Covid Fall

 Summer is behind us and fall is holding on by a thread.  We have made it this far in the pandemic with no casualties to our family and friends which we are grateful for.

Tomatoes and apples have been put up for winter as well as some squash and turnip to be enjoyed at Christmas. 

The Christmas tree and decorations were put up the week before Rememberance Day this year which is unusual but fitting for the year we are in. 

My heat pump died in October and I am in line to have a new one installed on December 3rd. Rather than purchase a new one I have decided to rent one through St John Energy and not have to worry about the maintenance.  Its a pretty high end item to have to be replacing every seven years or so,  therefore I thought it more financially secure to rent like a hot water heater.

Brit had her 35th birthday supper at the Pub on Main as did Billy for his 60th. A few neighbours and close friends were able to attend and a good time was had by all.

My mom is doing well at Anson Place. They had a few bumps along the way with crappy, cold meals being served but a letter to the manager and a visit from public health seems to have straightened that out. Ontario struggles with increased cases of the virus putting them back into the orange stage at this time. While in the orange stage mom is not allowed to leave or have any visitors, except Pat who is considered her essential worker. Luckily Pat had mom up for supper Sunday night before the new restrictions were put in place.

Still no word on my side of beef. It was delayed due to butchers being busy, probably because of hunting season. The cow is now scheduled to be butchered November 25th, has to hang for two weeks then cut and packaged. So hopefully we will have our beef in the first few weeks of December.

Brad and Sam are still awaiting g the arrival of their new baby, just a few days past the due date at this point. Good things come to those who wait!

Kristie had talked about moving out here back in September.  We looked at a few houses for her but it is now up to her if and when she decides to move forward with that idea.

All of my Christmas shopping is done and with the exception of things that have not been delivered yet, everything is wrapped. If our area remains clear of Covid at Christmas,  Billy and Brit will spend some time with their families as usual. Since there is an outbreak in Calais this may change. If there are cases in St Stephen we will all make the best of it and enjoy Christmas together here at home. 

Unfortunately I have not been motivated to paint my wood slices yet. Not sure what it is going to take to be inspired but hopefully I can get at least a few done in the coming weeks. I think the underlying worry of Covid and all the disruption in the states has an impact on our mental state that we don't realize is affecting us. 

Maybe taking the time to update this blog is enough to help get me out of the rut and on with the things that need to be done.

Hoping everyone stays safe where they are and finds joy in the upcoming Christmas season. 

Summer of 2020 with Covid

 Well here we are, nearing the end of August. The summer of 2020 hasn't been that bad. Billy and Britni have been enjoying lots of time out and about  with their support workers. Brit has been going swimming at Lake Utopia with friends, and bowling in St John as well as day trips and activities with her friend BJ. Billy has been cutting lots of lawns with Joe which he loves, continues to do his town cleanup job, and when he's not busy has been enjoying bowling and bike riding. 

I have kept busy enough I guess, or as busy as I like to be LOL. I taught Joe how to make freezer jam and freezer pickles this year. I also found farmers in Sussex to provide us with homegrown meat and vegetables. I picked up 10 chickens for the freezer 3 weeks ago as well as cucumbers for making the pickles. Hopefully next week the Roma tomatoes will be ripe and we will begin canning our stewed tomatoes for the winter. Then in October I have a half a beef coming for the freezer so we should be well-stocked food-wise. 

I also had a bunch of trees that have been cut down last summer and put in my backyard cut, and split. It has now been put into the basement to burn this winter keeping us warm and toasty. 

Brooke had a new lady move into her house last week. Her name is Nicole and she fits in wonderfully with our family unit. 

I was able to get away for a week with my friend Dawn and her two sisters. We rented a cottage which was really renovated house, in chance Harbor New Brunswick. It was close to home which is where we wanted to be during the pandemic. Our area has been pretty much covid-19 free so we felt comfortable staying here rather than venturing into other zones or provinces. The borders to PEI and Nova Scotia have opened up for the Atlantic bubble. You still have to have some paperwork to prove where you are going and to say that you have not been travelling or  around anyone that has had covid-19. Rather than bother with the paperwork my thoughts are stay in New Brunswick this year and enjoy going to places we haven't ventured to yet. So far we have found Noah's Ark in Florenceville, the Bony Pony in Sussex, and a few Farm stands with fresh vegetables which I have been missing. So I guess that's it for the summer, I know it's not as exciting as our usual adventures but I am hopeful that next summer the pandemic will be well controlled and we will be able to travel back to Ontario for a good visit with family and friends. I know Billy and Brit are looking very forward to that!

Three Months In

Well here we are over three months into the covid-19 virus. Throughout these three months New Brunswick had fared fairly well with very few cases and no deaths. 

A few weeks ago a health worker crossed over into Quebec to pick up his daughter and came right back. He did not isolate for 14 days after he went into Quebec and went back to work unknowingly carrying the virus causing an outbreak. Unfortunately a nursing home became infected and two people there have now passed away. There are also about 20 other cases active now because of one person.

Borders to this province are all closed and have been since the beginning of the outbreak. You can leave the province but you have to isolate for 14 days when you return. I am sure it is the same rules in other provinces therefore I'm sure I won't be having any visitors from away this summer.

Even though the virus has affected many people and their daily lives, mine remains very much the same as normal. My work was not affected so I still receive my regular pay. The only real difference is that Billy and Britni are not going to the program as usual which turns out is a good thing. Without having to endure the stress and tension inside the building, Brit has had 0 behaviour issues in 3 months. She is happy and more social. When I have company over she comes down to visit for a few minutes and then says I will let you enjoy your visit with your friend Peggy, and then heads off to do her own thing upstairs. Billy got called back to work as usual and keeps himself busy cleaning up the town of St George as well as cutting grass as part of a business with Joe.

One thing I have been doing to try to help others during this time is sharing meals and baking. A few of my neighbours who are seniors enjoy the treats that Billy delivers, just as much as Billy enjoys delivering them. Here are just a few of the samples:

Now that the good weather is here I have been working on my front porch area. Last fall I had Derrick Wells come and put a fence around my porch giving the dogs a little yard area to run around in the grass. Now that this area is much more private I enjoy sitting out there. Before the fence went up it was like being on display for every car coming up the road!

As for Mom, she has fully recovered from having had the covid-19 virus. She was very sick for quite some time, over a month, but now that she has recovered she remembers nothing about being sick. I will take that as a blessing as she seems very happy now. It was difficult in the beginning for her being so sick and not being able to have a family member come in to see to her needs. She couldn't understand why someone wasn't taking her to the hospital when she was so sick. It was difficult from our perspective having to sit back and not be able to do a thing to help her and to rely on the staff at Anson Place to keep us informed on her condition. Just these past two week she has finally been able to get out of her room and take walks down the hallway with a PSW while wearing a gown, mask and gloves. With the nice weather she can also take walks outside the building and sit down to visit with some other residents while maintaining physical distancing.

 

Overall I would say our family has done okay during the time of crisis. Everyone has had a roof over their head and food to eat, internet and telephone to keep in touch with family and friends.  I have to say as a bonus, this time where everyone has had to stay home for so long seems to have brought people together from a distance. I feel blessed to have reconnected with extended family that I haven't been in touch with for years. It's been great to see that even after so much time it's easy to fall back into conversation and have some laughs together again.

Ma,ma,ma MY CORONA!!

Crazy time in the world right now. The Corona virus that started in China reached New Brunswick two weeks ago. Today ends our first full week of being home from the program and our usual lives. All businesses have closed with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor and pot stores. All restaurant dining rooms are closed, take out only. Phrases like social distancing and leveling the curve are all over the news and social media.
Anyone returning from travel are expected to self isolate in their homes, however not everyone has been heeding these directions which I find disturbing.  Some people continue to be self involved and thoughtless while the majority follow protocols and reach out to help others.
Everyone has been asked to stay home other than to get food and other necessities.  Stores have a limit on the number of customers allowed in stores to ensure social distances of 6 feet.
It is a scary time but as of today I believe there are only a handful of confirmed cases in New Brunswick and none in St George that we are aware of.
Here's hoping people heed the warnings, stay inside and isolated for as long as it takes for this to pass. When it's over we are sure to be living in a different world than before, just not sure whether it will be for the better or worst.

Slacker

My monthly posts have dwindled to every three to six months. I think living with pain dulls my creative inclinations and tends to dampen my usual positive attitude.
I saw my Dr. In November for back pain, he referred me for an MRI but gave me nothing to deal with pain in the meantime. My MRI was set for January 14th so about 7 weeks between Dr. Appt and MRI.  After the MRI I contacted my Dr. to make a follow up appointment to get the results. It would be over a month before they were able to fit me in, so another month of dealing with the pain, and some days the inability to walk further than my bathroom. Pain is depressing and honestly just wears me out. Tomorrow is my Dr. appointment so hope to get some relief.

Despite the pain I have managed to get a couple paintings done and have even helped Brooke out by instructing some cooking, baking and cake decorating classes.  Next week is an acrylic painting class...can't wait!!

Weather this winter has been awesome in my opinion. I haven't had to burn much wood, the heat pump has only shut down for a few hours one night due to the drop in temperature.  Billy on the other hand, isn't as impressed with the lack of snow. He has only had to shovel a handful.of times.  When we did get some snow he shovelled the drive way, the back deck, the dog's yard area and the front yard!  I have never known anyone who loves shovelling more than Billy!!  Next weekend is his yearly camp weekend at Hampton Bible camp. He always looks forward to this, a weekend of unlimited coffee and hanging out with his camp friends. 😁

Brit doesn't enjoy camp but she is looking forward to spending the weekend with Brooke and is hoping they will be going to the movies.

I guess not much has happened since my last post. Winter is a more sedate time, saving energy for the nice weather when there will be more comings and goings.  So that's it for now, I will try to rustle up some excitement between now and my next post hahaha!