the results

It’s quite chilly today - a far cry from the 34C+ of a few days ago. Alas, the pool is back to arctic temperatures and if I saw a beluga whale in it I wouldn’t be surprised. Speaking of whales - a humpback whale is swimming in the St. Lawrence in Montreal! What the heck!

I didn’t want to mention it until we got our results back, but Thursday Carm and I got tested for Covid-19. We’d both had some mild symptoms that we felt were spring allergies, but with our premier Doug Ford on the tv urging everyone to get tested we thought ‘what the heck’. Well, the  heck started with making us stay in isolation until we got the test results back. We hadn’t bargained on that! They said it would only be a day or two, but turned out to be 3 ½ days, screwing up our weekend plans.

We went to a drive through test in a village not far from home. The parking lot was divided by cones to move the traffic around, starting with a stop sign that had an intercom on it. They took our information there, including our cell phone numbers. From there we went to a parking lot to wait our turn. While we were waiting they called us to confirm our information and give us some instructions. We didn’t have to wait much longer till we were called again letting us know it was time to drive to the testing spot. We rolled down our windows and waited for the woman to put on new PPE. 

Then the test.

It wasn’t too bad, honestly, although I thought for a moment that she’d gone all the way to the back of my skull and possibly into my brain… It stung but was over quickly. I’d do it again without hesitation, so don’t worry too much if it’s ever your turn. Carm felt nothing after a few minutes, but I could feel it for a few hours - I’m more of a suck I guess! I did end up with a terrible headache for the rest of the day, but I don’t blame the test - I think it was starting before the test.

As the next few days passed we signed onto the online results site a million times to check for our results. We weren’t surprised but were somewhat relieved when finally late this afternoon they came back NEGATIVE.

We planted some trees a few weeks ago that we thought were chokecherries, but now that the leaves are out we can see they are silver maple. They are planted way too close to each other so we’ll have to move 2 of them in the fall.

Today I made buns to have with our Italian Beef sandwiches tonight. I’ve made them once before, probably close to 11 weeks ago when this all started.  Yes… it’s been ELEVEN weeks! (No wonder everyone across the world is starting to go insane.) They are a very satisfying bread to make as the dough turns into an elastic ball as the kneading proceeds. And after it’s risen the first time, forming into balls is positively sensual. One of our favorite breads is no-knead which takes some of the satisfaction away.

Headline tonight: Rioting continues across the USA. 1,837,170 cases with 106,195 deaths in the US. There are a total of 90,947 (90,166 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 7,295 (7,073 yesterday) deaths today.

“Disagreements are one of the fundamental positive aspects of science.”

~Anthony Fauci

sun of compassion

I toodled around the property this morning, Adia at my side, letting Nature calm me. I was being proactive, trying to nip any sense of doom in the bud. It seems to have worked as I managed to keep busyish for much of the day. Oh, I didn’t accomplish much, (and certainly not as much as Carm who muscled the lawnmower),  but feel satisfied.

The honeysuckle by the front deck has been in full bloom for a week now. I always threaten to cut the whole thing down and then it does this… how can I kill something so beautiful. Plus it attracts all sorts of little birds. 

A few of us were lamenting the lack of hair services last night and I said I’d post a photo of myself with my wild hair. It actually doesn’t look that bad since I usually go for the messy look, assuming you can get past my double chin. I’m not great at taking selfies - I can never get the camera and my head at just the right angle. I guess I could practice?

Overnight a cold front rolled in dropping the temps to a normal range and this afternoon we finally got a bit of much needed rain. 

Headline tonight:  Over 7000 deaths in Canada now. Rioting continues across the USA. 1,815,166 cases with 105,529 deaths in the US. There are a total of 90,166 (88,512 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 7073 (6,877 yesterday) deaths today.

“When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.”

~Amit Ray

doom

Whispers about potential drug shortages prompted me to check my trio of mind altering drugs this morning. Two are fine, but the third is in short supply… I remembered that stopping it suddenly could cause problems - unfortunately my memory was right: “Stopping Lamictal suddenly can cause serious health problems including seizures that do not stop.”

I feel pretty freaked out right now!!! I have enough for another month - please keep your fingers crossed that Costco has their supply chain cemented.

Then, (in that order), I read a blog post by a black guy in the US who was stopped by the police for something he had not done. It was well written, capturing the fear and emotion of the situation. Or at least partially capturing it - I don’t know. It left me feeling discombobulated and powerless which I suppose was the point of the thing. 

So those two things set the tone for my day… I struggled to get past it but didn’t exactly capture a peaceful easy feeling… not by any stretch of the imagination.

I wasn’t sure what to do to shake the feeling of doom - my usual activities were out - so I walked the dogs around the house a bunch of times, pulling out my camera to test a new app that I downloaded the other day. It’s for identifying plants using a photograph and seemed to work on the plants I tested. I watched Trinny from the British ‘what not to wear’ talk about matching colours, and then another episode talking about body shape. I watched some comedy. I oiled the cutting board and serving tools. I tidied some stuff. I took Adia out again. I looked at recipes without inspiration. I took Spike out on his leash, without Adia, to force a bit of exercise on him. He’s been inactive for far too long.

In other words, I wasted my day… the 75th day of isolation… That’s longer than a dog’s gestation period.

Wild winds last night and today blew all the apple blossoms into the next county. These are all that are left.

Looking in the mirror at my floppy hair sent me to the calendar… yup, 81 days since my last hair cut! A haircut is not something that will be high on my list of dangerous activities to pursue so maybe I’ll eventually have enough to make a ponytail. Maybe I’ll be wishing I didn’t throw out those headbands when I purged the bathroom not that long ago. Maybe growing my hair long will be a good thing?

Still waiting on the delivery for yeast that was ordered 1 ½ months ago. According to Amazon it has shipped but I’m thinking the page might be frozen as there’s been no change.

Headline tonight:  1,793,263 cases with 104,539 deaths in the US. There are a total of 89,418 (88,512 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,979 (6,877 yesterday) deaths today.

“Then came a sound even more delicious than the sound of water. Close beside the path they were following, a bird suddenly chirped from the branch of a tree. It was answered by the chuckle of another bird a little further off. And then, as if that had been a signal, there was chattering and chirruping in every direction, and then a moment of full song, and within five minutes the whole wood was ringing with birds' music, and wherever Edmund's eyes turned he saw birds alighting on branches, or sailing overhead or chasing one another or having their little quarrels or tidying up their feathers with their beaks.”

~C.S. Lewis

shawarma make believe

No longer a cone head, Spike has taken refuge in Adia’s crate, perhaps hiding from a potential vet visit or maybe hiding from the cone. He had his stitches tugged today and since I wasn’t there I don’t know how traumatic it was. I do know that he was subdued in the truck driving home… poor wee guy. He’ll be right as rain after his supper of raw meat ;-)

Speaking of supper, I’m trying my hand at making an ‘at home’ version of chicken shawarma. Of course I don’t have the twirling spit, but I’ll fudge it by cooking the chicken in the instant pot and then browning in a hot pan. I got the recipe from somewhere on the internet, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot. The chicken has been marinating since last night, and I’ve already made the garlic sauce, which turned out amazing. Who knows that it was so ridiculously easy to make… although the ingredients are enough to make me blanche.

It’s another hot day! Pool was still at 79F so I lingered in the water as long as I dared. Adia was running around the pool starting to freak out and then when she came onto the deck beside the pool I felt she might jump in :-0  Silly dog!

Later in the evening: Back to supper! It all turned out rather well. The chicken was delicious with so much flavour; the sauce, awesome; potatoes, great. The whole meal a definite re-do. It will be easy to make for company as much can be made ahead of time, and we could skip the pita for a less messy experience.

Have you been following the awful news from the USA where the guy was killed by the cop by kneeling on his neck? So sad - the video is heartbreaking, maddening, distressing… I sometimes wish the news wasn’t on so much so I could live in a bubble, but then again I feel like it’s my responsibility to know what is going on in the world, and that by turning a blind eye I’m somehow complicit. If only I didn’t take it so personally.

Headline tonight:  Brazil hits record high for new coronavirus cases. 1,778,346 cases with 103,330 deaths in the US. There are a total of 88,512 (87,519 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,877 (6,765 yesterday) deaths today.

“When he fell in love with birds and began to photograph them, his anxieties dissipated. The sound of birdsong reminded him to look outwards at the world.”

~Kyo Maclear

splish splash!

With my eyes tightly screwed against the cold I slipped into the pool. What! My eyes opened wide and I let out my breath… the water was a perfect temperature! I would be happy with the balmy 79F water any time in the summer and am especially happy for it to be this warm in May. Of course with the cold temps forecast later in the week that may well change, but for now I’m going to revel in the cooling waters. 

We hit a record high of 34C!!! Unheard of. And to think that just 2 weeks ago we had snow!

Soon after I got up this morning I took Brenda’s suggestion of going for a little walk. I didn’t go far, just around the field, but I took my time to enjoy the beauty. One of the most marvelous things of summer is the kaleidoscope of scent in the air. Apple blossoms, lilac, and others perfume the atmosphere. I took time to look at the far away vistas and admired the wild apple trees at the far end of the field. Even the dandelions bring beauty and joy. Who can resist the bright yellow face.

Spike got a fast clip this afternoon, just his feet and upper body, but it will keep him a little cooler. I didn’t want to subject him to the whole shebang, but with Carm’s help it took less than ½ hour. Tomorrow after his stitches are out and he no longer needs to wear the cone, I’ll take the CLIPPERs to his ears - no scissors!

Adia was a goof and wanted to lie out in the sun for a while!

Later in the afternoon we tootled over to Trudie & Leo’s to pick up a few plants and have a short visit. It was great to feel slightly normal for a while, although Covid was always in the back of my mind. 

Headline tonight:  1,745,369 cases with 102,091 deaths in the US. There are a total of 87,519 (86,647 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,765 (6,639 yesterday) deaths today.

“Quartering the topmost branches of one of the tall trees, an invisible bird was striving to make the day seem shorter, exploring with a long-drawn note the solitude that pressed it on every side, but it received at once so unanimous an answer, so powerful a repercussion of silence and of immobility, that one felt it had arrested for all eternity the moment which it had been trying to make pass more quickly.”

~Marcel Proust

a terrible piling up of the dead

With record setting temperatures today it was no wonder that Carm arrived home from golf in a hot mess. So hot that he jumped into the 72F pool! Brrrrr… not for me but he seemed to enjoy it.

I was a little more moderated in my exposure to the Saharan sun. I did get a bit of vitamin D but didn’t stay out long enough to melt. The dogs had a few short outings too - with this heat even Adia didn’t do the zoomies!

I really need this whole disaster to be over… I’m fighting anxiety every day and have been feeling like I don’t have the energy to do anything. Today, aside from making Grace’s grain ‘mash’ for the next few weeks, I barely moved from the sofa. I read a bit, but I also sat mesmerized by the stupid craft videos on facebook for far too long. Something needs to change, and I know that it has to be me… but how? 

Have you seen any of the news coverage of all the people flaunting distancing guidelines. It almost makes me cry with frustration and anger. How dare they!  Every single one of them should have their photos posted at hospital intake desks as ‘do not treat’ due to stupidity. I suppose following news might be a big part of my anxiety.

So what am I doing now? Watching Anderson Cooper get emotional about all that’s going on. When the news guys get upset how can I be expected to let it roll off my back? It’s all so draining...

Headline tonight:  Over one hundred thousand deaths in US. 1,725,388 cases with 100,545 deaths in the US. There are a total of 86,647 (85,698 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,639 (6,541 yesterday) deaths today.

“He saw a picture in his mind of a terrible piling up of the dead. It came from his contemplation of the church, but it had its own clarity: the row on row, the deep rotting earth hollowed out to hold them, while the efforts of the living, with all their works and wars and great buildings, were no more than the beat of a wing against the weight of time.”

~Sebastian Faulks

flying carpet

Two little feathery bits of sunshine lit the grey morning. I was sitting outside waiting for Adia when 2 little goldfinches started flitting around the honeysuckle just off the deck. I held still, barely breathing and listened to them sing their song. They couldn’t have been more than 8 feet away. Through a gap in the branches I could see a robin feeding its chicks in the nest under the eves. A blissful moment of my day.

It’s overcast with a forecast of much needed rain. Carm’s first words to me this morning were “did it rain?”. It’s a very tonal question that meant ‘hopefully it rained’ but sometimes the same words mean ‘did it %^$ rain again’!

Later in the morning I stepped out with my camera… at the bottom of the front steps I could see 4 flowering trees: honeysuckle with its fuchsia blossoms, lilac, hawthorn with its white flower, and finally a long row of apple trees decked out in white, oh, and the ‘chocolate’ trees down by the pond are covered in white flowers too. Some bright pink tulips, cheerful dandelions, purple periwinkle, and tiny wild strawberry flowers carpeted the earth. So much colour. And the air! Perfumed with the scent of a 1000 flowers.

We took advantage of the slightly cooler day to heft a bunch of furniture so we could lay the new carpet. We heaved and hoed, eventually getting everything back together. I love it! The pattern really lifts the area. Happy happy.

Spike’s ear is looking good. It’s a bit scabby at the bottom but overall is healing. He’ll go into the vet to get stitches removed on Thursday. Then he’ll be free of the dastardly cone!

Headline tonight:  1,704,075 cases with 99,754 deaths in the US. There are a total of 85,698 (84,699 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,541 (6,424 yesterday) deaths today.

“The function of music is to liberate in the soul those feelings which normally we keep locked up in the heart.”

~Sebastian Faulks

the sun does arise

I stood in the shade of the apple trees, letting the scent overwhelm my senses. Giant bees passed me, lumbering through the air on their tiny wings. I was still a little messed up from a day of serious anxiety and the grim ending of a book I was reading and needed the calm of nature to soothe my nerves. I guess I might have realized that a book written by a vet would have some sad moments, but gosh, did her dog and husband have to die within 10 days of each other?

I don’t know what set off my near panic attack - nothing that I can think of, but reading about covid-19 restrictions on getting back to normal knocked me off kilter, and I went downhill from there. Maybe an extra long sleep will help get me back to centre. In the pre-covid days I would have invited friends for supper and the busyness of preparations would have distracted my malfunctioning brain.

see the cardinal looking in our window.

I did enjoy much of my afternoon on the swing reading. Grace was in her cage playing with branches, Adia was on and off the deck a hundred times but not in a bad way. She was actually good company. Spike was in and out of the house - he found it too hot to stay out long. Carm was inside watching golf (yes golf - a charity tournament).

Today makes 10 weeks of self-isolation and social distancing for us. I watch the news and see people swarming parks and wonder what is going to happen. Will there be a do-over or will we somehow be able to get back to life and if we do, how many will die. It doesn’t seem likely that we’ll be able to be with people without wearing a mask for a long time. I read something that said even getting together for a bbq is fraught with danger and that everyone should bring their own food, dishes, etc.  A dinner party is out of the question for months...

What does this mean for our summer? Will we socialize with the family? Is it too risky? Maybe this is where my anxiety is coming from. 

Headline tonight:  1,685,101 cases with 99,281 deaths in the US. There are a total of 84,699 (83,621 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,424 (6,355 yesterday) deaths today.

“The sun does arise,

And make happy the skies.

The merry bells ring

To welcome the Spring.

The sky-lark and thrush,

The birds of the bush,

Sing louder around,

To the bells’ cheerful sound. 

While our sports shall be seen

On the Ecchoing Green.”

~William Blake

what you can rise from

It’s a little bit cooler today - no shorts and sleeveless shirt - I ended up changing into sweetlegs and a light t-shirt - the wind is howling, but the sun is out with nary a cloud in the sky. Lovely!

Carm manned the lawnmower while I putzed around the house with my little vacuum and then the kitchenaid. I made peanut butter cookies today and they were almost ruined… at the very last minute I saw that I’d forgotten baking powder… I sprinkled some on the already prepared dough and ran the machine again. You would be right to guess that my cookies were flat. They still taste good though!

Spike was in fine fettle today even running around outside a bit. He seems to have figured out how to get up the front stairs, maybe even better than BC (before cone). [scratch that… he crashed up the stairs at supper time]

The apple blossoms are finally open! The trees are sparsely flowered this year though - there won’t be a bumper crop of apples - poor Adia will be disappointed as she does love her apples.

I made Cuban Picadillo for supper tonight - a super easy dish of ground pork, onion, green pepper, green olives, diced tomatoes and a bunch of weird spices - I’ll make it again. It would scale up nicely for a crowd.

Headline tonight:  1,666,828 cases with 98,683 deaths in the US. There are a total of 83,621 (81,420 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,355 (6,245 yesterday) deaths today.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

~Maya Angelou

steel magnolias

Summer made a visit again today - maybe it’s here to stay! The sun shone down strongly, nudging the mercury up to 29C - yowsers! That’s a summer day. The only thing missing is a warmer pool.

We made a grocery store/hardware store run this morning, with a last stop at Trudie’s to pick up some tomato plants. I went into Giant Tiger and Home Hardware, Carm hit up the grocery store. I haven’t gotten used to the mask wearing - of course I wore one, I would have felt naked without, but I find them so isolating. Not only is the urge for chit chat eliminated, smiles can’t be shared either. 

Trudie’s magnolia tree

Once home we got into some muck clothes and got outside into the heat. Carm dug the tomato bed while I readied some poles for a fence. Adia was out with us and stepped into the bed several times so I raced to get some fencing up as soon as the tender plants were nestled into the earth. Like a miracle, the tomato plant will grow and produce fruit, all from the nourishment it gets from the dirt and energized by our sun. It’s magic.

Carm trimmed some branches from the apple trees then I helped him bumble the branches down to the brush pile. Time for an icy radler on the swing!

Tonight I made mushroom gnocchi… a sort of creamy comfort food and one of the few things that I make on the stove, leaving the instant pot in the cupboard. I’ve made the gnocchi by hand once, but honestly (and America’s Test Kitchen agrees), the stuff we get in the grocery store is perfectly good.

Headline tonight:  1,644,339 cases with 97,612 deaths in the US. There are a total of 81,420 (81,324 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,245 (6,152 yesterday) deaths today.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”

~Maya Angelou

on the links

We were gifted another beautiful day. Carm got out to the golf course for the first time this year while I stayed home and putzed around, busy but nothing to show for it. Well, that’s not really true - I got into the garden and divided some hostas - this is a banner day for me as I did not inherit my mother’s green thumb.

By 2pm I’d already washed the instant pot 3 times and readied two of them for supper: Asian ginger chicken with rice with a big salad on the side. This morning I made a big batch of bone broth - some for the dogs and some for us. I soft boiled a few eggs - 2 min HP, releasing pressure right away. It wasn’t quite long enough. And then I stumbled across a recipe for rice pudding… I’ve had a craving so I got busy and whipped up a batch - unfortunately it is too darn easy!!!

With all this eating I took a look back in my daily log to see where the scale was at the beginning of Covid-19… it is some sort of miracle but I haven’t really gained any weight! It’s been vacillating within 2 lbs of my starting weight so something that I’m doing must be working. Maybe lifting my stand mixer is more exercise than I thought!

It was nice enough to eat outside again :-)  although mosquitos were starting to lurk. One of the reasons we eat supper early.

Headline tonight:  Schools in Ontario to remain closed until September. 1,620,767 cases with 96,314 deaths in the US. There are a total of 81,324 (81,121 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,152 (6,028 yesterday) deaths today.

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”

~Maya Angelou

green

Green.

Grass, trees, all green. It is one of those perfect days at the beginning of summer when the warmth goes deep into frozen bones and eyes rejoice at the unfurling beauty that surrounds us. It is made all the more special by the agonizing wait - it was the longest, coldest, spring that can be recalled. Not today though!

Carm opened the pool. The water won’t be warm enough to swim this weekend unless I call upon my Norse ancestors. But it will be blue and pretty against the vista of green. Then he moved a pile of sod to build up the graves of Bella and Kabira. Together we dragged out a few more plants from the basement - the 2 ferns that Mom got us a few years ago have fresh green leaves on them and look lovely in the black iron pots on the deck. A big blue clay pot is positioned on the steps, ready for some coleus or other colourful plant.

In the morning I got whipped up a few loaves of bread… it was ready for a quick lunch by 1:30. Is it gilding the lily to put prosciutto on bread fresh from the oven? I also tried adding some sesame and poppy seeds before I baked it which really popped the flavour. It’s almost overkill though.

Grace was outside for much of the day, looking happy about the day as well. Adia was out with us too - she’s the perfect farm dog. She sticks around us, investigating everything we do and playing nearby. Aside from Ranger, and to a lesser degree Kabira, she’s the best for hanging around. But curious! My gosh she has to get her face into everything. It’s either a sign of intelligence, or she’s dim. Regardless, it was fun to have her around.

Poor wee Spike. He seemed to have mastered the front steps and then had a terrible time later. He crashes and falls - heartbreaking, but he picks himself up and hops along as if nothing has happened. I take the cone off when he eats, staying with him to make sure he doesn’t scratch - when it’s time to put it back on I hold it open and he sticks his head right in. No fussing or resisting. That’s when my heart really breaks. 

I got the clippers out again today with Carm as the target this time… he looked like a mad scientist with hair going everywhere - it had to GO. It only took a few minutes to shear his woolly head and I think I did a pretty good job, at least on the sides and back. I think his regular hairdresser leaves a bit extra in front to hide some of the receding hairline. My hair will continue to grow cause there’s no way in hell that I’m letting him near me with scissors!!!

For supper we cracked open a bottle of bubbles, then took our supper out to the back deck. A sparkly crown to a glorious day.

Headline tonight:  Over 6000 deaths in Canada. 1,591,245 cases with 94,917 deaths in the US. There are a total of 81,121 (79,112 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 6,028 (5,912 yesterday) deaths today.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”

~Maya Angelou

a trip to the vet

I’m still discombobulated and upset. Just the thought of what we did to him wrenches my gut. That’s a repeat from yesterday, but gosh! I still feel the same way.  This morning I was up early to call the vet for an appointment. Luckily they squeezed us in this morning. It’s not like the old days though where I’d take him in and be there for the exam… instead the vet called me on my cell, we had a discussion and then he came and got Spike from the truck.

The poor wee thing had to be dragged away. He was a brave boy for the rest of the appointment, letting the vet (I think it was Dr. Johnson) trim the hair from the wound and put a few stitches in, all without sedation. The hair removal revealed that the wound was worse than we thought - my stomach lurched and I tried hard not to cry. I’ve been choking back my feelings all day.

When I got home (Carm was in the city for a doctor appointment), I found our new carpet on the step! I didn’t even wait to take my shoes off before I dragged it inside and wrestled it out of the plastic. I dragged the giant (read heavy) table to the side and spread it out so the wrinkles can ease. It’s big! 9x12 takes up a lot of space. Looking at it in the ‘dining room’ I wonder if I’d like another one to put under the table :-)

    Adia likes it!

Carm brought home a new cone for Spike - it’s got padded edges - a big improvement over the jagged edges of the ancient one I dug out from the basement.

We ran a few more tests in the camper this afternoon, and installed a 4 node temperature station (cause we need to know the temp in every corner?). Adia quickly made herself at home, finding the dog bed that’s tucked under the table for a little rest. Spike stayed in the house...

Headline tonight:  1,570,583 cases with 93,533 deaths in the US. There are a total of 79,112 (78,017 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 5,912 (5,839 yesterday) deaths today.

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

~Maya Angelou

maimed

I’m still discombobulated and upset. Just the thought of what we did to him wrenches my gut. We were giving Spike a ‘haircut on his face’... the face went well then I moved onto his ears - since he had some mats I was going to clip his ears short but Carm figured we could cut them out… I’m sure you can see where I’m going here… inexperience on the scissors and in a flash, a big gash behind his ear.

I called my Dad and then Kirsten for some advice. Of course it is the Monday of a long weekend so regular vets aren’t open. Kirsten and I figured stitches wouldn’t be viable, so I’ve put him in a cone and we’ll wait and see. Tomorrow I’ll likely take him to his vet to have the area shaved - he’ll need sedation. It’s in a tricky area.

This morning we got the water system de-winterized on the trailer so in theory we’d be able to occupy it! If Spike wasn’t maimed I’d spend the night there tonight. 

We puttered around outside for quite a while, enjoying the beautiful day - perhaps the nicest one this year. Adia zoomed around poking her nose into everything that we were doing. The smile on her face was infectious. I wish we would have stayed out longer and skipped doing Spike...

Yesterday Carm cut the grass (backyard) while I dusted off the new chairs and set up a socially distant arrangement on the driveway. Pat, Trudie & Leo were coming for a visit later in the afternoon. It felt strange to be with people - I’m seriously getting close to having a case of Anthropophobia… 

Before the company came I prepped for supper: Hungarian/American Goulash. I have a very distant memory of Mom making something like this when I was young and I wanted some comfort food. I’m not sure if it was anything like what she made, but it did have macaroni, or if you’re talking to Carm, elbow macaroni, as well as ground beef, tomatoes, and a few other random ingredients. It was good and earned a 5/5 from Carm (he’s easy to please!).

Headline tonight:  1,547,217 cases with 91,779 deaths in the US. There are a total of 78,017 (75,864 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 5,839 (5,679 yesterday) deaths to date.

“Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire.” 

~Virgil

rather weak premise... but joy!

I struggled for a few minutes trying to wake up this morning - it had been a rough night of tossing and turning, too hot then too cold. But the dogs were already awake and the inssessent click clack of their nails on the floor made it impossible to just roll over and go back to sleep. But wait! My eyes popped open. We had an adventure planned today!

With the rather weak premise of delivering some chokecherry seedlings we climbed into the truck and took off cross country towards Kirsten’s. We took the back roads and passed many beautiful views - food for the eyes and a feast for the soul.

And then we were there. Carm and I started looking around for a good place for the trailer, and were joined by Shawn. It is so hard not to hug someone! Soon Kirsten and the girls were also on the scene. Virtual hugs. I couldn’t take my eyes off them at all, afraid that they’d disappear for another long while. 

We walked around the property, investigating trailer spots and electrical outlets. We identified a few places to plant the chokecherries (which is why we were there after all). We had coffee and donuts, all carefully distributed from a distance.

We couldn’t stay all day… Adia was home in her crate… so we eventually took our leave, although I had to drag Carm a bit - he was more talkative than usual - a 9 week backlog I suppose ;-)

It was pretty silent in the truck driving home... perhaps we were trying to prolong the feeling of being with family.

As it turns out, Adia survived, didn’t have an accident in her crate, didn’t shred her blanket, but ran around the field like a manic maniac.

Headline tonight:  Golf courses open today. 1,506,227 cases with 89,538 deaths in the US. There are a total of 75,864 (74,613 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 5,679 (5,562 yesterday) deaths to date.

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

~Laini Taylor

chokecherry seedlings

Three little chokecherry seedlings were carefully planted by Kabira and Bella’s graves this morning. We patted down the soil of the third one just as the rain started, the soft drizzle mingling with our tears in a sympathetic and wet symphony. 

I know I’ve complained constantly about the weather this spring (perhaps the coldest on record), but actually we’ve been in almost a drought around our place. The garlic is in desperate need of water and even the grass looks like it would like a drink. So I guess I can rejoice that we are getting rain today!

It’s not like we’ve got anything planned anyway… It’s been almost 9 weeks that we’ve been in lockdown and to be honest I’ve gotten rather used to it. It’s like I’m comfortably muffled in cotton wool with only the tv and internet to intrude on my perfect world. 

At times the intrusion is nasty - I can’t believe how many uninformed people there are. So many that have no idea how science works and instead feed off the insanity of others - it shows a glaring lack in our education system. It really infuriates me! Just writing about them enrages me!

I could create a video with graphs and charts and say the most outrageous made up things, call myself Dr. and there’d be people who would go crazy to follow me, especially if I said things against the government and maybe said that they were out to control us and that it was a conspiracy. I could even tell them that 5G was causing the pandemic and I’d have believers. 

If I were to stay off social media my life would be rosy.

Back to the weather… It’s not a big hardship to be stuck inside. My spot on the sofa has a nice view of trees and grass and birds. There are windows to my left too. I’m close enough that it’s almost like being outside, but dryer.

Yesterday was nice… Carm went to Costco for our weekly grocery run while I stayed home and played music. It was a pleasant day for sitting outside - swing in the morning and new chairs in the afternoon. The red dog enjoyed all the extra time outside. Spike enjoys being out for a while but generally wants back in the house after not much time has gone by: he comes out, down the steps (may fall going down), sniffs around, goes back on the deck (may fall going up the stairs) and then doesn’t want to go down again… Poor old guy - but he has had some energetic times too.

The rain today has really brightened up the green grass! It’s almost emerald and if a trail of gold wound its way across the field I might strap on my red sparkly shoes and dance, singing like Judy Garland. Spike could be the tin man cause he’s a bit smart, while Adia would be the lion as she’s both a chicken and a bit of a dummy.

Headline tonight:  1,483,936 cases with 88,484 deaths in the US. There are a total of 74,613 (72,278 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 5,562 (5,302 yesterday) deaths to date.

“Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;

To-day the glint of green is there;

Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;

I know no thing so wondrous fair,

No miracle so strangely rare.

I wonder what will next be there!”

~L.H. Bailey