Monday, August 9, 2021

Odds & ends from the weekend

  • Saturday was Katie's Day #23 -- i.e., the day I delivered her, the date that's on all the official paperwork (even though I had learned two days earlier that her heart had stopped beating).  I don't like to call it her birthday (although some people wished her "happy birthday" on Facebook) -- she was actually supposed to be born in mid-November -- and I don't know exactly when we actually lost her -- but I'm not sure what else to call it. So I've taken to just calling it "Katie's Day." 
    • Some years, this day is better or harder to deal with than others. This one was sort of middle-of-the-pack. Early on, we had quite a few traditions/things we did to mark the day, many of which have fallen by the wayside over the years.  But we did take flowers to the cemetery and ordered takeout Chinese food for dinner, as we often have in the past, and I posted a few things on social media, and that was about it. 
    • We didn't stay at the cemetery as long as I would have liked. When we got out of the car & started walking toward the columbarium where Katie's niche is, we noticed a middle-aged woman sitting on a bench nearby, her back to us... talking. LOUDLY. On her cellphone. (In a cemetery!)  We usually take a few photos while we're there, and as I stood beside the niche with my bouquet of roses while dh took my photo, the woman turned and stared at me as she continued to talk on her phone. I stared back. Dh howled with laughter when he saw the photo later, because I have one hand on my hip and am GLARING right into the camera, or rather at the woman a few yards behind him. Granted, it wasn't a smiley kind of occasion anyway, but I was definitely more than a little pissed off. The woman did finally get up after a few minutes and move further away... still talking. Oy.  
  • Sadly, it appears that covid wave #4 is upon us... not to the same extent as in the U.S. (yet...)(our vaccination rates in Canada are much higher), but the numbers are trending in the wrong direction again. :(  Daily new cases here in Ontario were as low as 114 on July 12th (a level not seen since last Sept. 1st).  They stayed below 200 for 20 days straight -- and then went to 218 on July 29th, and stayed above 200 for several days. Dipped back below 200 for three days and then shot up to 340 new cases on Friday (Aug. 6th), 378 on Saturday (the most since mid-June), and 423 on Sunday, the most in two months. :(  Today was 325. 
    • I am starting to think that we should have headed home to see my parents this month, even if my sister couldn't take time off while we were there. Hoping we haven't missed our opportunity, and crossing fingers and toes that we'll still be able to get there for (Canadian) Thanksgiving in October and/or Christmas...!  :(   Despite the presence of the Delta variant, the provincial government there allowed many sectors to fully reopen and abandon mask mandates this past weekend -- although my sister says she was pleasantly surprised/relieved to see that many people are still wearing them, regardless.  
  • BIL called dh today to report that Little Great-Nephew started swimming lessons today with his mom! It was NOT a success... he threw a tantrum at the pool and she had to take him home, lol. (He IS almost two, i.e., the "Terrible Twos!")  He has not been around a lot of people outside his family, so I'm not surprised if he found the experience a little overwhelming. She'll try again next week.  We'll go to see him & his grandma on Wednesday, as usual. 

2 comments:

  1. Hugs for you and DH and Katie.
    Grrr and glares for that annoying woman. The photo was funny, though! (I think, here, if that had happened I would have indulged in some passive aggressive comments.)

    "Oh no" to a fourth wave. I hope vaccinations outrun it, and you can get back to see your parents and sister.

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  2. Thinking of you and DH and Katie on her day, and sending more stink-eye to the rude lady at the cemetery. That is just the WORST. Your look was terrific, though!

    Ugh ugh ugh to another wave. So frustrating. My county just got designated a High Transmission Area, not that that actually means anything because there's no mandates, there's just new signage that says "We request all guests wear a mask" or "We encourage all customers to wear a mask" and people who willfully ignore it. Insert not-so-silent screaming here. Oh no, poor LGN! I think that the COVID times are wreaking havoc on development for little-little ones, my friend's 2-year-old is having similar issues when around other people. They can't get him to go inside anywhere, and found a lovely lady who was willing to give him a haircut on the sidewalk outside her shop! :)
    I hope you will have another chance to see your parents. It's so hard to know when the right time is when it seems we just keep taking a step forward and several back. I think it must be hard, but try to give yourself grace, there's no way to know what the future, even the next few weeks or months, will hold. Sigh.

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