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.