November Blues

As we move through November, the world continues to push through the pandemic. Restrictions are back, lockdown is back, curfews, urging people to shrink their social bubbles, and a general feeling of chaos. I have felt very unsettled as November came in. I am not sure if it was any one thing. There is a lot going on in the world, from the ongoing pandemic, the absolute gong show America has spiraled into under that idiot Trump's presidency, to turmoil in my own life. Everyone is wishing for 2021 in hopes that it will be an improvement in the asshole that has been 2020 on a global scale like no other in my 53+ years. Are you sure though that 2021 is not going to suck even more? How do we plan for the year knowing what we have been through and that things can get so much worse. America is now listed as an unsafe and uninsurable country to visit as a tourist as they are expected to erupt into civil war if Trump loses OR wins. The Trump loser camp has some of the most gun toting well armed Americans in the country. There will be trouble. I just hope we can keep it contained within their borders, 

The pandemic continues and our second wave has definitely arrived. There is a Minister's Briefing by the Health Minister later today to announce new restrictions for the people of British Columbia. We need it. Things are beginning to spiral here, numbers are way up in part due to young people who refuse to take it seriously and are partying in large numbers. Covidiots they are. They will fuck it up for everyone. Daily life has become manageable with the Covid-19 restrictions thus far. I don't leave home often now, only to run out for groceries and other household items and then its right back home. I no longer go to restaurants. They were not social distancing enough for me, so now it is back to take out or cooking for myself. When I go out, I wear my mask, use hand sanitizer, keep my distance, get my shit and get the hell home again. 

I have stopped painting rocks and going for rock hiding walks. I can't say it is just the pandemic that has left me uninspired once again, but I have sat and looked at the same half-finished rocks and was getting discouraged over and over and feeling crowded by all the rock painting supplies that I finally packed it all away and am taking a break. I built a few things this fall. One was a bench with table for my daughter and one was a Little Free Library for in front of my friend's house. Both turned out pretty well considering I am not a carpenter, but I can use the tools I have to throw something together. I am reading again, which had been hard for me to do in the past couple of years. I could not settle my mind to relax and read the words on the page and actually absorb what was happening, 

I have also been working on some other goals of mine - I have to register as a social worker in BC if I want to work in a non-government position, In BC that means you must write an exam so I just got my study guide this week and will be writing the exam later this month. I have also registered to finally take the TESL(Teaching English as a Second Language) course I had been eyeing for years. Oxford Seminars offers a three full weekends and then 60 online hours and when done, I am a fully qualified TESL teacher. I would love to work and travel with it later on when the chaos settles in the world but there are many online opportunities and local jobs for TESL teachers. The course starts on Saturday via Zoom due to Covid-19 restrictions. I also had a lovely haircut and colour - first time in years. I am not working at the moment as my placement at the Ministry of Health ended and they failed e to find me another non-child welfare job in time so I have been discharged from the BC Public Service. That means my benefits will end again, and I will have to apply as an external applicant for their jobs now. Whatever. I am hoping to find employment elsewhere with the local  health authority or one of the many NGO's here in Victoria. Until then, I will be working on building my skills up. BC Public Service has not been easy to work with at all during my time off. I don't think I will miss them all that much...

Salt Spring Island has continued to be a source of peace and quiet (most of the time) and retreat from the city life. My daughter and her partner have moved into a newer trailer and it has a bunk room with space for me, so I rented a car a few times to visit instead of packing up the RV for a short visit. It is more difficult to park on the farm once the rains start. The field gets far too muddy to maneuver my RV and the driveway they had built this year is not quite big enough for my RV yet. I used to park at her partner's brother's place on the property but a tree fell on the car next to me there last time and I am not as keep to park there anymore as there are still several old growth trees that surround his house. So bunking in with my daughter instead. I tried once with just some foam bench pieces - horrible sleep. So I bought myself a new mattress for the RV and took my old one over there which is still perfectly comfy. Now I have a comfy bed in both places. Once spring comes I will be back to driving my RV over there. I love parking it along the pond now that it has water in it and there are many of the enclosures along the pond, so I can watch them all. 

Nash has been doing well, settling into the neighborhood which has many cats that like to visit and many dogs that pass by out walking. He has taken to snuggling deep with me in bed at night now that the fall has definitely arrived. It has been 0C a few times so far. Brrrr....I am super glad to be plugged in here and using whatever heat I have to keep warm out here. I have also stocked up on warm clothes such as more quilted vests (a must in Victorian weather), warm socks, long sleeved thick sweaters, and a new pair of fuzzy slippers. 

We did Halloween Covid style and rigged up a treat delivery tube for the kids. We shot the treats and 
glow sticks down through and the kids picked it up out of a skull bowl at the bottom of the stairs. It was a super fun night and everyone was really into it. We saw about 30-40 trick or treaters which was great considering we are in a state of emergency in Canada. Many Nerds were eaten while I threw treats down the tube...

These past few weeks have also been busy with RV shopping for a friend who is moving here for the winter next month. I was able to find one in Surrey, went to check it out, all was good, then went  back a week later to buy it and drive it over here to Victoria. I had planned to take it right to it's parking space in Mill Bay but discovered a leak in the over cab bunk roof vent. Went up for a look - someone had ripped the lid off most of the way, likely by leaving it open and running into a branch. It is easily done. But instead of fixing it properly, they put one piece of packing tape over the lid to keep it shut, but it was cracked along the edges so water was finding a way in through there. They did cover the vent with a piece of plastic however they used duct tape which is not the greatest in a wet climate. So not having the current capacity to replace the entire roof vent, I opted for taping it all closed and sealing it with 3M tape, the red stuff. I then took photos and sent them to 3M who wrote be back saying they love to see how customers use their products...my friend will be here in December so she can get the vent looked at then if she likes or wait until better weather. She will not need to open it anytime soon.  

So that is the latest happenings in my world as I see it. 

And Then It Was October

Paul's dahlia

 I don't know how it happened but I blinked and fall was here. I went to Salt Spring for a week or so, wearing shorts and a tank top with sandals. I came back wearing boots, sweater and jeans. The trees had turned. We are on our way. Then we had a killer rainstorm that drowned me out of my bunk room, followed by several days of warm sun. Now we are in the grey days of the fall. Rain is coming later this week. I have a repair guy coming to fix my leak (I hope!) and the climate has cooled off. 

parked on the farm on Salt Spring

Ordinarily I would be out strolling in the parks, taking photos, Timmy's cappuccino in hand, people watching, soaking up the earthy smell of the decaying leaves. But nope. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. I could probably manage to get there and back without too much trouble but I am retreating inward as the case counts rise, not wanting to chance it at all. I have run into groups of people along the way and many are not social distancing from others or from me. I go out in my friend's car to get groceries and things and I have gone for massage and nails a couple times. Straight to and from. Not much browsing around. It always feels so rushed going anywhere now as there are lineups to get into the stores, and low customer counts permitted in the smaller shops. I go and grab what I can, often in a rush as I don't want to be seen as wasting time when others are outside waiting to get in. I leave without finding everything I went for and give up on things rather than go looking in another store. I just want to be safe at home, and not having to interact with people. Part of that is fear of the virus, but part of it is my own anxiety which has been all over the map as it is, and then throw in a pandemic that disrupts my daily routine and things go sideways at times.

I am still parked at my friend's house, gladly. They are great to share space with and I enjoy their company as long time friends. I feel mostly safe here though those who wander the streets at night do wander up the driveway from time to time, usually in search of bottles or cans to recycle, or pull on the car doors to see who left theirs open. I have had to chase a few folks out of here. Caught one such bottle picker heading into the backyard, going through the hedges and up the steps when I caught him. So fucking bold. He came back an hour later and I kicked him off the property AGAIN. But other than that, it has been quiet enough here. There is a lot of food delivery to the driveway we share with next door. There are three separate households on either side of the shared driveway and often most of us are ordering food delivery instead of going out - too risky in my opinion after a number of food places had exposures locally. So food delivery it is. They knock and drop at the door. We often find each other looking out the door or window for our delivery and seeing the driveway neighbor do the same and we chuckle. 

A recent rock I painted

Heather's sunflowers next to Amber's place

another gorgeous dahlia

another rock I painted. 

I am headed to Salt Spring again next week for Thanksgiving dinner on Monday. My daughter and her partner are cooking dinner for us in their new (to them) trailer. This one is so much bigger than their old one and so they are enjoying the space! I have 

Paul's dahlias

not yet seen the trailer so looking forward to that. I also love seeing all my grandanimals - goats, chickens, ducks, geese, quail, guinea fowl, cats, dog. Have I forgotten anyone? I have included a few selfies of me with them here along with a few of the others.

me with a quail

me with the goats

me with a keet (baby guinea fowl)

me with Cru

me with unnamed turken cross

me with Peppermint

quite a colourful basket of eggs

Beautiful Bresse chickens

Serama chicks in their new home, cuddled up

Squirrel is out exploring near my RV

The geese are always supervising

Squirrel and McGee snoozing in the bed

Ducklings went to bed

Kane found his bed

Nash. Pretty sure this was an eyeroll...

Bedtime on the Farm

My farmer daughter has gone away for two nights on a fishing holiday with some women. I offered to help with the farm while she is away, so together with her partner, Jason, we are getting it done. Night time tuck-in looks like this:

Ducklings - they are sleeping in the green cage and the green cage spends the days outside and the nights inside the trailer with my daughter and her partner. Jason cleans out the green cage and sets it up fresh inside while the ducklings cuddle with me under a towel. Then they are transferred into their clean pen with their water momma (hot water bottle) and settled in for the night. 

Goats - they need their bedtime snack of alfalfa pellets and sunflower seeds. This entices them into the goat shed where I pour their snacks into the trough and close them in for the night. Three down, a hundred or so to go. 

Purple Coop - they are the first of the chickens to head to bed. We bring in their chicken food at night to keep the rats away. Close the little door and the big door for the night, sometimes counting everyone. Thor is currently sleeping with the Purple Coop gang, so he is then captured and chucked in the door last. About 30 more down, dozens to go. 

Next to go to bed is the M*A*S*H pair - Hot Lips and Hawkeye. Once Purple coop is in bed, we like them to be in bed as well as they are otherwise the only other free range chickens out. They sleep in the A frame coop so are tucked away up top and the ramp pulled up, and the door to the coop closed for the night. Two more down, dozens to go still. 

Then I head over to the barn on the other side of the creek and tuck in the chicks. We are at the tail end of a hatch, so we have four fluffy new chicks hunkered down in a small brooder box with a heat lamp, and there is another chick recently hatched and still damp so sleeping in the incubator tonight. There may be others pipping their way out tonight. 

From there I head to check on the momma duck sitter. She is a broody silver laced Orpington who is sitting on a clutch of 9 duck eggs that are due to hatch out this coming weekend. The geese have beat me to the tent and are standing in the doorway. I am in shorts in a tank top. The geese have teeth...so I have to pass on checking up on broody momma. 

I zip up the tent on the geese who sleep in there for now, and head to the Serama pen. They have to be carried into the coop tonight. They should be sleeping on a roost, but they had not yet been installed in their new coop so I did that today. They were preferring to stay out in their new caged pen instead of going into the coop. So I take them one by one and chuck them into their finished coop. I take Mel first as the ladies don’t mind then once he is in there. Pluck, pluck, cluck and they are all in their little coop. 

Close the door and head to the school bus where the Ritas and Rockettes are with rooster Pongo. Looks like they are all in so I lift the feeder trough into the bus and close the back hatch door and then close the side doors. 

Time to head back to my RV and settle in for my own night! Nash needs feeding and I need a snack before bed. Tomorrow morning comes early on the farm, and Jason is heading to the city so I am on morning wake up duty, letting out all the souls I locked up tonight. I also have to check on the two mink traps I set tonight. Bastards. They killed three chickens this past week. I will get them. I will. 

City Life

So I have been back in the city for three weeks now with plenty of changes in those three weeks. I began by parking on the street below my friend’s house for the first two weeks. I had my cord draped over the sidewalk, taped down with duct tape so no one tripped over it. Eventually someone did complain but it was right about the same time I was able to move into the driveway of my friend’s place. She had to sell her old RV first before I could fit in the driveway. I’ve been in the driveway for a week now, and while there is a slight slant to the top of the driveway, it is still level enough to manage. Sure my pencils roll off the table, but otherwise, no real issues. It did take a bit to get oriented to the slant as I can see the houses on either side of me and the slant is noticeable next to the straight lines of the houses, however after a few days, my brain reset itself and seems to be fine with it. It is real nice being off the street again, away from the sidewalk. I was in a driveway previous to this but my bunk at the back was right at the sidewalk edge so I heard everyone strolling by my window, inches away. 

So what has changed? It seems some pandemic changes are national while others seem to be more regional. People are trying all kinds of ways to manage business amidst a pandemic. Here is what I have experienced:

- social distancing lanes. The city has blocked off an extra 6 feet next to the sidewalks in certain parts of the city to allow for higher congested areas to social distance when the sidewalk is too busy. They are painted on the pavement, there are ropes strung to protect the space from cars parking there, there are signs posted and a “pedestrian only” sign painted on the beginning of each space. The one I have seen is along Fifth Street by the plaza where Fairways Market and the liquor store are. 

- social distancing markings all over the stores. I have seen signs telling you where to stand for a lineup at the checkouts, where to stand when someone else is looking at the same products as you., which direction to move through the aisles, and when to load your gtoceries onto the converter belt. At Fairways, they have posted that we are not to put anything on the conveyor belt until the cashier cleans it off, and directs you to proceed. There is a plexiglass barrier between me and the cashier, with direction to stay behind the plexiglass until you are ready to pay. Paper bags and plastic bags are available, but you are not permitted to use your own bags within the store. They are letting people in with their own carts, which is good because I take my cart when I go to pick up heavy items such as milk. All staff there are wearing masks but this is not always the case at other grocery stores. 

- I went in my first clothing store since the pandemic. It was Under the Belt in the Bay Centre. Very empty, more employees than customers. They still hover, but at a ten foot distance instead of popping up beside you every few minutes. I also went for a massage at Faye’s Spa, one of my regular spots as I like the Thai massage that they offer, and Faye is a lovely person. They are only taking one customer at a time for now and she is looking to bring back just one other therapist, and then they can treat two at a time in two different spaces in the spa. 

- Lots of restaurants are still operating a take-out menu. Often the menu is a reduced version, with just the favourites offered. Last night my friend and I went for take-out from the Fernwood Inn. You order online, pay by credit card and then go pick it up at your scheduled time. They didn’t put any cutlery in, so eating our salads was a little challenging. We took our take-out and went to the beach to park and chow down while catching up. After supper we went for dessert at Cold Comfort, a local ice cream shoppe that is offering take-out treats through a side window. My ice cream sandwich was divine! We ate them while driving around downtown to see how many of the homeless people were still camped out on Pandora. Turns out quite a few are still calling the boulevard on Pandora Avenue home. Some looked very established. 

- my beloved rock hunts are back on again so my motivation for painting rocks has once again been ignited. I am in a new neighbourhood for rock hiding so have explored the streets around me to find the best places to hide rocks. I have walked in this neighbourhood for years, but not since I joined the rock hunt last year. Most of my rocks get picked up within 24 hours, sometimes within minutes as I see someone find one now and again. We warn everyone to make sure to wash the rocks and their hand once they get home. 

- health appointments - I am digging the online/virtual health appointments. So far I have seen a GP several times, my endocrinologist, my occupational therapist, my dentist, and my psychologist all from the comfort of my own home. Need a prescription renewed? See the doc online and he will send the prescription to the pharmacy. I simply have to go and pick it up.  I do have to actually go to the dentist office this week though for the tooth extraction - that has not changed. But what has it they are not permitted to administer any sedation of any sort to me because if there is an issue with my breathing, they may have to use a respirator that should otherwise be reserved for Covid-19 patients. So I am going in cold - yes they can numb my gums and such, but the whole entire process really stresses me out, so it might get dicey. I am a biter and I shake like a leaf in the chair whilst crying.

- social distancing while out walking - well, for the most part, people will give each other a wide berth when meeting on the sidewalk. People step into driveways, or walk into the street or the boulevard in order to provide a good 6 feet or more between us. I try to stick to the side streets when I walk so there is much less traffic and if I have to skirt around a car using the street, it is not a big deal. Sometimes though, people will simply brush right by you and ignore any social distancing guidelines.

- While the Bay Centre mall opened up, not many stores opened up right away. When I went to my spa, they were the only business open on that side of the hall on that floor. The rest remained closed. 

- we are in for a quiet summer here without the tourists. As long as the border remains closed and the cruise ships are cancelled for the year we will have Victoria to ourselves here, which is the best time to get out and explore it in my mind. So I hope to get out and walk all over the downtown core this summer as restrictions for locals ease up. I still wear my face mask but have gotten used to that. The inner harbour is such a nice place to be, but when swarmed with cruise ship tourists, it gets crowded and annoying. 

- air traffic has all but ceased - I saw a plane yesterday and it was the first one I have seen in quite some time. The skies have been so very quiet with most air travel ceased. I don’t miss it one bit. Makes for a quieter day. 

- the ferries to and from the mainland are still on restrictions. They have less sailings and are allowing much reduced numbers on the ferries that are still running. The Salt Spring ferries are still running their regular schedule but also with reduced numbers. I am heading back there in a couple weeks to spend my daughter’s birthday with her on the farm. Can’t wait to see the grandkids (animals).

- the crosswalks, some of them, have signs on the buttons saying they will operate automatically without having to push them. Only some of them though which is weird but perhaps the others could not be converted? Or was it just for higher traffic areas? 

- job hunting continues. I had an interview some weeks ago, didn’t get the job. Applied for two more jobs today and hope they will produce some result. My job interview was meant to be a video one but they sent me a link saying it was to be on Skype, however it was on Skype for Business, a program I can’t download as I am not a business. So I got rather frazzled but pushed on with the interview over the phone. I really hate phone interviews. No visual contact with the interviewers so I have no idea if I am on the right track or if they are even listening. No in person interviews though with social distancing. 

So there you have it. The current pandemic conditions in Victoria, BC. Life goes on. 

To Shop or Not to Shop

I had the use of a friend’s car yesterday so took advantage and decided to pick up a few things from some businesses still open. First stop was to pick up something from a friend in Esquimalt, from a socially distant bench in her yard while she stood on the steps to ensure I was the one picking it up. We had a quick hello from behind masks and I carried on. 

Next stop was Michaels, the craft store. They were letting in a limited number of people at a time, and I needed a few craft things. For the most part, it was not too crowded, but at the checkout, the person behind me was not socially distancing nor was she standing on the clearly marked social distance spots on the floor. They were 18 inches in diameter so noticeable. I gave her the Covid death glare but she just didn’t get it. I kept moving ahead away from her. Clueless. I finally made it to the front and checked out and left Michaels and made a final stop at Fairways Market for some last on my list groceries. They were counting people here too. I stepped into the lineup and waited my turn. Once in, it felt a bit too crowded for me. They had packed up all the cafe eating tables, and replaced it with two people sanitizing carts and baskets as you walk in. I knew exactly what I needed and I knew the layout of the store having been going there for years. I was going to take a quick run through the fresh fruit and veg section however there was a crowd there and a lineup to move through it so I found the nearest checkout and got in line. More barrier plastic between me and the checkout person. Good. I moved to where she was putting my bags and she told me to move back to behind the barrier until she was done. Okey dokey. Paid for my groceries and finally headed back home again. Phew. Decided Michaels was off my list for now. They don’t carry anything I cannot get online right now. I can’t get there by walking and I am not taking the bus these days - too risky. 

Once home, I unpacked my new purchases and then received a call from my friend who owned the car. She wanted me to come get her and swing through a drive through and sit at the beach for a quick visit. Off we go. On the way back home she wants to stop at the dollar store. I didn’t think they were open, but sure enough, they were. We had to line up to go in, and once in, I realized I did not want to be in there. There was very little I needed and the paint section was pretty much cleaned out. I got in line with my handful of things and again someone failed to understand social distance and was also allowing her child she had with her to spit and blow raspberries. Fuck. The kid was 5 years old so old enough to listen when told and if he cannot listen, he must not be permitted out with her, not now when spitting on someone can carry such risk. I gave them both the Covid death glare. No effect. Ugh, another store off my list. They don’t sell anything I need bad enough to go there right now. Also, one of the biggest tent cities in town is across the street and apparently buy much of their food there, so have a heavy presence in the store. There are also several of their store windows busted with plywood over them, quite possibly from the tent city residents. With no one out at about late at night, they would have had ample opportunity. 

Time to bring me home again, and as I unpacked my shopping, I realized I just don’t want to go anywhere right now where there are lots of people. I hate wearing a mask but feel so vulnerable without it right now. So my limit will be once a week to Fairways market down the street and daily walks to the park. Now that I am not doing daily walks to Tim Hortons and hiding my painted rocks, I have to find a new order to the day. I have left the RV only once today, for my walk to the park. Now I am home for the rest of the day. 

There is much pedestrian and self propelled (skateboards, bicycles, etc) up and down this street. That’s more than enough to keep both Nash and me entertained. People stop and talk to him all the time, and are quite fascinated by him. He is such a ham and loves to just meow at them. I also hear people reading the quotes on my RV as they go by. Most do not realize I am in here when they are doing this. I sit quietly and listen, smiling. Now some of the regular walkers call out to him as they pass by. So cute. I won’t be curbside for much longer however as my friend has sold her RV and I will be moving up to the top of the driveway to park. It will be more level and private, but less of a view of much other than the sides of houses. This matters little. I can hang out in the front or back yard and enjoy the beauty of both anytime. 

So all in all, I am content with my current arrangement. I can make it work. Nash is happy enough. I am happy enough. Life goes on. Here is an inside look at my RV.