hummers yet but the Map shows they are in Nova Scotia now.

Bill has all 4 cords of wood stacked. 

My son-in-law is stuck in Mali at the Syama Gold Mine. There is a long story that goes with this but needs a beer or something. My grandson-in-law is on paternity leave in Yellowknife – he’s a Mountie – while my granddaughter is taking an RN degree at home.

Sally

Sally (black Lab) turned 11.

The forsythia is in full blaze of yellow out there.

I ordered sunflower hearth-baked bread from Oakhaven at the Gardens Market this Saturday and will pick up some scones from Pension Pies as well.

Bill and I have been called to see if we would be Poll Clerks for the October Municipal Election – I cheered and said Yes, Bill reluctantly agreed. 😉

And that’s all I can think of.

Anne the Marooned

You can see what I mean! There is still the phone and I have had some good phone chats recently.

Onwards!

Day 43

May 1, 2020

Just a couple of short thoughts today.

Today is May Day and I remember a time many, many Mays ago when I was a teenaged Girl Guide in Luxembourg. We went off to the woods to cut some new branches with emerging green leaves and wove them into a wreath. The wreath was then attached to a pole and we marched through the town. Our leader started off with it but I seem to remember that I had to turn my belt buckle in such a way as to rest that banner and carried it too. We must have taken turns. It was very pagan and I just loved it. Here is some more information on some of the goings on about May Day.

After seeing an article about Dr. Deborah Birx in her role briefing the president of the US, I thought of how hard it must be for her to go to the White House every day. Dante's "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate - all hope abandon ye who enter here" came to mind.

Onwards!