I WAS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM TODAY...

September 21st, 2020, for the first time since February, so it my first day in a classroom in over six months and my first, POST COVID.  

It was with a great deal of trepidation, that I opened those front doors to my assigned school, this morning. Although I had read thirty-one pages of protocol procedures to be followed, because of Covid, I still wasn't entirely sure of what to expect.

What did I see and experience? I can't even begin to describe it, it was almost surreal. This is after our schools have been open two weeks.  The kinks have been ironed out, but while it is still a work in progress, I admit, the whole school day, while so TOTALLY different from anything I have EVER experienced in five decades of being in the education system... blew me away with its efficiency, practicality, and total committment of ALL those involved, to making our schools a safe and secure place for children, and yet allowing them to BE children, to laugh, to play, to learn, to grow, physically, mentally, socially and emotionally, with their peers and their teachers.

THE BIGGEST adjustment, for me, was wearing a facial mask the entire day,even while outside on duty. My heart goes out to healthcare workers, and ALL those who wear these masks for eight to ten hours a day. God bless and keep you!

The other "new" things were NOT being to able to drink water; feeling frustrated that my students NOT understand me, since my words to them in a second language, were muffled by my mask.  It was NOT being to able to chat with my teaching colleagues in the staff room, because numbers were limited to four people; it was NOT having the interaction between students in the hallways, as "classroom bubbles" are in the hallways only when no other class is, or a class bubble follows another class bubble. It was NOT recognizing some who spoke to me, because of their facial mask. I could go on and on, about how the atmosphere, noise, ambiance, routines, procedures, hustle and bustle of a school day, have changed.  What choice do we have though? We must ensure we keep these darlings as safe as possible. 

What did NOT change?  My chance to touch a freckled face, and point out "les taches de rousseur."  My chance to point out a dimple in a sweet little cheek, and tell her she had a "faussette", which was a "trait visible", for her writing assignment.  My chance to look a blue eyed scamp in the eye and tell him to STOP using his mask as a pretend slingshot.  My chance to help another find HIS lost mask, trampled and dirty on the floor.  My chance to compliment another "firecracker" who worked so hard all day and who was so pleased when I complimented her on her good choices, that she wanted me to write a note to her father, which I did, GLADLY. My chance to bond with these eight and nine year olds, and my chance to chuckle, knowing she wasn't hurt, but because she is a "drama queen", when after falling on a climbing apparatus, declared, "My private parts are going to explode!" 

While I may have been physically exhausted when I left at the end of the day, I was emotionally, socially and mentally fulfilled, because I spent the day being a t-e-a-c-h-er, and that has always been a privilege.

    

MY ADVENTURE IN SAILING...

really turned out to be an adventure I had while out walking. Why the sailing reference? I had to get off that thirty-three foot sailboat or I was going to be sick. Either that, or become a ZOMBIE. We had only been on the water twenty four hours, and I felt nauseous, couldn't stop yawning, couldn't sleep, and just wanted my land legs, like YESTERDAY!

So my friend brought me to shore in his dinghy, and I proceeded to hike up a dirt road in the middle of no where, somewhere on the Saint John River, near a place called Carter's Cove. So straight uphill I climbed for fifteen minutes, UP Carter's Wharf Road, which makes sense... COVE, WHARF, you get it.  At the top, I could turn left or right on another country road, but this road at least had blacktop. I did NOT want another very steep uphill climb, which is what faced me if I turned right, so I chose the rolling hills on my left, and set off happily. Vimy was back home at the kennel, so I felt strangely bereft of my constant canine companion. 

As I strode purposely along, taking in the humble country houses, in the total solitude and silence of a peaceful Saturday morning in the woods of rural NB, this thought c-r-e-p-t into my head, "What badass person (read HILLBILLY) could come along, see an old woman wearing a bright T-shirt saying YAK YAK YAK YAK YAK,NEPAL on it,and decide to have some fun?"

I had no SOONER BANISHED that silly thought, than this HUMONGUOUS truck rolled up and stopped. The sunshine prevented me from seeing WHO these possible perpetrators were, so I bent down slightly, peering in the window, only to see a very elderly woman driving this big mother of a truck, with her gray haired, grizzled, bearded husband in the passenger seat. They wanted to know if I was looking for horses. YES... HORSES!!! 

I replied, "Ah... no. Why?" They proceeded to tell me how they had seen two horses not far behind them, running wild and free on the road, a dark horse and a pale one. I explained that I wasn't from the area, didn't know anyone, but if I did meet someone during my walk, I would advise them of this situation. They appeared concerned, and while living only a kilometre down the road, did not know any of their neighbours who might be missing their horses.

I continued my walk, seeing a gorgeous, bright red '32 Chevy truck cruise by me. The walk was worth it, JUST for a glimpse of that  beautiful vehicle. Then I saw a woman through the trees, watering her flowers. I advanced in her driveway, and asked if she knew anyone with horses, because apparently TWO were running wild and free up the road a little further. I couldn't just well mind my own business.  Those poor horses!  Well, she took off running to the neighbours, while her husband peeled out the driveway, accompanied by his dog, and obviously very concerned, proceeded to tell me WHO the horses belonged to, HOW the owner was away, WHERE the mother lived (next door), etc.  I repeated what I knew, but then of course, he, like a typical New Brunswicker, wanted to know how I knew about these horses, so I explained. Then he wanted to know all about ME. His wife joined us, telling us the call had been made to the owner, who apparently was in NS? 

I thanked them for being such good neighbours, as I decided to turn around, since I was at the half way point of my walk. We hadn't seen the horses yet, and frankly, I wasn't real keen to get involved in that scene. I noted the number of the house across the road, and turned around. Five more beautiful, antique trucks and cars passed me, maybe on the way to a show, or thanks to Covid, maybe just out for a drive on this splendid September morning. 

I had barely walked five minutes before another car coming towards me STOPPED right beside me. I didn't wait for this younger couple to speak. I blurted out "Are YOU looking for horses?" They WERE, of course! They had received a text from the owner, who was on her way, (apparently NOT in NS after all!) and being good friends, they were out looking for her horses. I explained where I had turned around, and wished them luck, but not before they TOO wanted to know all about me and my involvement in this. So, so Maritime! 

I finished my walk reflecting on what had just transpired. Gees, I could be a HERO and not even know it! Maybe I saved those horses from being killed on the road, or I saved the owner much anguish and anxiety, if she had returned only to find them missing, and for God only knows, how long. 

I will never know the outcome, but hopefully it was ALL good. Maybe it was all because, in the words of the poet Robert Frost, "Two roads converged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference." Well, in my case, lazy me chose the rolling hills one, instead of the steep hill, and THAT may have made all the difference.

Why do misadventures always follow...

a really great vacation?  That is what seems to happen to me, and on a fairly regular basis too.  

You always have loads of work to do at home when coming back from vacation, chores like unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping,etc. to name a few.  So out I  went, Monday morning, to do my grocery shopping, after having unpacked and started a load of laundry. I know, I know! You should never leave any household appliance running when you are NOT home.  Unfortunately for me, I seem to have developed a certain "insouciance dans ma vieillesse", a less careful attention to the minutae of daily life, let's say, as I age.:) 

Upon my return, I went downstairs to put away meat in the freezer.  As soon as I opened the door to the laundry room, I stepped in WATER. Lots of water! A quick glance showed me that my laundry tub was plugged, and had overflowed. Yikes!  I quickly mopped up the worst of the water, and put in a phone call to my Handy Bro. I figured I would pick his brain, before I called a plumber. 

Well, he soon popped in, and twenty hours later, four return trips, at least three to four hours of shopping, getting his tools, checking what he had at home, AND putting in the actual work, the source of my plugged up sink had been found, checked, cleared, explained, fixed and replaced.  Not only had he found the source of my problem, but after using a plumber's snake, cutting many pieces of pipe and teaching me about couplings and unions, (what amount marriage and committment?), he ended up replacing my old laundry sink completly !  How fortunate am I?  I don't know any plumber, NO MATTER how handy he is, nor how much he charges, who would have done what my Handy Bro did. 

Of course, none of this would have happened if I hadn't started dumping my coffee grinds from my Bodem, D*O*W*N my laundry tub drain, a few months ago. What was I thinking?  I have no idea! I usually put the grinds in my flower beds, or in the garbage.  In my defense, there is no one around to say to me, "Hey, don't do that! You will plug your sink!" Vimy can't tell me.  I rely entirely too much on that dog. 

Another lesson learned ONCE again by this senior baby boomer.  However, like ALL my misadventures, I always seem to come out smelling like a rose, even though that was NOT the smell emanating out of my laundry room today. My big plumbing problem has disappeared, plus I have a new laundry tub, which hadn't even been on my "wish list". 

OUT with the OLD!

IN with the NEW!

Uninvited guests can ...

bring a sense of trepidation and reluctance, because they are kind of invading your privacy, but once they have settled in, those feelings can be replaced by a sense of peace and happiness. I came to find that out JUST yesterday.

Last summer, cliff swallows tried to nest in my eaves, right by my front door. They also tried to nest in the eaves of my neighbour's carport, which faced my front door. We were constantly being dive bombed by these tiny creatures that swooped all around us, in mid-June. I am ashamed to say that I had a friend cut the nest building short by destroying the mud plastered to my siding, with my garden hose. What was I afraid of?  My neighbour did the same thing, and that was the end of it, for last year.

Fast forward a year later. My neighbour is at his camp for the weekend and I once again witness a flurry of activity between our houses. I look up, and lo and behold, the swallows have returned to HIS place, to nest again.  I see no sign of activity around my eaves, and am totally relieved, as I DO NOT want a repeat of last year's destruction.

I decide to advise my neighbour of his new guests however, because he wouldn't have noticed the comings and goings of these little birds, since he needn't go to the outside of his carport unless he is mowing the lawn. I also figured it was best he knew before the eggs were laid, so as NOT to kill baby birds.  

Of course, he came out immediately with his garden hose and removed the beginnings of a nest.  Wouldn't you know it? Less than twenty four hours later, these poor swallows are back, trying to rebuild their nest AGAIN. By now I am getting upset.  I 
figure maybe if I don't say anything this time, and he
does not catch on, they will have time to hatch their babies and fly away?  Not really plausible thinking on my part.  Well, my neighbour tells him and out he comes with the hose AND ladder, again. There is no persuading him to leave the half built nest alone.  

When I went to bed that night (after a visit from my "hermanita"  who was totally devastated at the thought that baby swallows might have been murdered), I wasn't able to sleep. I thought, OMG, these swallows can't come back a THIRD time, it's 
going to drive me to drink. (Well... drink more!).  I went on Goggle, found a way to prevent swallows from nesting in your eaves, took a screen shot of the info, and texted it to my neighbour the next morning.  I step out and there he IS, putting up some fine wire netting above his eave vent, to STOP the swallows from rebuilding a THIRD time.  I am so relieved. Those cliff swallows will not return, because they can't access that area any more, thank goodness.


I console my hermanita with that fact, as we head out for a two day back country, 45 km hike during a record breaking heatwave of 41 degrees, (with the humidity), in the Chaleur area... aptly named for once.

When I returned yesterday, I was busy doing laundry, checking my flowers, putting away hiking gear, and catching up on my messages, when I heard the 
twittering of swallows and saw three or four of them swooping and flittering directly above me, as I unpacked Jiminy.

In my two day absence, the swallows HAVE indeed returned, but this time, have built a complete nest in MY eaves. Are they tenacious and stubborn, or what?   The pretty mother is sitting proudly up there, peering down at me.  An overwhelming sense of relief floods over me.  I am SO,SO happy that they have come back. 

I would have wondered all summer, every time I saw
swallows, what happened to those beautiful birds trying to build a colony this year.   

Again, I am blessed. Blessed to be able to right a wrong, and blessed to enable life.  We have deprived swallows of their natural nesting grounds, because we have over developed our shoreline with cottages, 
and homes, and fortified the cliffs, high and low, with breakwaters of every type. They have no where to go to nest, which explains why Canada has lost 98% of its swallow population in some areas. Cliff swallows are a protected species under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. 

It may only be a small start on my part, but we have to start somewhere, to preserve our wildlife. I will have a nesting box installed in the eave of my garden shed, this fall, and hopefully, when the cliff swallows return NEXT year, they will realize they have a NEW, safer and more secure home in which to start their new family.

For the next month though, I will delight in their beauty and activity around me, delight in the birth of their babies, and delight in the knowledge that I have been given a second chance. 

UPDATE: The next day: My delight has turned to despair. OMG... I woke up to a crumbled nest scattered all over my walkway this morning. I am DEVASTATED. Is it the heat that caused the nest to fall down? What makes this even WORSE is that those poor swallows are now trying to rebuild OVER my neighbour’s wire mesh, for a THIRD time!!!! They are tenacious. Nature will take its course I guess, but I am still heartbroken.

It's about time I went on a good...

rant, don't you think? This positivity has got to CRACK sometime.

I am wearing glasses taped up with masking tape, because one arm is broken. I look like a redneck! My hair is all over the place, too long to do anything with it, but NOT long enough to tie it up and out of the way.

I am still shoveling ICY snow off my lawn. I am still wearing winter coats, tuques and mittens when I go walking.

My time is spent eating, or deciding what I am going to eat. I have gained five pounds, in spite of walking on average, over 10 km a day!  No one has been in my house for over two months, and I haven't been in anyone else's even longer than that.  I haven't given or received a hug in over two months.

I can't bubble with my elderly mother, because I am afraid she is just too susceptible to any and all infectious diseases. Plus get this? She NEVER gets the flu shot.

Poor Vimy was attacked again, by another neighbour's dog, who just doesn't like him. Thank God the owners rushed out of their driveway, to pull that B%?&? off Vimy, who defended himself while still on his leash.  My brave SIL who is so tiny, tried to separate the two of them. Can you imagine? Anyway, no harm done but the other dog had a touch of blood on her neck. My Vimy was fine. Again, his harness protected him. Anyone who knows Vimy, knows what a sweetie he is and he would NEVER attack anyone or anything. 

This week, I came back from shopping in two stores, and as soon as I got home I had an anxiety attack. I haven't had one of those in MONTHS. I can't remember the last one. It was probably caused by one man repeatedly tailing me down an aisle in one store.  I felt like I was being stalked.  I practically ran down the aisle, up the next, and back down the aisle I had been in, so I could respectively stay six feet behind him, because he certainly didn't know HOW to do that.  A woman in the second store, got upset with me, when I wouldn't let her take a shortcut by me to go down an aisle, because (A) she would be going in the wrong direction of the arrow, and (B) she would have had to get quite close to me, and I wouldn't let her. She strutted off muttering, "WHATEVER!"  Yeah, whatever is right.

THAT WAS ALL THE BAD!

However, ALL THAT isn't bad. It's just life.  I am healthy and everyone in NB is too!  Some restrictions have been lifted.  I am not mourning the senseless murder of a loved one, nor do I have to deal with a flooded home, or the loss of someone in a horrific crash.  I am fed, clothed and housed like a queen, in comparison to many. The sorrows of Canadians seem never ending, but again, we are still fortunate to be Canadians.  We are grateful too ... survey SAID... a full thirty-five percent, when questioned about this pandemic, replied above all, that they were GRATEFUL.  That about sums it up for me... in SPITE of my rant.  😃😃😃

Well... it didn't take me long to get stopped by the police!!

Colline de bine!  My Witchy SIL and I went walking along the railway tracks one blustery day this week, each on opposite sides, NOT on the ties, and respecting social distancing by even more than six feet. As we came to the end of the path, and were upon the cement sidewalk where passsengers disembark, there was a lovely police cruiser and there stood a really cute police officer waiting for us. YIKES!  We were quite surprised because his presence had been blocked by a large commercial building.

Well, thankfully, he educated us and did not fine us $128.00 ea. You can be sure I thanked him for that, with those exact words.  Our education on that walk?  YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED to walk along railway tracks, folks. That's it, that's all. You aren't even allowed to cross them.  Students up the hill at CCNB, taking a shortcut? You risk getting caught and fined.  So spread the word please. I, unfortunately, did not NOTICE any signs posted, but the big cement barriers all along the parking, preventing pedestrian access to the Via Rail property, should have been a tip-off I guess. So I admit, much to my chagrin.

What HAVE I NOTICED, since I have been out of self-isolation? I have noticed quite a few things.

People in my neighbourhood, cross the street rather than cross each other.  A father jogs beside his bicycle riding son.  Whole families I have never seen before, are taking a stroll together. On Easter Monday morning, at 8:00 am, my walk was totally and eerily silent, no cars, no people, and would have been utterly silent except for the chirping of the songbirds.

I have noticed a lot more young people working in retail.  Their parents must be so anxious. 

I have noticed encouraging rainbow signs in windows, mostly all bilingual; they make me smile. 

I have noticed that many of us, me included, are on a very steep learning curve when it comes to following the direction of the arrows on the floor in most stores.

I have noticed so many people jumping in to help in the best way they know how. Case in point?  My eighty six year old mother made face masks for ALL her children, inlaws, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with a few extra to give to friends and neighbours.  She stopped when she ran out of fabric and elastic.

I have noticed that many of us have learned to do video messaging.  If my mother can, so can you.

I have noticed that I can know WHICH day it is, but NOT the date.  Never both at the same time anyway.

I have noticed that if I vacuum just the entrance where Vimy and I bring in the dirt from outside, the rest of the house seems clean too, which is g*r*e*a*t!

I have noticed that I still haven't cleaned out my laundry room.  I have come to the realization that if I don't get around to doing it during a GLOBAL pandemic and lockdown, I probably won't EVER get around to it.


I have noticed that if I don't take the time to label leftovers, I will put a sharp cheddar cheese sauce as a topping on my carrot muffin, thinking it is cream cheese icing!  Easy to do when you have little to no sense of smell, and only realize the taste isn't sweet when you put it in your mouth. 

WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED?

No... I am NOT...

learning to play a musical instrument, like my friend Tracy. No, I am NOT learning another language. Mastering the ones I do speak is ENOUGH, thank you. No, I am NOT turning into a gourmet chef, for me, myself and I. No, I do NOT have some wonderful daily routine that I blitz through every day, unless you count having a glass of wine with dinner, SANS FAUTE, every night.  NO, I am NOT doing a ton of spring cleaning... plueeeze!

NO, every day is VERY much unstructured, unplanned, and unknown.  That takes some getting used to, for this very organized old lady.  

I realize though that I have incorporated a few NEW activities into THIS new way of life we are ALL living.  

YES, I reach out for daily social contact through all the technology that permits us to do this, and for that I am truly, truly grateful.  Being able to see and hear my granddaughter Sophie giggle as she scampers down the road with her Easter basket, was the greatest blessing. 

YES, so when I have to go to stores, I thank EVERY single essential worker I meet, saying "Thank you for working so that we can all eat!" That's what it truly all boils down to. I am sure at one point I will end up standing on the side of Highway 11 with a sign, thanking all truckers who drive by, for the tremendous work they do in keeping our food supply chain working.  

YES, as I try to give to those who have less, no matter how small the gesture. Yesterday, it was to a man who kept looking at the coins in his hand, then going to look at the candy counter, walking away, counting his money, and doing this several times.   I scrummaged in my purse and found all my loose change which amounted to a whopping $4, and called out to him several times, from across more than six feet. "Monsieur?  Monsieur?"  All to no avail. When I switched to "Sir?", he heard me and turned around.:)  I deposited the change in a bin, indicating he should take it. The look of gratitude and surprise on his face, was the only thanks I neeeded. 

YES, to the gratitude I feel because I can pay all my bills and do not have the financial insecurity that so many Canadians have. 

YES, to how fortunate I am to live in Atlantic Canada, where wide open spaces, our own single family dwellings, powerful family ties, a compassionate "we look out for each other" attitude, and a strong, prescient government that had the foresight and fortitude to close all senior residences to visitors long before other provinces did... has spared us the sorrow and heartache that our fellow citizens have felt elsewhere in Canada.  NB has yet to have have a single death attributed to this horrific virus. 

Yes, to looking into this unknown abyss, and having faith, love and hope that we shall ALL get through this.  On va s'en sortir. 💝💝💝