Canada and Beyond: Tales from a Canadian nomad: October 2020

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.