Monday Meander - March 15, 2021

Week 53 and we're all still here.

A year ago less a day I wrote my first post from the CoVID blankie fort. On the whole, it was optimistic, a kind of head-down-get-her-done kind of post. For twenty-two weeks I reported on life in and around the blankie fort. On August 10, 2020 I wrote that in response to ever-improving CoVID case counts, it was time to move on. A warm sunny August encouraged everyone out of their fortresses, masked and distanced as we had to be and that lasted into September. My love and I even enjoyed a few outdoor restaurant meals, the last of which was to celebrate our anniversary.

September 6, 2020

But we hadn't learned all the lessons a pandemic had to teach us. Case numbers rose again as the second wave rolled in. It's now week 53 and though the blankie fort is long gone, I'm still stuck in a strange  land. Sometimes I feel like I'm living inside a video game - moving through my day with a cursor over my head. I do the tasks that show up. Not only do I eat when hungry, too often I also eat when any food comes into view. My moods are erratic yet within a narrow range, no subterranean lows, no supersonic highs, just fair to middling coping within a restricted number of mundane activities all controlled by the mouse clicks of an unseen hand. And every day is the same. 

I am surviving but not necessarily thriving.

The cloister at Iona Abbey

But the end is in sight. There is no fixed date yet the day when we all can move about freely when and where we want (though more often masked than in pre-pandemic times), when we can gather together as family and friends, and when we can hug and be hugged is visible on the horizon. The deer have moved back to their three-season corral, displacing the bikes.

The snow is melting and the rhubarb is coming up along with a few crocus.

Each day moves us closer to the happy day. And that's the way it is in week 53.

I'll meet y'all here real soon. We'll sit for hours, up close and personal. 

I'll even bring the wine.

©2021 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - March 11, 2021

 March 11, 2020:

the World Health Organization officially declares C0VID-19 to be a pandemic.

I sat down at my computer this morning with every intention of using this space today to write about the past year in a kind of personal reflection of then and now. A sentence or three emerged before my fingers slowed on the keyboard. Thoughts trailed off and words disappeared.
In my country, this day has been declared a National Day of Observance  or COVID-19. In his official statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked in part:

 “Today, on the National Day of Observance for COVID-19, we honour every individual who lost their life to this disease, and we stand with the people they loved as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss. Together, we also recognize all who have been impacted by the pandemic, and we reaffirm our commitment to work as Team Canada to beat this virus."

What have I had to do in the past year? Stay home. That's it. And while some days loneliness, isolation, and anxiety stole my joy, some days tears blinded me, and some days anger stole my heart, those losses are but nothing compared to others who gave so much and lost so much more to this wretched pandemic. As the Prime Minister noted, 

"...more than 22,000 Canadian families have lost a loved one, many people have lost their jobs and businesses, health care and front line workers have faced great risk and challenge, and all Canadians have made sacrifices to keep others safe and healthy." 

My heart goes out to all those who grieve,

all those whose livelihoods were lost,

all healthcare staff who have worked so many extra hours in a shift from hell that has not ended yet,

all front line workers who risk personal health in service to my health and safety,

and all the unseen untold hands, hearts, and analytical brains that work the backrooms.

On this day I offer each and every one of you a profound bow of deep respect and gratitude.

Thank you for your service.

©2021 April Hoeller

Monday Meander – September 14, 2020

The season of gathering in of all the good stuff in the land is in full swing in my house. It is my favourite season when nature puts on her best show and I try hard to capture every flavour.  This past week some of nature’s bounty decorated my kitchen with tomato splatter, peach juice, and flour.

It all started with a bushel of roma tomatoes.

Which were cooked and strained, chopped or juiced.

The end result was 23 x 500ml jars of passata, 7 x 500ml of chopped tomatoes, 3 litres of juices…

…and one tomato-tinged apron.

Then peaches slipped their skins and slid into pies and freezer containers.

And the very next day, the flour and yeast joined up with oregano, basil, rosemary, and garlic along with some of that fresh tomato juice to make tomato bread and rolls.

The fall colours, though just beginning, hint that a spectacular show is coming soon.  I think all of us here need something delightful to decorate our lives. Even in this year strained and ground down by CoVID-19, the harvest is bountiful and  I’m going to try to capture, savour, and preserve every bit of it.
 

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. 

Douglas William Jerrold 1803-1857

 

©2020 April Hoeller