Our weather has reverted to winter misery so I am in the house trying to keep occupied. I went through the photos on my husband’s phone to see how he views the world. (with his permission of course – I do not make a point of rifling through his phone😲). Enjoy!
That is it for today. Have a great day and stay safe!
My husband is working a couple of nights now. When I am home, nights are rather frustrating as I try to avoid doing anything that will make sleep any harder for him than it already is. Finding ways to be quietly productive can be a little challenging but I found a few tasks to fill my day.
Of course, I got up to speed on all of the local Covid – 19 news.
We now have 176 confirmed cases in Saskatchewan. We keep our numbers down by a. Testing people we are sure will test negative. B. Not testing people we are sure will test positive. And C. Not processing tests for people in Regina
Of 176 people who have tested positive, 142 are between the ages of 20 to 64. Keeping non-essential factories/plants and construction sites running is not a problem. 🙄
Of the 176 confirmed cases in Saskatchewan, 55% are male and 65% are female. New math?
The federal government introduced a plan to pay 75% of wages for companies whose revenues are down 30% or more due to Covid-19 . Unfortunately, for companies that must stay open, revenue is not necessarily the problem. There is considerable expense involved in meeting regulations that are currently in place for any business that is still operating. For contract work, you don’t get to charge extra because your costs increase, which could be a problem for many businessed. However, our federal government has come up with a lot of financial programs to help people and companies weather this storm, so we should be grateful for the effort and hope that anyone who legitimately needs help will get it.
No idea what I will do tomorrow to keep busy. Whatever it is, I will be sure to do it quietly. 🤫
My thoughts and prayers are going out to anyone who needs them tonight. There are so many whose lives have been lost or shattered and we have so far to go. Take care out there🥀
Another day with Dan off to work for twelve hours. For the most part I would rather have him here, mostly because he would not be out at that virus infested plant right now, but also because I miss his company.
The one thing that I do not particularly miss when Dan is off to work is the noise. Dan is one of those people who gets up in the morning and turns on the television. He comes in from work and he turns on the television. In the summer, he has a television in the house and one in the garage. From morning to night, when he is home, we have noise in stereo.
I love silence, although pure silence is virtually impossible to achieve. As I sit here, Kat is snoring, the refrigerator is humming, the clock is ticking, the wind is blowing, the birds are chirping, and occasionally I hear a vehicle drive by. I can handle all that as it is just muffled background noise.
Television, is just noise – some shows worse than others. Mostly Dan watches the worst ones. In the evening, he will watch law enforcement shows like “Live PD”, “Ultimate Wrestling”, “Dragon’s Den”, or “Forged in Fire” (to name a few). Generally he flips from one to another. Eventually, he falls asleep on the couch with a death grip on the remote. 🙄
The thing with silence is, if you get tired of it, you can fill it with sound. The thing with noise is, you cannot fill it with anything. It is just there, destroying the silence. I miss Dan when he is working, his television – not so much. 🥺
From the beginning of this pandemic, I have appreciated how fortunate I am.
I have a good husband. We have a healthy relationship. My husband and I are relatively financially secure – not wealthy by any means, but secure. We have food in our fridge, pantry and freezer. We have a supply of paper products, on hand from well before Covid-19 was a ‘situation’ in Canada. My children are all managing. Our grandchildren are secure. We have concerns over this pandemic, but we are okay.
At other times in my life this would not have been the case at all. I have been through an abusive dysfunctional marriage, I have lived paycheque to paycheque, my cupboards have been all but bare. I have been alone – with only people who depended on me. I have had major health issues. My father spent four months in hospital before dying of a cancer that ate at him for four years. My mother spent five years in a nursing home – frail, lonely and at times confused.
I have no idea how I would have had the strength to deal with this pandemic in the days when my life was more than I could deal with. I don’t know how I would have fed my family. I don’t know how or if I would have kept a roof over our heads. I don’t know how I would have dealt with the stress of a serious health risk on top of serious health issues. I don’t know how I would have dealt with knowing my parents were fragile, and helpless and alone. I just do not know.
My heart goes out to those who are going through personal challenges on top of dealing with this current pandemic. They are in my thoughts and prayers because I cannot imagine. I know how challenging life can be – because I have been there.🥀
There is always one common denominator in a global crisis, be it financial, enviornmental, or pandemic. The rich and the powerful are above doing their, or any, part.
These days, our news is full of warnings to isolate, quarantine and use social distancing to stop the spread of the potentially fatal COVID 19. We are told to wash our hands at every opportunity and to clean all surfaces and clothing regularly . We are told how to cough and how to sneeze. We are told to close all non-essential businesses – restaurants, bars, clothing stores, hairdressers and the like. We are told to keep this virus from spreading beyond the capabilities of our health system. It is in our best interests and those of our families, friends and neighbours to control the spread of this virus as it has already proven capable of devastating results if it is not controlled.
The problem is not with what is being done. It is with what is not being done. For every list of non-essential services that are to be closed down, there is a list of essential services. That list should be a no brainer. Medical facilities, grocery stores, veterinarian services, gasoline stations, utility companies, the trucking industry, railroads and the like. Essential services.
However, there are businesses and services that get carte blanche because they straddle the line of essential and non essensial service – like manufacturing plants. If they are producing essential items – food, medicine and the like, then yes, they must be allowed to operate under strict regulations. They must do everything in their power to protect their employees – and in turn, their employees’ families and communities. What about construction? If it is an emergency repair or securing a jobsite, yes do it, responsibly – otherwise SHUT IT DOWN. Oilfields, potash mines and the like. There are stockpiles of their products around the globe right now. SHUT THEM DOWN.
The thing is – if we shut down all non-essential work in Canada for a month, this virus would be contained and we would all be able to get back to a virtually normal life within weeks.
The problem is, that will not happen. The rich and the powerful will not allow it. Therefore, our politicians will not allow it – until it is too late. There is an old saying “Doing the same thing, in the same way, and expecting different results, is insanity.” We watched this virus, get out of control in one country after another while politicians dragged their feet. Let’s try that Canada! (Because that’s not the definition of insanity.)
I have been home for six days, hiding out from Covid-19. I don’t have the lungs to be comfortable taking chances with any contagious respiratory disease – especially one that does not have a cure. I am happy to lay low.
So far it hasn’t been too bad. My husband has been home for the past four days. Tomorrow he goes back for three twelve hour day shifts, followed by two twelve hour night shifts. Normally, I am used to it – but normally I am happy to have some alone time after being at work all week. Normally, I am not worried about my husband picking up a potentially fatal disease, or bringing it home to me, or passing it on to anyone else. Normally I am not the type of person who wants to throttle our premier for putting money and power and steel/pipe plants before people’s lives. Now things are not normal.
Anyway, I have been working on pulling myself together and being productive enough to keep myself from totally losing it. For the last couple of days, I have been working on becoming the domestic diva I plan to be once I retire at the end of July. My laundry (including bedding) is done, folded and put away, my house is somewhat tidy and our finances are in order.
Tomorrow it is supposed to start warming up outside. It will be easier once I can get outside and start cleaning up the yard, the barbecue, and the lawn furniture. It will be fun to start prepping and planning for our garden, flower beds and pond. It will be nice to get out and get some fresh air and SUNSHINE.
Small but mighty, Primrose (Prim) joined our family eight years ago today. It was obvious from the start that this little one had a mind of her own and she was happy to give you a piece of it.
Happy Birthday, Prim. We love you to the moon and back.
Today, be a Prim. Share giggles and excitement and fun wherever you go. And – Be safe out there!💖
Ten years ago our family was blessed with a happy little sweetheart that we have come to know and love as Maddy.
Today for Maddy’s birthday let’s all be a Maddy – Share kindness, share hope, share happiness, share a smile today😊.
Granddaughter Genie stopped by for a short surprise visit yesterday with her younger siblings. It is a bad time to socialize but we did our best to keep physically distanced. Nobody was happy about the no huggs and kisses policy but they all complied.
Genie has been working a lot at Superstore these last few weeks. They are making things better for store clerks – shorter hours to allow for extra cleaning and stocking, limited customers at one time, special shopping hours for seniors and for store staff, sneeze guards to protect cashiers and wage bonuses for all staff. So grateful to their powers that be that they realize how important their staff is to them and to us all!
It was great to see Rory, Maddy and Prim. With Mom and Genie working lots of hours, Rory is stepping up to cover a lot of the house cleaning. Maddy is growing up fast. She is helping out with cooking and baking. Prim is doing her part to keep things lively and helping where she can – no doubt keeping the dogs, cat and turtle on their toes.
A few things of note:
1) They are all great kids and it’s amazing how they pull together to help out.👍
2) We miss them all – thank goodness for technology that keeps families in contact while we are kept apart.📲
3) It is really hard to keep physically distanced in our little house. Going forward – no visits until it is warm enough to visit outside. Fortunately, we have a huge yard and warm weather is coming. 🌲
4) I am now pretty much out of gummy bears, toffee and Pepsi. 😂
5) Rory was as happy as the girls😊. I just caught him at a serious moment. (Probably when Genie and I made fun of him for referencing ‘Fifty Shades of Blue’). Apparently he hasn’t seen the movie. If it is a sequel to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ that is no doubt a good thing.
I have had three spaniels in my life. My first was Laddie, who was a pure black Cocker Spaniel. Laddie was my father’s pup back when I was a young child.
The second spaniel in my life was a dark brown and white Springer Spaniel named Sprocket. My brother in law gifted Sprocket to my children when they were young. Sprocket was hardly the sharpest tool in the shed. He was also as big as a horse and intent on running every chance he got. Fun times.
Both Laddie and Sprocket were beautiful dogs. They had medium length, curly hair that required little grooming. I thought that was typical of spaniels, until we got Kat. Kat is a King Charles Cavalier.
The current pandemic has created health and economic crisis around the globe. There are heart wrenching stories and pictures that fill our news feed daily. There are true heroes and heroines who have stepped up. There are pathetic excuses of humanity who have shown the selfish, evil side of humanity.
And then, there are the little things in life that we have come to take for granted. The services that we typically have available. I knew going in that there were a lot of things I would miss. I didn’t realize that dog grooming would be right up there.
I can’t wait to see how long it takes before Dan and I start missing our hairdresser. I can just see me back in a pony tail and Dan in a man bun.😂. Or not…
May you and yours be safe and strong throughout this difficult time. 💖
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 