That willow tree is getting fuzzy. ©voyager, all rights reserved
Well, we didn’t go for our pancake breakfast at the sugar shack over the weekend because it’s been cancelled for this year. Most things have been cancelled around here. Schools are on indefinite March Break, including colleges and universities, and almost all gathering places have shut down. Tai Chi classes have been cancelled, and so has pool therapy. The Senior’s centre, the library and the Cineplex theatre have closed their doors, and the live theatres in Stratford and Toronto have cancelled perform into May.
There have been no Covid 19 cases in our city so far, but there have been confirmed cases in 2 places only 30 minutes away. Mr. V is over 65 and has a wonky heart, so he’s at risk, and I’ll be 60 this year, and my chronic shingles and fibromyalgia increase my risk, so we are self-isolating as much as possible. I did make a trip to get a few supplies early Saturday morning, and that was a bit of a shock. I started at Wal-Mart early Saturday morning and found they were completely out of bread, meat, onions, potatoes, beer, yogurt, pasta sauce, canned and frozen vegetables, dried beans, rice, coffee, juice, butter, ice cream and toilet paper. Entire rows of shelves were laid bare, and people with lists were wandering around with empty carts, looking lost. There was a weird atmosphere about the place and I felt as if I’d stepped into a Stephen King novel. I walked out with supplies for Jack (which were also getting low) and nothing else. Next, I went to No Frills and had a bit better luck. I found a package of ground beef, some sausages and a pork roast, but supplies were limited, and there was no chicken at all. They did have most other items on my list, with the proviso that you could only take 1 or 2 of most things. Thankfully, toilet paper was not on my list (we stock up when it’s on sale) because they also had none left.
I have a friend who says that the reason toilet paper is going so quickly is that every time someone coughs or sneezes, a dozen people shit their pants!
Jack is blissfully unconcerned about Covid 19 and asked to go to the park this morning. I was ready for a bit of fresh air, too, so we piled into the car and went to see the ducks, who mostly look to be paired up for nesting season. The pond was completely free of ice, thanks to a few days of above zero weather. We walked down to see the geese, which were plentiful and aggressive. They charged Jack and me a few times, but Jack planted himself into a stationary lunge and growled a deep, soft, low growl that quickly turned them around. He seemed disappointed that they didn’t come closer.
After the pond, we walked around the gazebo, and it was quite exciting to see that the tulips are up a few cms. Every year the city changes the colours of their bulbs, and I’m always anxious to see what the plan is for the year. The city buys thousands of bulbs directly from Holland every year, and at the end of the season, they sell them off cheaply to homeowners. It’s part of the city’s overall beautification plan, and it does spruce up neighbourhoods, We also found a few “fuzzy” willows, some big buds on the trees by the stream and a colourful Choral Bell with a feather flag. There were a few people out and about, and we all smiled and gave a wave, but everyone kept their distance. Thank Cthulhu, that it’s still safe to go outdoors, otherwise Jack and I would go stir crazy.
It’s tulip time. ©voyager, all rights reserved
The mini daffodils have arrived. ©voyager, all rights reserved
It might be love. ©voyager, all rights reserved
Look at the size of those buds. Leaf day is coming early this year. ©voyager, all rights reserved
A Feather Flag. ©voyager, all rights reserved
Looks like your bulbs and trees are at about the same stage as mine are, although here today the weather is gloomy and drizzly rather than nice and sunny. We got a dusting of snow last night, but it melted quickly.
That mini daffodil pic is super exciting. My tulips are also emerging, despite me yelling at them to calm down and relax. They never listen.
My mini-daffs are over and done, the big daffs are in full bloom, both way too early. The mini tulips are taking their time.
That’s the most sensible explanation I’ve heard so far. Another one says that people used to time their shits so they could do them at work, which leaves me wondering because who enjoys pooping when their colleagues are just 1m away?
I’m glad you had a nice walk. I enjoy those, too, but I’m wondering about how long it will be before we have a curfew because people are just too fucking stupid. Last night the police in Berlin had to break up several gatherings in bars where the owners had just put blindfolds on the windows and made people knock. Given that I keep hearing all those stories from Berlin, I suggest we build the next wall around the whole city.
I get that living in a city makes this whole thing worse because there are no outdoor spaces you can go to without crowding. But hey, they used to laugh at us “country bumpkins” in our quaint villages and small towns with no distractions but watching birds…
The mallard couple is so cute, what a sweet photo.