torrents of water from the sky

Tiny grasshoppers bumped against my legs as I walked thru the hayfield. The ground was soft from the rain today and I swear I could see the grass growing before my eyes. Everything seemed refreshed from the welcome rain and the rain gauge laughed with joy at the 66mm of rain that we received. That’s a little over 2 3/4 inches! In one day! The drought has been broken.

It started to rain around 9am and came down in buckets. Loud claps of thunder kept me from running outside to dance naked in the rain but once the storm passed I jumped into the pool to celebrate.

My arm is aching from my shoulder down to my wrist. Who knew that a simple jab of Shingrix would be so uncomfortable. It’s my second shot so thankfully that’s all done and dusted. At least until the covid vaccine is ready. I’m looking forward to that - it will mean freedom!

Watching a segment on tv - 29 year old woman died from covid-19 within a week. I need these reminders so I don’t let my guard down - how would I feel if something happened to Carm because I wanted a haircut or some other frivolity… Did you see the article citing a study of 100 people with various levels of illness that showed 75% of the people had long term heart damage… Time to change the channel.

Speaking of hair cuts, my hair is longer than it’s been for years and is driving me CRAZY. It’s almost long enough to tuck my bangs behind my ears but I don’t think it’s a good look for me… my forehead is as big as a planet! 

 

 Headline tonight: 4,567,750 cases with 153,720 deaths in the US. There are a total of 115,470 (114,994 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,917 (8,912 yesterday) deaths today.

“Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul?”

~John Keats

dry crying

This morning I busied myself with food and treats for the animals - a warm mixed grain & bean mix for Grace, and semi-dehydrated hearts for the dogs. I’ve been trying to do at least ½ a dozen (or more), recall practices with Adia. Much more practice is required, but she get’s jackpotted some hearts so I expect some better progress soon. She has very good focus - on other things...

Adia has been doing some brush up on some other skills. We haven’t practiced ‘mat’ for months and Saturday’s visit with Kirsten highlighted the usefulness of that command - especially if I get a solid response. I haven’t reviewed lists of handy behaviours, but will reread the public access requirements for a service dog. It’s something to work towards. Attainable? Perhaps.

Yesterday we did a quick Costco run with a side trip to Bulk Barn (me), and FreshCo (Carm). We bought a 2lb package of yeast for a fraction of what we paid on Amazon. I don’t need it now but it will keep in the freezer for ages. And for only $4 it was hard to pass up! I took a bit of a risk and did some retail therapy and browsed the clothing aisle in Costco. Hand sanitizer and a mask reduced any potential exposure. 

Bulk Barn is super safe - hand sanitizer and gloves are at the entrance. With only one other person in the store it was easy to zip in and out with no contact.

Adia has a new blue collar.

The last few mornings I’ve taken to jumping into the pool while my coffee brews. It’s such a lovely way to wake up! And since the number of days in a year that I can do this are counted on my fingers and toes it’s best to enjoy :-)

Oh… and I haven’t stayed out of the comments and am in a fight about Andrea Boccelli. People believe that since he lives in a nice house he shouldn’t feel bad about having had Covid-19… So many mean, jealous people.

The rain gauge is STILL sitting forlornly dry crying about the lack of rain. 

 

 Headline tonight: 4,497,834 cases with 152,285 deaths in the US. There are a total of 114,994 (113,911 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,912 (8,890 yesterday) deaths today.

“The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see--the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived. For people like me and Echo, our souls contained more scar tissue than life.”

Katie McGarry

a grimaced good morning ends in smiles

I slumped into the kitchen and grimaced a good morning to Carm. ‘Are you still feeling down?’ he asked. Yes was the simple answer. ‘Maybe we should go for a car ride?’. No. ‘We could visit Kirsten.’. ‘They’ll be busy, we can’t just descend on them’. ‘Call her.’

So, with a tiny bit of an anticipatory tickle in the back of my head, I texted her. She must have still been having a coffee as she answered quickly. No, they didn’t have anything planned, and yes we could visit. Yay! A few messages back and forth and we had the day planned.

As I bustled around the house getting things ready for us and the dogs my mood was already improving. It was going to be a good day :-)

We got there around 1:30, let the dogs free to reacquaint themselves with the cousins, then gathered around their kitchen island to have some lunch. Hotdogs. The food of summer kings. Outside beckoned, and even though it was a hot day, a lovely breeze under the shade of the giant maple kept us cool. I wrangled the dogs, well, Adia - Spike was sticking close. Once I had Adia tied up, I joined the girls in the pool. Kirsten made us drinks to have in the floating drinks holders which was fun - surely a hot day in the pool with floating drinks couldn’t be more perfect for my mental health!

And then it was time to go. Having the dogs with us meant we weren’t clock watching all afternoon, even though they were a bit of a pain. I like to believe that Adia will eventually settle down and not need so much supervision. I think I should have taken her out on Shawn’s trails when we first got there to wear her out a bit.

As soon as we turned onto the road the dogs settled down in the back of the car and went to sleep. They were exhausted from the excitement. There wasn’t much activity from them all evening and Spike didn’t even bug us for his bedtime snack. As soon as they had their last out (and yes a bedtime snack) they both went straight to bed! 

Spike seems like he wants to make friends with the cousins, especially Tilly as he followers her around with a hopeful look on his face. She’s not quite ready for that. He’s much more social than I imagined he would be.

We had a wonderful time (and again I was thankful that they’ve moved back so close). The feeling is lasting over into today which is a good thing. A big part of managing my bipolar brain is keeping it busy with social contacts. I can’t even count the number of times that a mood swing to the negative has been truncated with the excitement of having people over, that a feeling of malaise has been toggled to one of happiness with supper preparations. That’s what’s so hard about the pandemic. I’m sure I’m not the only one experiencing this..

The rain gauge has been sitting forelormely dry crying about the lack of rain. It was hot and dry today. Almost too hot for the swing, but I persevered with the help of the pool. Such a hardship!

 

 Headline tonight: 4,366,051 cases with 149,773 deaths in the US. There are a total of 113,911 (113,179 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,890 (8,880 yesterday) deaths today.

“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.”

~Elizabeth Wurtzel

Adia's getting day anniversary

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, COMET! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

With flashlight in one hand (it’s a bumpy walk), and a pair of binoculars in the other, we stumbled through the darkness to the middle of the hayfield. From there we thought we’d get a good view. We stared and pointed and stared some more. Nothing. Perhaps it was still too light, or maybe we were looking in the wrong place. Dejected, we returned to the house.

Carm went online and studied the location some more while we waited for it to get darker. This time we stayed on the deck. And there it was. A little dot with a bit of a tail faintly made a foreign trail in the night sky. Hurrah!

Today is the one year anniversary of Adia’s getting day! The year has gone quickly although it seems like another reality ago. She’s been a good addition to our little family (even though she’s still a bit bad when we leave her alone…).

I’ve got a big case of covid fatigue the last few days… it’s getting harder and harder to motivate myself to do even the simplest of tasks, I even thought of retreating to my bed this afternoon. I’m sick of the whole situation and want my life back! Knowing that it will likely be at least another year of semi-isolation isn’t helping at all. I spent the afternoon on the deck listening to music, usually a good picker-upper, but alas. I’ve been struggling with my thoughts as I know dwelling on the negative only breeds more negative, but the malaise creeps back. I need to get out and do something or even better have a series of (candlelight) dinners with friends like the old PC (pre corona) days! 

I’ve been watching old episodes of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ with Hyacinth. It’s a real hoot and sadly I can see a bit of myself in her character. Not the snobby bits, but the having dinners, and backseat driving segments! In the episode I watched last night she was taking her friends on a picnic to the bank of the river. She had china, tablecloths, chairs and tables… well, my picnics usually have a pretty tablecloth and some nice dishes, oh, and silverware… no china though thank goodness! Which reminds me… I’d like to take a look-see in the fabric store for something nice for the next picnic - I won’t because of covid though. Go ahead and have a good laugh at me!

 Headline tonight: 4,247,407 cases with 148,450 deaths in the US. There are a total of 113,179 (112,672 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,880 (8,874 yesterday) deaths today.

“The Universe said, ‘Let me show

your soul something beautiful.”

~Aberjhani

no vampires here

It was harvest day today! Over 100 bulbs of garlic were yanked from the ground, brushed off, washed, and then laid out on the deck to dry. It is an impressive display of odiferous bulbs. They are now safely stored in the garage but we’ll lay them out in the sun again tomorrow. Who knows, maybe we’ll get some rain overnight (faint hope).

Coincidently, on my facebook feed this morning a memory of harvesting garlic from 2 years ago popped up. I read through last July’s posts to see when we harvested last year, but there was no mention of it. Only the juxtaposition of happy family memories, and sad loss memories. This year is unlike any other with covid restrictions, but last summer - yikes - so many tears. In a few days will be the 1 year anniversary of Bella’s passing. 

I also made a new recipe of lemon concentrate - it sounded promising but I screwed it up. It was simply the zest and juice of 8 lemons, 1 ⅓ cup sugar, into the instant pot for 1 minute. BUT I should have immediately released the pressure but I let it come down naturally which left it tasting like lemon furniture polish (or how I imagine it would taste based on the smell). I’ll choke it down to use it up, but gosh! What a dummy.

(whew… I’m back… just had to get Adia into the field for some wild zoomies)

 Headline tonight: 4,169,119 cases with 147,295 deaths in the US. There are a total of 112,672 (112,206 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,874 (8,870 yesterday) deaths today.

“The exhausted earth groaned and quivered under the monotonous glare of the sun. Spirals of heat rose from the ground as if from molten lava. A panting lizard crawled painfully over the fevered rock in search of a shady crevice. Cattle and dogs cringed under the scanty shade of the trees and waited for the rain to deliver them from the heat and thirst. Instead the heat grew more intense and oppressive each day, singeing and stifling all living things with an invisible sheet of fire, which only the rain could put out.

The drought had persisted for over a month.”

~S. Rajaratnam

the wind whipped up dust

No rain in the gauge yet although a few drops fell this afternoon - just enough to dampen the ground but not enough to measure. I guess Environment Canada would call it a trace.

We really need this Covid-19 isolation to end, if only so that we clean the house more often. We almost needed a shovel yesterday after Carm danced around the house with the wide mop. In the olden days (only 129 days ago) we’d have friends over often so the house was usually presentable if not spic n’ span.

Yesterday we took a trip to the hardware store for some composted sheep manure. Once that was loaded into the truck we swung over to the next town for a DQ blizzard (yum). We’ve been leaving Adia loose for short trips lately, but it seems it doesn’t take long to destroy 2 boxes of kleenex and a fancy lip balm. We were so disappointed as we really don’t like leaving her in a crate when we leave. She’s over 1 ½ years so SHOULD be grown out of this bad behaviour…

Instead of engrossing ourselves in Trump TV for the last few nights we’ve started watching a series on Amazon Prime. ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ is funny and beautifully screened. We both like it which as you know can be a challenge! Did you know that Carol Burnett and the Beverly Hillbillies are also on Prime - we watched a few episodes of each for a fun trip in the time machine.

Have you seen the comet? We’ve tried a few times but haven’t had any luck - too many clouds and we think there’s a bank of trees in the way. I ran across a few photos of our house when we first built and there were no trees at all. When did the forest grow?

 Headline tonight: 4,099,884 cases with 146,136 deaths in the US. There are a total of 112,206 (111,124 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,870 (8,858 yesterday) deaths today.

“At 6:15 she was standing on her front porch watering gardenias and watching another line of thunderstorms split and go around her. The same thing happened almost every day. Some days they came so close all she could smell was the rain. The wind whipped up dust from the fields until it drove like buckshot into the shuddering mesquites, and Clara Nell started to pray. 'Jesus,' she whispered. 'Jesus, Jesus....' But the only thing that came out of the sky was her topsoil. Every day the wind took a little more, and it hadn't rained in almost a year.”

~Andrew Geyer

gauging the rain

The last few days have slipped by with nothing notable to write about. The weather has continued to be summer like with hot days and sultry nights. We’ve had a few raindrops but the earth is still dry. 

The other day we took the long way home from an outing to a nearby little town so that we could see how the crops are doing… dismal. I wonder what sorts of yields there will be. I’ve never seen the corn looking so short and sparse.

I finished the reorg of the dresser in the bathroom and am pleased with the result - no more chaos :-)  (well, only a bit). If the zeal continues I may take a few steps into my closet.

The dogs have been slightly lethargic for the most part - a trip outside leaves us all feeling drained as it’s been so hot out. Adia did go crazy yesterday afternoon - racing and zooming - I had to cover her with a damp towel when she got inside as she was panting so hard. The next few days look like they’ll be a bit cooler.

We’ve suspected for a while that Spike is losing his vision - doing some online doctoring it looks like we could be right. His eyes have a silver sheen to the pupil that suggests Progressive retinal atrophy. The end result will be blindness. He sometimes seems like he’s getting some dementia too - yesterday he jumped up to grab a cheezie out of my hand - this is 100% out of character for him. He’s shown some other behavior oddities as well - I’m hoping that I’m wrong and that he’s just being naughty. He’s not too out of it to know it’s getting close to bedtime and that if he could just get Carm to take him outside he’d get a bedtime snack of raw chicken hearts when he came back inside!

We just put up a rain gauge - we’ll be able to see how much it actually rains. There were a few types to choose from: a simple tube with markings on it; or! the full monty electronic remote version that even dumped the water automagically. We got the simple tube - we think we can walk out to the deck to read the level and dump the water ourselves. For a gagetteer like myself the temptation to go big was strong! And if I could have automated the entries to load into my database, well that would have been awesome ;-)

 Headline tonight: 3,961,203 cases with 143,826 deaths in the US. There are a total of 111,124 (109,669 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,858 (8,839 yesterday) deaths today.

“There's no radar image for a water crisis. No storm surges, no debris fields - the Tap-Out is as silent as cancer. There's nothing to see, and so the news is treating it like a sidebar.”

~Jarrod Shusterman

intelligence is a conspiracy against the dim

I’ve GOT to stay out of the comments… Facebook put me into a rage this afternoon with stupid people posting that the pandemic is a hoax designed to control us. Oh, and that the government wants to inject us with a chip so they’ll know where we are at all times. Oh yes. I had to interject with FACTS which were quickly rejected by most commenters - thankfully there were a few people emboldened by my post to take a stand with me. But what I have learned, and sometimes forget, that these crazy people cannot be talked to. No facts for them. All conspiracy.

It’s disheartening to see so much stupidity.

We had a bit of rain overnight and this morning. It was lovely the rest of the day, not as hot, although humid. A nice summer day :-)

OH OH OH! The blade on my actifry broke the other night! I started freaking out right away so Carm got right on it and found a replacement on the t-fal site. It’s been ordered but who knows how long it will take to get here as it’s coming from France.

I’ve had a touch of ‘get organized’ fever the last few days. Bathroom cupboards, and now the first stage of the bathroom dresser organized thanks to Dollarama and their plethora of plastic boxes. I don’t think it’s hypomania (it sometimes is) but just a simple case of ‘I can’t stand it anymore’. I will never be a minimalist.

I didn’t have a photo for today so I searched back in my archives and came up with this one from July 2007, our first year with a camper. Mom and Dad came for the day to help us celebrate our anniversary.

 Headline tonight: Massive wildfire in California. Ontario enters phase 3. Highest number of cases world wide: 250,000 in one day! 3,766,605 cases with 141,977 deaths in the US. There are a total of 109,669 (109,264 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,839 (8,827 yesterday) deaths today.

“The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory, is that conspiracy theorists believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is actually chaotic. The truth is that it is not The Iluminati, or The Jewish Banking Conspiracy, or the Gray Alien Theory.

The truth is far more frightening - Nobody is in control.

The world is rudderless.”

~Alan Moore

who let the dog out woof woof

I got ‘the dog’ out for a bit of a run today. Nothing like the sight of 75lbs of dog bearing down on you at full speed… I just stand still and hope for the best!

We had our anniversary supper tonight, enjoyed with a lovely Ontario Amarone that Stephanie had given us. Lovely. I wore sequins and silk… Carm wore his old shirt with the hole in it :-/  We listened to the love song playlist while we ate. 

After supper, cleanup, and watching the news, we gave Olaf a buzz so we could thank Steph for the elixir. Three cheers for Facebook Messenger for giving us a nice video chat that lasted for longer than an hour.

 Headline tonight: 3,693,700 cases with 141,095 death in the US. There are a total of 109,264 (108,806 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,827 (8,810 yesterday) deaths today.

“The funny thing is that although we place so much energy and importance on our wedding day, it isn't the biggest day of our life. The biggest day of your life is every day thereafter. Because it's not the pledge to love someone that matters, but the act of fulfilling that pledge that is most important. In other words, it's only just begun.”

~Laura Wolf

thirty one happy years

The day dawned clear and warm, much like the day 31 years ago that we exchanged our vows. That summer day, oh so long ago, was sunny and the perfect temperature to be sashing around in our wedding gear. Carm looked handsome in his tux and I think I was passable in my white gown. 

The weather was similar to today. Suddenly we were in the mood for a picnic at Nicholson locks where we’ve celebrated several times. I dialed Kirsten and they were available, unfortunately Mom, Dad and Graham had appointments.

With excitement bubbling I got cooking: chicken salad with basil and lemon; arugula, sundried tomato and roasted baby potato salad. I’d made lemon concentrate yesterday so drinks were covered. I gathered all the other accoutrements like tablecloth, napkins, plates, cutlery, etc. Just in the nick of time we were ready to go.

Despite several construction slowdowns we made it to the locks. Kirsten had already staked out a picnic table and with barely more than a snap of my fingers we had a beautiful table with piles of food. At the end of the meal we were surprised with little cakes that Shenna had made for the occasion. Topped with strawberries they were a special treat. We ate and talked and laughed until our butts had fallen asleep on the hard seat. 

Time for a walk down the canal. It was so beautiful.

We had to get back to the dogs so we took our leave, but not before hugs were shared all the way around. After months of having to keep our distance hugs are cherished. I was telling Carm on the way home that I am SO HAPPY that Kirsten and her family have moved back to Canada. 

Back home we did the dishes and then jumped into the pool. The usual chores were done and then we sat down on the sofa with my special playlist serenading us while we looked through our wedding album. Over the years I’ve saved the odd anniversary card so we read through those too. Just as we put all that away, ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, our first song, started playing. Of course, like too middle aged dorks, we danced and told each other how lucky we are :-)

Kirsten

 Headline tonight: 3,615,709 cases with 140,100 death in the US. There are a total of 108,806 (108,486 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,810 (8,798 yesterday) deaths today.

“Like a child who saves their favourite food on the plate for last, I try to save all thoughts of you for the end of the day so I can dream with the taste of you on my tongue.”

~Kamand Kojouri

wrapped up with rapping

I was too busy having fun to remember to take a few photos of Kirsten, the girls, Shawn, and I. I should have had Shawn take a photo of me with Kirsten and the girls. I drove over yesterday for a sleepover (thanks for being so understanding Carm). 

I took the long route as I had to stop by my new doctor’s office to drop off some forms (hurrah, a local doctor!). Then I stopped in a town at the ½ way point to poke around Dollarama. It was the first shopping in months, other than groceries, and felt quite exciting. Thankfully seeing people in masks is starting to normalize for me, and now that they are mandatory it feels less dangerous to be out. 

Ontario has gone to phase 3 which means a lot more stuff is open, including bars (yikes) which  seems like a big mistake. Indoor gatherings of 50 people are now allowed, as long as they keep 2 metres apart. Social circles have remained at 10. My fingers are crossed that it’s not the beginning of another rash of cases - watching the news from the US is scary!!!

There is talk that the ‘social circle’ will expand to 20-25 from 10 but I’m not sure if that will benefit us. You could join another circle of 10 with the understanding that no one else is included, but as soon as you dip into another circle without a mutual agreement the whole idea goes out the window. All 20 people have to agree that this is the only circle to be part of - difficult I would think. For now I’m happy with our little group of 9 :-)

On the billboard last night was the musical ‘Hamilton’ which is conviently being streamed on Disney+. Shawn set up the big speakers for us so we could get the full effect which was awesome. Once the opening chords rang out it took me a few minutes to tune my ear to the rapping but eventually my old stiff brain wrapped it’s way around the words enough for me to get the gist of it. Sadly my knowledge of American history is sorely lacking - time to read up a bit on the founding of their country. It took a bit of time to get used to seeing black actors playing some of the founding fathers - I was confused at first and wondered if some of them were indeed black, although it seemed unlikely given the attitudes back then. The performance was fantastic and we all really enjoyed it.

Carm was holding down the fort at home and wouldn’t have enjoyed the play as he is no great fan of musicals - I could imagine that he might have felt that he was in a special sort of hell. He does suffer through the Sound of Music every year so maybe it’s just an act ;-)

After an abbreviated sleep (the movie was long), I visited for a while and then in a sudden panic dashed home. I get ‘leaving anxiety’ and suddenly I have to go. It’s almost like a mini panic attack… it’s a bit of a pain and not at all pleasant. I have to find a way to get over it as it is rude to suddenly run out the door! Maybe if I set a leaving time when I first get somewhere I’d be calmer? I’m open to suggestions!

the old pals 2 years ago this week. I love that google photos pops these ‘on this day’ photos into my notifications but sometimes they are a little sad to see. At the time I didn’t see how old they were, but looking back...

Headline tonight: 3,545,044 cases with 139,137 deaths in the US. There are a total of 108,486 (107,590 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,798 (8,783 yesterday) deaths today.

“BURR: Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers. The plan was to write a total of 25 essays, the work divided evenly among the three men. In the end, they wrote 85 essays, in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing 5. James Madison wrote 29. Hamilton wrote the other 51.

~Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton: The Revolution

fur was flying

Spike cringed on his bed this morning when Carm dragged out the grooming table. He has no fondness for the clippers and needs to have anti-anxiety meds to get the job done. I used to be able to clip him myself, but now he needs 2 hands to hold him. It’s a real trial for everyone. He has age related warts and I feel that I’ve nicked them in the past making the whole haircut thing a horror show for him.

While the floor was covered in hair I wrestled Carm into a chair and had a go at him with the clippers. It went well, until my hand shook and shaved a big square on the side of his head. What is the worst word to hear when someone is cutting your hair? I think ‘oops’ tops the list! He might need to use some of Spike’s anxiety meds now too ;-)

Then it was Adia’s turn… not for a haircut thank goodness, but horror of horrors - her nails. It was a sh^$ storm but we managed to get her done. Not without Carm getting raked by a freshly  cut nail. Hopefully he doesn’t scar!

On a less contentious point, I went to the grocery store today… my first time in over 4 months. It felt alien with everyone wearing a mask but safe at the same time. Life sure is different than it was at the beginning of March :-(

Today marks 17 weeks; 119 days. It’s now at the point where counting the days seems ridiculous, and even counting the weeks doesn’t make sense. It’s time to start counting in months. Hopefully it will never be years.

Headline tonight: 3,413,995 cases with 137,782 deaths in the US. There are a total of 107,590 (107,346 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,783 (8,773 yesterday) deaths today.

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”

~Amit Ray

a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Rain. Blessed rain. The earth is rejoicing with each drop, taking it deep within itself to nurse the parched plants. We need a few days of this before everything is sated.

Yesterday as we floated around the pool somehow the topic of death and what happens to the body came up. Carm had some scientific mumbo jumbo, while I, more fanciful perhaps, felt that we turn back into the star stuff from which we came. If we have a soul that supersedes us it might join with Nature to become a part of the soul of the earth. We might become one with the force that turns dirt into food and seeds into flowers. What a wonderful way to spend eternity. Maybe I had water in my ear which addled my brain!

I looked back in my blog at the posts from the beginning of this year to see what my aspirations for the year might have been. My main goal was to take lots of training classes with Adia so that she could become a therapy dog… well… we did 1 ½ classes before Covid put an end to things. I’m not going back to school until this is all over so I guess it’s a bust. She was doing well but still needed work on her public access - we can’t practice now with everything so limited, and honestly I have no inclination to go into a store to play around for ½ hour… I don’t have the motivation to practice much in the house with her.

Reading forward (or would that be backward?), on January 27th I mentioned that Carm had gone to Costco for the first of a ‘stock up’ run in case things got iffy with Covid. It was a ½ hearted stock-up so we did need to make another trip when the sh&* really hit the fan. I’ve been thinking ahead to the fall and a possible resurgence so have been slowly refreshing our pantry. It never hurts to be prepared.

Is there a more perfect time to watch a movie than on a rainy or snowy afternoon? Thankfully there was no snow. I’d been wanting to watch ‘A beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ with Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers. I expected a light hearted, feel good movie… well… it was a three-tissue affair! The scenes with Mr. Rogers were like sitting with my psychiatrist, his soft voice leading me to deep hidden areas of my mind. It wasn’t long into the movie when the first tears started - nothing had really happened yet, just the sense that someone was there to help.

It was a great movie!

Headline tonight: 3,355,497 cases with 137,402 deaths in the US. There are a total of 107,346 (107,125 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,773 (8,759 yesterday) deaths today.

“If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

a warm embrace

I floated around and around the pool, the warm water like heavy satin caressing my skin. It was brutal out there with the humidex over 44C… sweat would bead with no exertion. The pool made it up to 31C - warm but still slightly refreshing. I didn’t have a timer on my swim times but surely they added up to hours. It was the only way to stay outside.

Except for a few spells inside to make a Greek salad, and then later to make a pot of beans, I stayed out on the swing listening to music. There wasn’t much else one could do on a day like on a summer day like today.

I couldn’t stay out of the comments today and got into an argument with people who have medical exemptions against wearing masks. They thought it was a huge imposition on their privacy to simply say ‘I can’t wear a mask due to medical reasons’ which would make everyone happy.  

Headline tonight: Melbourne back on lock-down. 3,287,809 cases with 136,585 deaths in the US. There are a total of 107,125 (106,742 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,759 (8,746 yesterday) deaths today.

““I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.”

~Kellie Elmore

time in a bottle

I wondered if these would be moments that I’d save if I could save time in a bottle. I was floating in the pool, escaping from the 34+C heat, my favorite music playing and a glass of prosecco with aperol perched on the edge of the pool. A few perfect moments.

Peaceful easy feeling would wash over me only to be followed with sadness, a few tears mingling with the water. Today is the year anniversary of Kabira’s passing and at times it felt like it was just this morning that I sat with her in the van while the vet ushered her into the next world.. Memories of the horror of her last night melded with fond memories leaving me feeling melancholy.  

Not for long though: Adia poked her head against the window and I laughed. Kabira lives on in Adia’s ridgeback expressions.

dear, sweet Kabira

Yesterday we ran some errands, including a stop at Canadian Tire for a few masks (3 for $9.99). A few other quick stops (fully masked) and we were home to enjoy the sweltering day by floating in the pool. Such a hardship! For supper we joined Trudie & Leo for a socially distant meal at their 8’ outdoor table. Lots of distance and sanitizing wipes made for a safe evening. We had fantastic burgers! 

This afternoon I dug some old bananas out of the freezer and gave banana bread cooked in the instant pot a try. With no oven heating up the already hot house, just a space age tool spitting hot steam, it seemed reasonable to bake on this hot day. It turned out great.

But back to the pool… bliss. Floating around and around, a noodle under my arms, the coolish water washing over my limbs, favorite music blaring… well, what can be better. I’ll have to remember this day 6 months from now when the snow is swirling and I’m bundled in a flannel shirt.

Headline tonight: 3,218,703 cases with 135,720 deaths in the US. There are a total of 106,742 (106,154 yesterday) cases of Covid-19 in Canada today, with 8,746 (8,711 yesterday) deaths today.

“If I could save time in a bottle

The first thing that I'd like to do

Is to save every day

'Til eternity passes away

Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever

If words could make wishes come true

I'd save every day like a treasure and then

Again, I would spend them with you…”

~Jim Croce