#MicroblogMondays: We are amused :)

It's our Victoria Day long weekend here, and we've been doing... absolutely nothing.  

It's been peaceful.

It's been lovely. :) 

As I noted last year around this time:  

  

...the constant stream of emails flowing into my inbox and notifications popping up on my cellphone have slowed to a trickle. My social media feeds haven't been as busy either. I've caught up on reading my emails as well as the latest chapters of my Cromwell Trilogy slow readalong, finished one book and started another.  I even balanced my chequebook yesterday!  (lol)  

I'm enjoying it while it lasts...!  ;) 

Similarly -- even with messages from U.S. friends and sites  (where their May long weekend is still to come...!) still flowing onto my screens -- my email inbox and social media feeds have been quieter than usual.  I was able to catch up on my online reading, as well as on my latest Footnotes & Tangents slow read, and start a new read too (an upcoming book selection).  I had just two Zoom sessions scheduled all weekend (there are often a lot more), skipped one and enjoyed the other.  We watched a lot of NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey -- sadly, both my Winnipeg Jets and dh's Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated -- as well as the last two episodes of "Miss Austen" on PBS last night. The weather has been a little colder/more rainy than we'd like (but it's better than heat & humidity!), and I was able to wipe down the balcony furniture and railings so they're ready to enjoy.  We saw some traditional neighbourhood fireworks from our windows last night (and will likely see some more tonight). 

It's a little busier today. Government offices are closed, but a lot of stores are open, so dh went out to do his usual Monday morning supermarket run. 

Of course, we would have liked to see the nephews & niblings (so would their parents/grandparents!) -- we haven't seen the two LGNephews since Easter -- but apparently they were all busy. So the weekend was entirely ours. We did get to see LGNiece at her grandparents' house on Friday for a few hours -- we went for a walk with her & SIL, and then played in the back yard while BIL grilled hot dogs for us for lunch.  

I'm looking forward to a repeat of (at least some of) the same peace & quiet this coming weekend, when the U.S. has its Memorial Day long weekend.  :)  

You can find all my previous Victoria Day-related posts here. 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

#MicroblogMondays: Holiday

Today is one of those days where the U.S. has a holiday, and we here in Canada do not. We had our May long weekend last week (Victoria Day), and today it's the U.S.'s turn with Memorial Day. Remembrance Day on Nov. 11th here is a solemn occasion that serves the the same general purpose, I think. 

It can sometimes be annoying when our two countries' calendars are out of sync. When we were working, dh's job involved the U.S. financial markets, so he often had to work when I and most others had a day off  (like Victoria Day, last week, and Remembrance Day). Personally, when I was a kid, I loved it because, having American relatives, we got to celebrate Canada Day (although it was known as Dominion Day then) AND the Fourth of July (and we were often at my grandparents' house in Minnesota then), Thanksgiving in mid-October AND in late November. When we lived close enough, my mom would often take my sister & me out of school for a few days and drive south of the border to join our relatives for some turkey, visiting and card games. :)   

And coming from a Ukrainian background (on my dad's side) also meant we got two Christmases, as well as two Easters, although we weren't always around when everyone gathered to celebrate at my paternal grandparents' farm.  I also went to some kick-ass Ukrainian New Year socials ( = parties/dances) -- Malanka, in mid-January -- when I was in university, lol.  

It was the best of both worlds!  

In recent years, I find I'm enjoying our occasionally out-of-sync holiday calendar. (Retirement probably has something to do with it!)  I certainly wouldn't want to be celebrating most holidays (Christmas!) at a different time than my American friends and relatives -- and it does still make me feel somewhat out of sync when my usual TV shows and news hosts aren't on because of special holiday programming on the American channels. 

But I'm also enjoying the fact that, this weekend as well as last, the constant stream of emails flowing into my inbox and notifications popping up on my cellphone have slowed to a trickle. My social media feeds haven't been as busy either. I've caught up on reading my emails as well as the latest chapters of my Cromwell Trilogy slow readalong, finished one book and started another.  I even balanced my chequebook yesterday!  (lol)  

I'm enjoying it while it lasts...!  ;) 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

"My Effin' Life" by Geddy Lee

I was never an especially huge fan of the band Rush. I never saw them in concert, never owned one of their albums. My musical tastes ran/run more to straight-up rock & roll and the New Wave sounds of my youth than prog-rock.  

But I didn't DISlike them either. Growing up Canadian in the 1970s and 80s, it was impossible to ignore them. Their music was all over the airwaves, and lead singer Geddy Lee's distinctive nasal, high-pitched yelp of a voice was immediately identifiable. ("How did the band decide that HE should be the lead singer?? Did he have the best voice??"  dh has often laughed.)  

So many of their songs are instantly recognizable to me (even if I don't always know the exact title!). I remember one of their early hits, "In the Mood,"  being played at my junior high sock hops, and I did like that song, as well as "Closer to the Heart."  "Tom Sawyer" is, of course, a drumming tour de force by the late, great Neil Peart (who tragically lost both his young adult daughter in a car accident in 1997, and then his wife/her mother to cancer, less than a year later, right around the same time I was dealing with the loss of my own daughter).

One of my very favourite Rush songs is "Lakeside Park," which Peart wrote about a lakeside park in his hometown of St. Catharines. I especially love the song's wistful second half (which kicks in around the 2:25 mark) -- the lyrics always remind me of trips to the beach (in my case, Delta Beach, Lake Manitoba) with my high school friends:  

Everyone would gather on the 24th of May*

Sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display

Dancing fires on the beach, singing songs together

Though it's just a memory, some memories last forever

*"24th of May" = the traditional date for our Victoria Day holiday, which apparently is only celebrated in Canada. These days, it's celebrated on the third Monday of May, to give us all a long weekend.  

As I said, I never owned a Rush album -- but I DID have the album containing Geddy Lee's highest-charting song ever (with or without Rush) -- "Take Off" from the iconic 1981 Canadian comedy album "Great White North" by Bob & Doug McKenzie (aka  Rick Moranis -- Lee's elementary school classmate! -- and Dave Thomas, from SCTV. ("Ten bucks is ten bucks," lol.)(You had to be there...!)

(Lee also went to junior high school with future NHL hockey player Steve Shutt who, he says, "saved my kosher bacon" from bullies  -- and introduced him to a guy named Aleksandar Živojinović -- better known these days as Alex Lifeson. Another friend from high school:  Oscar Peterson Jr., son of the famous pianist, who served as best man at Lee's wedding.)

So -- long story short -- I've developed a certain affection for these guys over the years -- and when I heard that Lee was writing a memoir, I was interested in reading it. Titled "My Effin' Life" (lol), it was written with the help of Daniel Richler (journalist and stepson of famous Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler) and released last fall. 

Lee, now a 70-year-old grandfather (!), was born Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, named for HIS grandfather, who died in the Holocaust. His Anglicized name was Gary, but his mother's Yiddish accent made it sound like "Geddy" -- a friend overheard her, and the nickname stuck.  

Both of Lee's parents were Polish Jews and Holocaust survivors, who met in Auschwitz (!), reunited after the war, married (in what had been the officers' mess hall at Bergen-Belsen) and came to Canada in 1948.  There's a long chapter detailing their harrowing wartime experiences, as well as the trip that Lee, his mother Mary (Manya) and his siblings took, years later, to Auschwitz and other places in Poland connected to their family. He calls himself a proud cultural Jew, although an atheist in terms of religious beliefs.  

The sudden death of his father Morris (Moishe) in 1965, when Lee was just 12, was a turning point in his life. His mother went to work to keep the family business afloat (a variety store in Newmarket, north of Toronto), leaving Lee at loose ends as he entered his teen years. Music became his refuge. He grew his hair long, dropped out of high school, started Rush with a couple of school friends, including Alex Lifeson, and hooked up with a non-Jewish girlfriend, Nancy Young (whose brother Lindy was in an early incarnation of the band, and who later became a fashion designer and Yorkville boutique owner).  They've been married since 1976 (albeit the relationship has not been without its ups and downs, which Lee details in the book).   

I expected to like this book. I wound up absolutely loving it.  I'm not sure how much of the writing is actually Lee and how much Richler, but oh, the stories!!  And they're accompanied by a generous selection of priceless photos (both candid and professional) and images. Lee has a wonderfully wry voice and self-deprecating (very Canadian!) sense of humour, and I literally found myself laughing out loud -- frequently. I read much of the book with a smile on my face. 

Which is not to say it was all laughs. The Holocaust chapter, the multiple tragedies that befell Neil Peart, the deaths of one dear friend/family member after another, especially in later years -- and, finally, the end of the band itself -- were difficult to read about. There's a sense of grief and loss that pervades those last few chapters -- but also the reflection, perspective and gratitude that comes with time.

I have a couple of small quibbles/caveats. First, the footnotes in my Kobo e-copy were marked by asterisks -- you clicked on the asterisk (touched it on the e-reader screen) and the footnote would pop up. But you had to hit the asterisk with your finger EXACTLY right. (And there were a LOT of asterisks -- 137!! -- and they were all worth reading, once you could get them to open up...!) 

Second, Rush apparently has developed a personal language of expressions, terminology and nicknames, used by Lee throughout the book. For example, Lee, Lifeson and Peart call each other Dirk, Lerxst and Pratt (??!). There are other nicknames for others in their circle, and it was hard to remember sometimes who was who (and what their real names were!).

And while I loved all the photos that were included, I wish the images had been larger.

Also -- I'm not sure what American readers will make of all the Canadian/Toronto references (musicians and band names such as Murray McLauchlan, Downchild Blues Band and Max Webster, as well as geographic and cultural references -- e.g., CanCon rules, or Rochdale College, anyone??). Personally (even though I never set foot in Toronto until 1983), I lapped them up.  As a Canadian, it's (still!) not often we get to see ourselves reflected in a popular culture that's so heavily dominated by the U.S.! 

But as I said, small quibbles.  Overall, this is an effin' great read.  :)  

4.5 stars, enthusiastically rounded up to 5. (Current average rating of 4.64 stars on Goodreads, based on 560 reviews to date.)  

This was Book #7 read to date in 2024 (and Book #1 finished in March), bringing me to 16% of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 1 book behind schedule to meet my goal. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2024 tagged as "2024 books." 

Right now

Right now...* 

*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)

Pandemic diary/update: May marked 38 months (3 years plus) that we've been living under the shadow of COVID-19.  On May 5th, the World Health Organization declared the global health emergency is over -- and in the U.S., the public health emergency declaration expired on May 11. Which is not to say (as the WHO Director-General and other national and international officials were quick to add) that covid is over -- far from it (although we all know that's how many people interpret this declaration).  As an article I flagged last month noted, "COVID is at 'a high tide' -- and staying there,"  and "hospitals are dealing with a 'steady stream' that's hurting the system."  

Back in March, Canada's National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) released its recommendations on spring booster shots, and in April, I started getting emails about available vaccination dates from the vaccine clinic attached to the medical centre in our old community where our family doctor practices, which is where we've had our last several vaccines done. However, the distinction between what was "recommended" and what/who was "eligible" was not entirely clear.  :p  As I understood it, on the one hand, everyone was urged to get vaccinated/boosted, especially if it's been 6 months or more since your last shot (our last ones were in early November = 7 months ago) -- but on the other hand, it seemed that vaccines were only being "offered" to people over 65 years old and/or those with immune issues, etc.  Ergo -- dh (recently turned 66) was eligible -- but I (a mere youngster of 62) was not. :(  

I sent not just one but two messages asking for clarification (via the messages window on the appointment tool) -- and never got an answer. :p  (Which is strange, because the medical centre is usually quite efficient about returning phone calls, at least.) So I decided to take a chance, and booked appointments online for both of us for boosters on Sunday, May 28th.  I fully expected to get booted off the system when I input my birthdate ;)  but nothing happened, nor did they kick me out when we arrived on Sunday and presented our health cards.  ;)  The vaccine clinic was previous housed in a separate space adjacent to the medical centre, but that space has since closed its doors -- which I guess shows you how much demand has dropped off.  :(   All vaccines are now being done at the medical centre on (some) Sundays (when it's normally closed). We arrived early, but there weren't very many cars outside, so we just walked in. Nobody else was there, and we were in & out in 5 minutes. (Another couple arrived while we were getting our shots.)  I checked the appointments site again later and there were still open appointments for every time slot.  

Anyway, I feel better for getting the extra protection (and no ill side effects to date, aside from a mildly sore arm and some slight fatigue that evening).  These were our 6th covid shots to date (although for some weird reason I did not get a receipt/certificate after my last/fifth shot in November (dh did), and that one does not appear on my updated vaccine record). We both got bivalent Moderna.  (So far, we've had Astra-Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Moderna, Pfizer and now Moderna again.)  Aside from the first two shots, we've never felt any side effects worse than a sore arm and maybe some slight fatigue. (And our last vaccines, in November, were done at the same time as our flu shots, too -- one in each arm!)  

On the personal pandemic front: We remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...) -- and we while we have ventured out more often lately, we're still a lot more careful than most people we know.  We still mask in stores and other public places, albeit we usually don't in smaller/family settings.  (Dh has been making some noises lately about feeling weird about being "the only one" at the supermarket wearing a mask -- or one of the few, anyway -- but I DO NOT CARE!)  

On top of dh's solo trips to the supermarket for groceries (about once a week), for occasional takeout lunches & dinners, and to see/help out his brother, together we: 

• Saw Little Great-Nephew at BIL & SIL's 5 times: stayed with him for several hours/most of the day while his grandparents (BIL & SIL) were at appointments on May 3rd, 16th & 31st; went over to see him and his grandparents (and stayed for lunch) on May 9th; dropped by for an hour or so on May 11th. (See also May 21st & 24th below, which would make it 7 times total we got to see him this month! :)  ) 
• The clock is ticking:  LGN's parents have enrolled him in junior kindergarten (nursery school/pre-school) for the fall, as well as before & after school programs to help bridge the gap between school hours and drop offs/pick ups. SIL has enrolled him in day camp twice a week during July, to give him some much-needed socialization time with other kids his own age (as well as to give herself and BIL a bit of a break...!).  And of course, what happens when BIL has his surgery remains to be seen... Once school starts in September, we won't get to see LGN nearly as often as we do now -- so we are enjoying this precious time and building memories with him while we still can... 
• Drove into midtown Toronto on May 4th for a checkup with our optometrist (for me), six months after my last one, and one year after he saw something abnormal in my right eye and referred me to an opthamologist, which resulted in surgery last July. Things (still) look good and my prescription remains more or less the same (my glasses are more than 8 years old!). I don't have to see him again for another year.
• Drove BIL & SIL to a lengthy medical appointment in downtown Toronto, late in the morning of May 10th. (LGN's mom took the day off work to be with him.)  
• By the time we got back to the suburb where we live, it was 3 p.m. -- we hadn't had any lunch, and we were all starving -- so we went to our favourite souvlaki place for a late lunch/early dinner. There was just one other table plus staff there, so it felt relatively safe from a covid perspective.  This was only the third time we've eaten in a restaurant since covid began 3+ years ago -- all three times within the past six months.  
• Went grocery shopping at the supermarket together after we left BIL's on the afternoon of May 16th;  stopped there for takeout lunch after getting our latest covid booster shots on May 28th (see above); and also for some takeout dinner after staying with LGN all day yesterday (May 31st).  
• Visited the dentist on May 17th (both of us). I noticed the plexiglass barriers in front of the reception desk had been removed, as had some (although not all) of the plastic sheeting between treatment cubicles, and some of the reception/administration staff were not masked. (Some still were, though... and of course, most of the dentists & hygienists wore masks even before the pandemic!)  
• Had lunch (barbecue) on Sunday, May 21st (our Victoria Day holiday long weekend) at BIL & SIL's house, along with both nephews & their families. :)  Nobody wore masks while holding the baby (Little Great-Niece) this time around either (which we've done every other time we've seen her before, at the parents' request -- and they didn't say anything, so I'm assuming they're okay with no masks now). 
• Stopped at the supermarket en route to pick up a cake for dessert. 
• Picked up a few things at Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart, and shopped for shorts for dh at Mark's Work Wearhouse on May 23rd.  
• Went with BIL, SIL & Little Great-Nephew to visit BIL & dh's aunt on May 24th. Had lunch at BIL & SIL's afterward, and then stayed with LGN while his grandparents went out to run a few errands.  
• As we were leaving, I said (as I always do), "Love you, LGN!"  and (without looking up from his toys, lol) he said, "I love you too." !!!  I think that's the first time he's said that. MADE. MY. DAY.  :)  :)  :)  

25 years ago in May (1998), I celebrated a very happy Mother's Day as a mother-to-be, saw a genetic counsellor and had my first prenatal visit with my ob-gyn. 

• May 1998: First appointments, first decisions

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 5 books in May (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads, & tagged "2023 books").  

• "Sarah's Cottage" by D.E. Stevenson, which my DES group is now reading & discussing together, chapter by chapter. (It's a sequel to "Sarah Morris Remembers," which we read late last year -- reviews of that book here and here). (My review.) 
• "Funny Girl" by Nick Hornby. (My review.)  (See also "Watching," below!) 
• "The Whispers" by Ashley Audrain. As mentioned last month, I received an advance copy via NetGalley -- which -- unbeknown to me -- I was under "deadline" to read before it was "archived" on June 13th.  (My review.)
• "Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery, a re-read together with my LMM Readathon Facebook group. (My review;  my original review here.)  See below re: our next book!  
• "Women Without Kids" by Ruby Warrington. (My review.)  

This brings me to 22 books read to date in 2023,  49% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. :)  I am currently (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. 

Current read(s): 

• "Mothering Sunday" by Graham Swift, the June pick for my Lighthouse Women Nomo Book Club. This will be a re-read for me (my previous review here). Zoom discussion date TBA (generally late in the month). 
• "Sarah's Cottage" by D.E. Stevenson, with my DES group.  I will count this book as a re-read after we finish in early August. (My original review here.) 
• "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day.  Re-reading (for the 5th time, I think!) and discussing one chapter per month (for the second time) with a group of other childless women within the private online Gateway/Lighthouse Women community. If & when I/we complete the full 12 chapters, I'll count it as a(nother) re-read. I was unable to attend this month's Zoom meeting for Chapter 4;  we'll cover Chapter 5 in June! (My most recent review -- with links to previous reviews -- here.) 

Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  

• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  We recently agreed on a new list of upcoming books to discuss which should keep us busy through 2024, and maybe even into 2025!  (A couple of the books are ones we covered when I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)  
• The House on the Cliff
• Bel Lamington 
• Fletcher’s End
• Miss Buncle’s Book
• Peter West 
• Miss Buncle Married
• The Two Mrs Abbotts
• Crooked Adam 
• The Four Graces
• For my L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group:  The group admin just announced this morning that she's taking a well-deserved summer off, but will be re-running posts related to "The Blue Castle,"  which we read together back in fall 2020.  (Reviews here, here and, from an earlier book-related post, here.) I'm not sure I'll be re-reading that one again so soon after we covered it -- but it IS quite possibly my favourite Montgomery novel ever (along with "Rilla of Ingleside" and "Jane of Lantern Hill") -- so...??  
• For my Gateway/Lighthouse Women NoMo Book Club (for July): "The Bullet That Missed (The Thursday Murder Club #3)" by Richard Osman. This will be a re-read for me (my previous review).  Zoom discussion date TBA (generally late in the month). 

• For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: Not sure what's happening here??  The apparent plan was to discuss a book a month (which seemed like a reasonable pace to me, giving me time to read other books too).  The last post to date was on March 22nd, about book #2, "A Fatal Grace" (reviewed here) -- since then, silence.  While discussion dates for the first two books were set a month in advance, there was no mention of book #3, "The Cruellest Month" (which I read in April and reviewed here), or when we'd be discussing it. 
• Whether or not the Readalong ever resumes, I have book #4, "A Rule Against Murder" (titled "The Murder Stone" in some markets) in my soon-to-read pile. :)  And!  Dh has started reading the books too!  So far, he's covered the first three. 

A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points): 

• "A Guide to Midwestern Conversation" by Taylor Kay Phillips (this one was bought as a hardcover -- I read about it on Lyz Lenz's Substack newsletter, here).  
• "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone" by Benjamin Stevenson 
• "Courtiers" by Valentine Low 
• "Stay True" by Hua Hsu
• "Whatever Next?" by Anne Glenconner 
• "Screaming on the Inside" by Jessica Grose 
• "The Trauma Beat" by Tamara Cherry 
• "The Wager" by David Grann 

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Watching: 

• King Charles III's coronation on May 6th in London -- which I got up at 4 a.m. to watch!! (mostly on CBC, occasionally flipping over to BBC World).  
• Season 1 of "Lucky Hank" with Bob Odenkirk wound up on May 7th. We really enjoyed it, and hope there will be a second!    
• As I mentioned last month (!), the NHL Stanley Cup (hockey) playoffs are (still!) on.  Alas, although the Toronto Maple Leafs made it past the first round (for the first time in 19!! years!!), they were eliminated mid-month in the second round by the Florida Panthers (who won the series, 4 games to 1). Next year will be 57 years (!!) since the Leafs last won the Stanley Cup...!  The Edmonton Oilers -- the last Canadian team left in the playoffs -- were also eliminated in round 2. It's been 30 years since a Canadian team last won the Stanley Cup. :(   Dh is still tuning into some of the games, but I'll admit I've lost interest. 
• "Funny Woman," based on the Nick Hornby novel "Funny Girl" (my review of the book, here), premiered May 11th on the W Network here in Canada.  So far, I've seen 3 of 6 episodes. It deviates from the book in some of the details, but (so far, anyway) the bones/arc of the story remains the same. (In my book review, I mentioned Rupert Everett as the agent, Brian -- I finally figured out who he reminded me of in this role -- would you believe Alastair Sim in "A Christmas Carol"??!)  
• "Miss Austen Regrets," a movie about Jane Austen -- who was, of course, both single and childless -- and her relationship with her niece Fanny, on PBS recently. Based in part on some of Austen's letters. 
• "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" -- a well-reviewed documentary made in 2020 about the BeeGees, which aired on CNN a few night ago. The music of the Brothers Gibb (including younger brother Andy) formed a huge part of the soundtrack of my teen years in the 1970s (alongside other, harder-edged sounds). I am definitely a fan :) and I loved this documentary! (My review of a book about Andy that I read last summer, here.) 
• As usual, there were some pretty good fireworks displays in the neighbourhood surrounding our condo building over the recent Victoria Day long weekend.  (Fireworks are a Victoria Day tradition, particularly here in Ontario, it seems.)  I could see much of what was going on without even having to get up from my couch!  

Listening:  

• To a lot of noise coming from the depths of our condo building:  "repair work" on the parking garage began earlier this week and is scheduled to continue for a full TWO WEEKS.  What repairs need to be done (especially when the building is only 8-9 years old) were not specified. (Our next door neighbour is on the condo board, and I'm hoping to run into him so that we can ask -- he's always a fount of information and gossip, lol.)  
• To a lot of music by Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away on May 1st at the age of 84 (that last link is a gift link from The Globe & Mail). It's impossible to understate his impact and importance in my country -- he was a cultural icon and national treasure. I never saw him in concert (although he regularly played Massey Hall in downtown Toronto -- he was the last person to play there in 2018 before it closed for major renovations, and the first onstage when it reopened in 2021), but it feels like his music has always been a part of my life. I remember singing "Sit Down, Young Stranger" and "The Pony Man" in music class at school as a kid in the early 1970s (our teacher must have been a fan...!), and "Cotton Jenny" in a school choir (!)(although I was more familiar with Anne Murray's version than his) -- and as I read the obituaries and appreciations and comments, and as people named their favourite Lightfoot songs, I found myself thinking, "Oh yeah, that one.. Oh yeah, THAT one!" and "I forgot about that one!!"  
• It's almost impossible to pick a favourite -- but "Carefree Highway" always makes me think of long road trips across the Prairies; "Beautiful" would melt any woman's heart (and "If You Could Read My Mind" would break it); and I love, love, love "Song for a Winter's Night." I was got a shock of recognition when several readers' comments mentioned "Bitter Green," which often got played on the Winnipeg radio station my dad listened/listens to in the morning, when I was growing up. And, of course, every time I hear "Daylight Katy," you know who I'm thinking of...! -- although apparently he wrote the song about his cat...! (The lyrics actually read "Daylight Katy, come on..." but I've always heard it as "Daylight Katy, come home" -- wishful thinking on my part, perhaps...) 
• (I'd better stop before I fill up this entire post with a list of Lightfoot songs...!) 
• To an absolutely fascinating podcast interview with British author Jane Thynne, also known as C.J. Carey, author of two of my favourite books in recent years, "Widowland" and "Queen High" (which will be released in North America this summer under the title "Queen Wallis"). She mentions some of the unsettling real-life inspirations for the books, and draws some interesting parallels between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson and a certain other royal couple (cough!) who's been in the news a lot lately...!

As I mentioned last month, Spotify shut down the daily (original/all-decades) Heardle challenge on May 5th -- the last day to play was May 4th.  The final song? "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra ("Start spreading the news/I'm leaving today..."  lol).  At the end, my stats were 24.8% correct (68/274, 19 on the first guess), maximum streak: 3. 

Thankfully, the knock-off "Heardle Decades" versions continue. (I've always done much better on those versions anyway -- especially the 60s & 70s!)  Stats as of May 31st: 

• Heardle 60s:  79.0% (199/252, 92 on first guess), down slightly from last month. Max. streak: 14. 
• Heardle 70s:  69.5% (182/262, 108 on the first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 13. 
• Heardle 80s:  33.3% (35/105,  19 on the first guess), (way) down from last month. Max. streak: 3. 
• Heardle 90s: 31.7% (79/248, 27 on the first guess), down slightly this month. Max. streak: 4. 

Eating/Drinking:  

• Takeout dinners on Saturday nights this month included McDonalds, teriyaki rice bowls from the local supermarket takeout counter, rotisserie chicken, and wood oven pizza. (The pizza is good, but not QUITE as good as it once was. I think the guy who used to make it must have retired. He was pretty old! -- but he made excellent pizza, lol.) 
• Younger Nephew & his wife gave us a gift bag of goodies at Easter, including a box of individually wrapped "lemon wildberry" gourmet biscotti by "Mom's Best." We've added them to our regular shopping list. Yum!   
• Dh & BIL's aunt sent BIL home with a big Ziploc bag full of Italian Easter bread (cuculi) after our recent visit there, and SIL split it with us, saying they couldn't possibly eat it all themselves.  Double yum!  :)  

Buying (besides books, lol):  I indulged in one of my periodic online shopping sprees, and ordered a few new T-shirts from Lucky Brand Canada (Victoria Day weekend 1/2 price sale);  a pricey shower squeegee from a Calgary-based company called Ocean Sales (where I previously bought an amazing window washing squeegie kit);  and, from Amazon Canada, a small cookie-dough scoop (I already have a larger one) and "Gord's Gold" CD (Gordon Lightfoot's greatest hits -- I couldn't resist...!). 

We went out shopping one afternoon and brought home some furnace filters at Canadian Tire and two new pairs of shorts for dh at Mark's Work Wearhouse. 

Wearing: It was FINALLY time to bring out the capris & sandals, and put away my long jeans! (hopefully for the rest of the summer!)  :)  (Haven't put on shorts or a tank top yet, but I'm sure that's coming...) 

Trying:  Not to panic when the (fibre optic/Internet-based) TV service goes down, as it did a few nights ago. Huge anxiety, as it happened when I was using the remote (a rare event!  lol) to change channels, and the picture froze. I tried turning the TV on & off, and the same picture was still frozen there. It was late -- too late to be fiddling around with technical stuff -- and we finally just went to bed. In the morning, I tried unplugging the TV & receiver, waiting a few minutes and then plugging them back in & turning the TV back on again. It took a minute to fully reboot, but worked like a charm.  A good reminder that unplugging/pausing/reconnecting is the first thing you should try when you run into technical difficulties. (Works well in terms of your own life too!  lol)  

Noticing:  A loud, high-pitched, intermittent whistling/trilling noise, coming from outside. Not every night, but several times recently, since the weather got nice enough to have the balcony door open.  (I remember hearing it last summer as well.) It starts in the late afternoon, and I can still hear it (more muffled) when I go to bed at night. Not sure if it's insects, birds, frogs from the nearby creek, or...??  

Also noticing:  The pounds creeping back on. :(   I weighed myself this morning and I am up more than 3 pounds since last month, which was up more than 2 pounds over the month before that -- about 6 pounds overall since the new year. I'm still more than 12 pounds lighter than my all-time heaviest weight, but this is not the direction I want to see the scale moving  Time to nip this trend in the bud...!  

Enjoying: Being able to have the balcony door wide open again! (albeit the windows in/around it need washing!).  The weather is mild enough now, and -- until yesterday, when we finally turned on the air conditioning -- there wasn't any/much humidity (yay!).  

Appreciating: Having air conditioning, when it's needed!  

Wanting: Gelato!  (Still haven't gone for our first gelato outing of the summer -- need to add to the agenda...!) 

Wondering:  Whether I'm going to be able to make it home this summer??  (It will depend on what's happening with BIL & when.) 

Worrying:  (As usual) About BIL's health issues (including impending major surgery), and the impact it's having on the rest of the family, including dh, SIL & the nephews.  :(   

Hoping:  That we will soon have some clarity on what's going to happen and when... And that I will manage to squeeze in a visit "home" with my family sometime this summer...! 

Waiting:  (See above...!) 

Prioritizing: Helping out BIL & SIL wherever/however we can right now. 

Loving:  Spending time with LGN (even if he tires us out!).  

Feeling: Happy that spring has (finally!!) sprung!  (Still) Anxious about BIL, his health and what the summer might bring...    

#MicroblogMondays: An "ouch" moment

It's the Victoria Day long weekend here. The weather on Saturday was chilly, but yesterday it was gorgeous (23C/73F, no humidity), and BIL & SIL invited us over for a late lunch/early dinner with the nephews, their wives and the little ones. Neither dh & I nor Older Nephew & his wife had seen Little Great-Niece since Easter (now 3 months old and several pounds heavier), and all of us had fun taking turns holding her and basking in the cuteness (except for Little Great-Nephew, who is clearly NOT impressed with his little cousin & having to share the spotlight!! lol).  I got to hold her for a good while, and even got a few toothless smiles out of her. :)  

We left in the late afternoon, heading outside to the cars in twos and threes so as not to crowd the entryway. Finally, there was just me, SIL, Little Great-Niece in her car seat/carrier and her mom, who was gathering up all the paraphernalia that goes along with taking an infant anywhere these days. 

SIL was gazing lovingly at her adorable granddaughter (as she should, right?). "You know," she said to her daughter-in-law, "there is something so special about being a grandparent, seeing your grandchildren. My mother told me the same thing, and it's true!"  

I quietly put on my sandals and joined the others outside. 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

Long weekend odds & ends

• What a crazy week it's been...!  I think we've had something to do -- usually involving an alarm clock -- almost every day.  
• Monday: dh drove BIL & Older Nephew downtown for a medical appointment, early in the morning, and was out until early/mid-afternoon. I took advantage of his absence to wash the floor mats & mop the floors (the tiles in the kitchen, entryway and bathrooms, anyway). And then enjoyed some rare "me alone at home" time!  ;) 
• Tuesday, we stayed with Little Great-Nephew from 7:30 a.m. until about 2 p.m., while BIL & SIL went for a lengthy medical appointment. 
• Wednesday morning, we travelled into midtown Toronto (the neighbourhood where we lived when we were first married) for dental appointments (cleanings & checkups). (We were also there last week for an optometrist checkup for me.) All good!  
• When we got home, we did laundry. 
• Thursday morning, we set an alarm, got up early and did the housecleaning, so that I could attend a Zoom meeting/chat/planning session at 11 a.m. 
• We usually do the housecleaning on Friday, but... 
• Friday morning, we returned to our old community for much-needed haircuts!  
• Dh is out again this morning, heading up to Older Nephew's house with BIL to do some guy-type stuff.  ;)  I could have slept in... but of course, I was wide awake at 6:30 a.m., even before  dh's alarm, set for 7, rang. Oh well...!  
• It's been (mostly) milder here lately (no humidity -- yet! -- yay!!), but overcast/grey -- possibly (likely?) the result of the wildfires that are burning in Alberta right now -- some 3500 km/2200 miles away!  Air quality has been "moderate" (not really bad, but not great either). The pollen count has been very high too.  We like to have the balcony door open when it's nice enough to do so, but needless to say, we've both had dry, irritated eyes and we've both been sneezing! :p
• It's raining today, so hopefully that will help the air quality issues...   
• It's the Victoria Day long weekend here, regarded as the traditional kickoff to summer. We've been invited to BIL's on Sunday, along with the nephews and their families, and we're looking forward to that. (We haven't seen our new Little Great-Niece since Easter!)  Hopefully the weather will improve, though...!  
• Fireworks on Victoria Day are also traditional (although they tend to be seen & heard all weekend long, not just on Monday night...!) -- and sometimes we see even more displays this weekend than we do on Canada Day, in July! -- but I guess we'll see what happens re: the weather...!  
• Several friends' & relatives' kids recently turned 25, or will be soon (just as another certain young woman would have, if she'd arrived as planned in November 1998):  my cousin's youngest daughter in early March, dh's cousin's oldest son in mid-April (I was newly pregnant and "out" at his mom's baby shower earlier that month), and just this past week, the son of one of my best friends from growing up, as well as a high school classmate's daughter. I will admit, seeing those birthday photos and greetings gave me pangs. Sigh.  
• I got an email recently from my alma mater, the university where I got my undergraduate degree in arts: "Congratulations on the 40th anniversary of your graduation from the Faculty of Arts with the University of....! We are so proud to have you as part of our alumni community...."  My first reaction:  "Yikes!! FORTY YEARS??!!"  (My second reaction: how much money do they want??  lol)(Answer:  none -- this time (!) -- but they did suggest I should make plans to attend homecoming this year...!)  
• Ugh... I recently got one of those "Lori, do you know...?" emails from LinkedIn. The person in question was my old boss -- my last boss, before I was unceremoniously shown the door after 28 years of fully satisfactory to above average service, almost 9 years ago now. She emailed me at home a few days after I was pinkslipped ("if there's anything I can do...") -- I thanked her, and that's the last I've heard from her (or she from me) since then. It's too long and complicated to explain why here (and to be honest, I'm not even entirely sure why myself), but... I just... had no desire to stay in touch.  
• Anyway, I was curious what she's up to these days, so I clicked to have a look at her profile. Or so I thought. What happened instead was I sent a "connection" request to her.  (!) I had no idea how to rescind it (and to do so without her knowing), so I reluctantly let it stand. 
• She accepted my request this morning. Oh well. I'm not on LinkedIn much these days anyway...  
• No links for you this time!  (Sorry!)  Maybe next week...

#MicroblogMondays: Just call me Superklutz :p

It's the Victoria Day holiday long weekend here in Canada -- our unofficial kickoff to summer (even though summer isn't officially until mid-June, and schools here don't let out until mid/late June).  It has been... interesting, and certainly not at all what I had planned or expected.  

The long story short (shortER? -- despite the #MM tag, this is NOT a "microblog" post, lol): I was at the zoo on Friday with dh, BIL, SIL, Little Great-Nephew, his mom (Older Nephew's Wife), her cousin and her baby.  And I took a tumble down some stairs outside a cafe there.  :(  Went in to buy some water and snacks -- we were all getting hungry & thirsty, and we'd been walking for hours -- and it was SO hot & crowded inside, and a very long wait in line. 

Came outside in the bright sunshine, looking around for everyone -- took off my mask -- and then either tripped or missed a step -- and down I went. Banged myself up good, including bruises and scrapes on my left ankle, elbow and shoulder, and a gash on the upper left side of my head. 

There was blood. :(  

I am VERY lucky -- there was a first aid station right near where I fell, and the medics were there in minutes. They tried to stabilize me enough so that dh could drive me to the closest hospital, but I felt woozy every time they tried to sit me up. So I got sent to a local hospital in an ambulance (my first -- and hopefully my LAST!! -- ambulance ride ever!). They did a CT scan there, which was clear, and ultimately decided I didn't even need stitches. It's about a 1 cm (1/2 inch) gash, and they just cleaned it up, put a cotton pad and some polysporin on it and wound some gauze around my head to keep it in place before sending me home. (They also gave me a tetanus shot.) Dh changed the dressing yesterday (I think he did an even better job than the ER doctor did, frankly...!) and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, but I still have it on for now. I've been sleeping with a towel spread atop my pillowcase as an extra precaution/attempt not to get blood on my (nice, newly bought! WHITE!!) sheets.

Of course it is a long weekend here. Normally, my family doctor's office is open on Saturdays and Mondays, but I won't be able to see/follow up with him (or someone else there) until at least tomorrow. :(  I left a message on their voice mail, so hopefully I will be able to get an appointment later tomorrow.  I have had concussions/bangs to the head before and this has been pretty mild thus far, comparatively speaking -- just some occasional twinges at the gash site and low-level head/sinus aches (especially if I'm tired), and especially on Saturday. 

However, the left side of my face, including the area under my left eye, swelled up overnight Saturday/Sunday -- and it's still pretty puffy today. I've been taking ibuprofen and applying ice every few hours to try to bring it down a bit. The ER doctor warned me to take it easy for a few days -- not too much screen time (TV, phone, laptop, etc.) -- so if I'm not around the blogworld or social media much for the next while, you'll know why...!  I've been off my laptop since Thursday night, although I have been on my phone on & off. I can tell I'm overdoing it when I start getting tired or my head starts aching a little more.

*** *** *** 

We were having a pretty good time until this happened. Disappointingly, a lot of the zoo animals were not on display, for various reasons, including to limit transmission of both covid and avian flu (!) -- and others were taking naps or hiding out -- but it was fun being out with LGN and taking photos. The zoo is not far from where we used to live, but we hadn't been there in more than 30 years, since LGN's dad (Older Nephew) was not quite two years old. It's a HUGE zoo -- more than 10 kilometres/6 miles of trails -- and we did a LOT of walking, including up a very long gradual hill/incline near the cafe where we stopped. I was huffing & puffing by the time we reached the top, and even felt a bit queasy at one point (and of course we've been in mostly couch potato mode during covid...!). The day started out cool (we got there around 10:30 a.m.), but it was getting warmer, and the sun was quite hot. We'd had breakfast around 7 -- I had a muffin when we stopped at Tim Hortons kiosk earlier in the morning, and I'd brought a bottle of water in my purse -- but it was almost gone and I was dying for a nice cold new bottle, and I was getting hungry too. So around 1:30, I went inside the cafe/food pavilion with Older Nephew's Wife (ONW) and her cousin (who also wanted some food) while the others waited outside. It was HOT and stuffy and crowded in there, and only about half the people (or less) were wearing masks, which made me nervous. I had a cloth mask on (put it on whenever we went in a building), but it was all damp from my sweat. And the service was VERY slow -- it took forever to get to the order window, and then again to actually get our stuff. 

I got my stuff ahead of ONW, and headed out the first door I saw (there were a couple of entrances/exits). I came outside at the top of a broad set of steps -- there were railings/bannisters on either side, I think, but I was right in the middle. I whipped off my mask. It was bright sunlight, and I looked around to get my bearings and saw the others off in the distance to my right. 

I'm not sure what happened next... I took a step forward -- and either missed the step, or maybe I tripped over my sandal? Anyway, down I went. :(  Next thing I know, I'm laying there with my leg against the concrete step, staring up at the sky with people gathering around me. My glasses were gone (so I couldn't see much more than what was directly above me, and not altogether clearly...!), and I didn't know where my purse was. 

As I said, the first aid team was there very quickly, slapping a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter on me, putting ice and cotton on the gash site to absorb the blood, and talking to me -- both to get information and (I'm sure) to make sure I stayed conscious and judge whether I was alert & coherent. (I was.) I told them my family was just over there, dh's name and description, and I heard people calling out his name. Eventually they found him, and he rushed over and held my hand while they worked on me (and collected my purse and glasses). SIL came over & gave me her sunglasses, because the sun was glaring in my eyes -- and even LGN wandered over and looked down at me with (I will never forget this detail!) a peanut butter sandwich in his hand (lol).  I was told later that all the way home, he kept repeating, "Loribeth fall down! Hit head!" and it was the first thing he said to Older Nephew when he got home that night. I just hope he wasn't too traumatized...!  :(  

My vitals were all good -- although they dropped a bit when they tried to sit me up. The idea was they'd try to get me into their cart and take dh & me to our car in the parking lot, and then he could take me to the hospital. All I could think was dh would never find his way there himself -- I'm always the navigator! (lol) -- and I didn't think I was up to navigating just then.  But whenever they tried to sit me up, I would start feeling like I was fading out. :( 

So -- they called an ambulance. (I will probably get billed for that, although I think my medical plan will cover at least part of it? Otherwise, the only cost to us was $14 for hospital parking.)  I thought dh was going to come with me, but he wasn't allowed. But I knew he would come to the hospital and find me there. They said I'd need my health card, and I told dh where to find it in my wallet (as well as the parking ticket so he could get out of the zoo parking lot!). They put one of those collars on me to stabilize my neck as a precaution and loaded me up in back. All I had with me was my health card and SIL sunglasses!!  No glasses (and staring straight up, so I couldn't see very much...!), no phone, no purse. Very weird feeling. 

It wasn't very far, and the guy in the back with me was so nice -- kept chatting to me and taking my vitals. He put a mask on me and asked if I'd been vaccinated for covid. We got there around 3, I think? and had to wait for a while in a long hallway crowded with other patients on stretchers and ambulance personnel, until a nurse finally came to take my info and admit me. (The ambulance guy cracked, "Yeah, she was at the zoo... got chased by a polar bear... or was it a jaguar?" I said, "Make it a polar bear -- I'm from Manitoba," lol.)(Churchill, in northern Manitoba, is known as "the polar bear capital of the world.") Meanwhile, the ambulance guy went out a couple of times to see if he could see dh anywhere -- and found him!  I'm not sure he was supposed to be there, but thankfully nobody kicked him out.  ;)  They finally put me in a room, and a dr finally came to assess me and send me for a CT scan (which took all of about 20 minutes from the time I left the room until the time I got back). He came back to tell us the results were clear, and that they didn't think stitches would be necessary (whew!). 

Another young dr came to administer the tetanus shot, clean up and dress my wound and give us further instructions. He told me to leave the dressing on at least overnight, and gave dh some extra pads and gauze and tape, in case it needed changing. I asked him if I could take a shower when we got home (because I was feeling sweaty & filthy even before this happened...!) and he said I shouldn't get the dressing wet while the wound was still fresh -- so I said, "What I wore a shower cap?" and he said okay to that -- so dh went to the drugstore and got me one when we got home (left the hospital around 7 and got home around 8 -- about 4 hours there total, which is not at all bad, especially with covid still around, and a long weekend). I felt SO much better after that that -- and some food & water. (I STILL haven't washed my hair yet -- not looking forward to trying to get the dried-up blood out of it...!) 

*** *** *** 

So it's been a pretty weird weekend. I've been trying to take it easy. Listening to a lot of music on the 70s music channel -- very mellow and soothing, lol.  This is the first I've been on my laptop since Thursday night. Promised dh I wouldn't overdo it ;) and trying to keep my word (and probably failing...!).  

I feel very, VERY lucky (it could have been SO much worse!!).  It's easier to dust yourself off and bounce back from something like this when you're 31 or 41, instead of 61...!  :(  

But I also feel like a total klutz. 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

Fireworks jerks?

Last Thursday was Canada Day, and Sunday (yesterday) was Fourth of July/Independence Day in the U.S.  Fireworks are a big part of the traditional celebrations in both countries -- but I've noticed more than a few people in my social media feeds and on blogs (Sue's "Unleashed in Oregon," for one) complaining about them, in recent years and over the past few days specifically.  

There are a lot of reasons why people might not appreciate fireworks. They can be highly traumatic for veterans and people who have lived in war zones (and there are lots of them in major urban areas like the one where I live).  They're also traumatic for pets and other animals. They can set off wildfires, especially in places where drought is a factor (and there are lots of those this year). 

This year, my country's Indigenous peoples/First Nations requested that Canada Day celebrations be cancelled or scaled back, out of respect for the very recent discovery of hundreds of unmarked children’s graves found near former residential schools (with many sure more to come), and the grief their communities were dealing with. (Would you like it if someone set off celebratory fireworks while you were mourning your dead child(ren)?)  Many official celebrations already were cancelled or scaled back because of the pandemic anyway (although there were several provinces that chose to lift some, most or all pandemic restrictions on July 1st).  

But judging by the steady barrage of fireworks set off in my neighbourhood alone over the weekend -- and reports of many others across the country -- not too many people seemed to have received the message. 

I loved fireworks when I was a kid -- but they only happened once or twice a year -- Victoria Day (May 24th) and (more commonly) Dominion Day/Canada Day (July 1st) -- and Fourth of July, if we happened to be at my grandmother's in Minnesota.  And there would be ONE community display, put on by the town or a local service organization, and everyone would come out to watch. Personal fireworks were mostly illegal, most places that I lived when I was growing up -- although I'm pretty sure that has gone by the wayside even in those places now. You could maybe buy some firecrackers and sparklers to light up in the back yard, and that was about it. 

These days (and especially in recent years), fireworks displays are EVERYWHERE.  They're easily purchased in the weeks leading up to the holiday from pop-up shops and trucks set up on street corners and in parking lots. We used to be able to see & hear fireworks from our suburban backyard when we had our house;  in the early years we lived there, the neighbours would take up a collection, buy some fireworks and set them off in the street. Dh used to fret about one landing on our roof & burning down the house.)  Here at our condo, we can see all kinds of fireworks from our windows and balcony -- some of them pretty spectacular -- and we sure can hear them. The barrage of noise went on steadily for hours on Thursday night. 

I still appreciate a good fireworks display these days, and I don't mind a little noise, for an hour or two after sunset, ON HOLIDAYS.  What I do mind is when the noise goes on ALL WEEKEND LONG, and for hours into the night -- and that's what's been happening more and more often lately. (Not to mention we've also been dealing with hours of honking car horns and cheering fans over the past few weeks every time Italy wins a game in the EuroCup soccer tournament...!)  Many people on social media said they thought this past holiday weekend, the noise was the worst they'd ever seen/heard.  I heard explosions going off well after midnight on Saturday night (when I was already in bed);  someone in my Facebook feed reported hearing fireworks going off at 2:30 a.m. last night/early this morning, when she had to get up for work.  People don't always stick to holiday weekends now either -- in recent summers, weekend fireworks have become a regular feature, even into the fall. I can remember asking dh on Labour Day last year when "back to school fireworks" became a thing...! 

I'm not sure why this is happening. I don't know whether people feel like they have to let off steam after being cooped up inside, not only during a long winter but a long year & a half of pandemic?  I've noticed that celebrations of all kinds just keep getting bigger and flashier these days -- more, more more.  Compare the simple kids' birthday parties my sister & I used to have and attend to today's extravaganzas.  Nowadays, you don't just go a wedding -- there's an engagement party, sometimes multiple bridal showers, a "Jack and Jill" or "Stag & Doe,"  multiple showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties (and not just parties but entire weekends, and not just weekends but "destination" weekends...!).  Come to think of it, I know fireworks get used at some weddings and gender reveals parties hereabouts.  

Personally, I think a lot of people have simply forgotten how to behave around others. I've heard so many reports of bad behaviour in so many different settings recently, not just related to fireworks displays.  Manners, common courtesy and common sense seem to have gone out the window.  The "I'm going to do what I want and if you don't like it, too bad" mindset certainly existed before the pandemic (and I think a certain U.S. president -- *cough* -- had a lot to do with modelling/encouraging this sort of behaviour recently), but the pandemic certainly hasn't helped. 

Late today, I heard that an errant firework was responsible, at least in part, for the death of the Columbus Blue Jackets (hockey team)'s 24-year-old goalie in a bizarre incident in a hot tub (!) in Novi, Michigan, last night. 

What do you think? 

Right now

Right now...* 

*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)

Pandemic update:  (This almost deserves a separate post of its own...!)  May was Month #14 going on 15 (!) of living with the COVID-19 pandemic.  The rollercoaster ride continues...!  The U.S. is opening up and abandoning masks (whether they should be is, I suppose, debatable...), and my social media feeds are full of my American friends & relatives, mostly maskless, gleefully meeting up with & hugging each other, toasting each other in bars, eating out in restaurants, etc.... 

Meanwhile, north of the border, it feels like we have been under lockdown since well before Christmas -- hereabouts, if not province- or country-wide:  the region I live in entered a lockdown on Dec. 14th, joined by the rest of the province on Dec. 26th. This ran 10 weeks until Feb. 22nd (and probably should have gone longer, but didn't -- thus setting the stage for Wave #3...!). Our most recent lockdown/stay-at-home order, which began April 8th, was initially scheduled to end on May 20th (after six weeks) -- just before our Victoria Day long weekend -- but was extended until June 2nd. 

Then, on May 20th (just before the long weekend), the provincial government announced  a new, staged reopening plan, tied to specific metrics (finally!!), including increases in vaccination rates (which I mentioned here). Assuming things go well and the metrics are met, some things will start to reopen in mid-June, including outdoor dining and some non-essential retail. (Unfortunately for me, hair salons likely won't reopen until stage two of the plan, i.e., probably not until sometime in July. Heeeellllllpppppp....) 

After hitting an all-time high of 4,812 on April 16th (shortly after the latest restrictions began), daily new case numbers have been declining. Yesterday, they dipped below 1,000 for the first time since March, with 916 new cases reported. A big improvement, but still...!!  Hospitalizations and ICU numbers remain too high for comfort, however.

Unfortunately, things have not been much better in some other parts of Canada.  At one point this past month, the city of Calgary (in Alberta) had a higher per capita case rate than INDIA.  My home province of Manitoba -- which has fared relatively well for most of the pandemic -- is currently a global COVID-19 hot spot and under its own strict restrictions (and the region where my parents live is one of the province's hot spots, outside of the city). New case numbers there reached a record high of 560 on May 13th -- the equivalent of 5,992 new cases here in Ontario (!). Cases in hospital ICUs are also at record levels, and some patients have been transferred to hospitals in neighbouring provinces to receive care. Needless to say, I (still!) won't be heading there to see my family anytime soon... maybe in the fall or for Christmas, if I'm lucky...  :(  

The one bright spot:  vaccinations, which were (very/agonizingly) slow to begin rolling out, are now galloping along... to the point that Canada has now surpassed the U.S. in terms of the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine!  (Who would have thought THAT, back in early March??)  As of yesterday (May 31st), 56.5% of Canadians (56.8% here in Ontario) have received at least one dose. 

Just 5.3% of Canadians (including 4.8% of Ontarians) have received both doses ( = are considered fully vaccinated), but second vaccines for the general population are now beginning to happen. Until just recently, the protocol was to wait 16 weeks/four months for second shots of all vaccines, to give more people the opportunity to get those critical first shots and receive at least some measure of protection from the virus. Last week, however, the government announced it will revise that timeline to 12 weeks in most cases. 

Dh & I happily received our first shots of AstraZeneca on April 5th (and BIL & SIL got theirs the following day -- also AstraZeneca). Since then, my parents, sister & her partner in Manitoba, and both nephews and their wives here have all received their first shots (all Pfizer). Most Canadian provinces have paused using AstraZeneca for first shots because of the risk of blood clots (and also because enough Pfizer was becoming available to meet current demand, as well as some Moderna).  After some dithering by both federal and provincial governments, it's been decided that those of us who received AstraZeneca for our first vaccinations *may* receive AZ for our second shots, 10-12 weeks after the first, so as not to waste any of the AZ currently in supply or due to arrive shortly. Whether there will be *enough* AZ vaccine to give a second shot to everyone who wants it remains to be seen. (It also remains to be seen whether AZers will be offered Pfizer or Moderna  for their second shots, as some would prefer (and assume will be possible) -- the governments are still waiting for more study data on the side effects, efficacy, etc., before making a decision on that front.)  

Under the 16-week protocol, dh & I would have received our second shots around July 26th;  now it's possible that might happen before the end of June. We would both be more than happy to receive the AstraZeneca again, versus the prospect of "mixing" (especially if, as with our first shots, it means we can get vaccinated sooner). Apparently the risk of clotting drops dramatically with the second AZ dose. But will there still be enough AZ supply by the time we qualify for our second shots? I guess we'll see what happens...!  

*** *** *** 

On top of dh's usual (once or twice weekly) trips to the supermarket for groceries and for takeout dinners on Saturday nights, this month, we went (together -- with some trips including multiple stops): 

•  To BIL's three times:  
• On May 8th (Saturday of Mother's Day weekend) to drop off cards for the nephews' wives (who share a birthday -- same day, same year! -- what are the odds??). It was just BIL, SIL & Little Great-Nephew at home -- we've all had our first shots (the adults, anyway), SIL has stopped working, and the weather was nice enough to have the balcony door partly open, so we figured the risk was minimal, and we wound up staying for coffee (despite the stay-at-home order -- cough...!). We hadn't seen any of them in 4+ weeks, since April 6th. :( 
• Back again on the morning of May 19th to visit SIL & Little Great-Nephew (and the dog, lol). 
• And again on the morning of May 26th. :)  He's still pretty shy around us (much to dh's dismay) -- hid behind Grandma when we arrived! -- but waved and said "Bye!" when we were leaving. (And closed the door on us!  lol) 
• Before heading there on May 26th, we stopped at the bank to make an ABM deposit. 

Otherwise, we've continued to stay close to home (both by edict & by choice).  

*** *** *** 

Reading: I read 9 (!) books in May (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads, & tagged "2021 books"):

• "What's Not Said" by Valerie Taylor (NoMo/Gateway Women book club pick for May). 
• "Sorrow and Bliss" by Meg Mason. 
• "Us" by David Nicholls. A TV version will be shown on PBS, beginning June 20th. :)  
• "Katherine's Marriage" by D.E. Stevenson (a re-read along with my DES group -- previously read and reviewed here, and a sequel to "Katherine Wentworth," reviewed here and here).
• "The Windsor Knot" by S.J. Bennett
• "Before and After" by Alison Wilson (see "Watching," below) 
• "Chronicles of Avonlea" by L.M. Montgomery (a re-read with my LMM Readathon FB group -- previously read & reviewed here)  
• "Summerhills" by D.E. Stevenson (for my author fan group -- a sequel to "Amberwell," which we read and discussed last year). 
• "Still Glides the Stream" by D.E. Stevenson (also for my DES group... this will be the book we'll discuss after "Summerhills").  

This brings me to 32 books read so far in 2021 -- 89% of my 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 36 books (!!). I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 18 (!) books ahead of schedule. :)  (Dh is currently at 62 books (!) -- albeit he stopped tracking on Goodreads for a while in April, so the real number is likely higher.)  

Current read(s): 

• "Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman (next pick for my "Clever Name" virtual book club). 

Coming up: 

• "Emily of New Moon" by L.M. Montgomery -- the next selection for my L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group. :)  I haven't read the Emily books in many years, so I am looking forward to this!
• "Poisoned" by Jennifer Donnelly (next pick for the Gateway Women/NoMo book club). 

A few recently purchased titles (in both paper & digital formats, discounted or purchased with points):   

• Used copies of three out-of-print titles by D.E. Stevenson, to be discussed later this year by my online group (none of which I've read before, at least that I can remember): "Gerald and Elizabeth,"  "The House of the Deer,"  and "Charlotte Fairlie" (which also goes by the titles "Blow the Wind Southerly" and "The Enchanted Isle").  They were all fairly reasonable prices and are supposed to be in good condition. We'll see...! 
• All three "Emily" novels by L.M. Montgomery, for my FB Readathon group (see above) -- "Emily of New Moon,"  "Emily Climbs" and "Emily's Quest" -- currently on order and due to arrive soon. :) 
• "Empire of Pain" by Patrick Radden Keefe (about the Sackler family and Oxy-Contin -- from the author of "Say Nothing," one of the best books I read in 2019).  
• "Just As I Am" by Cicely Tyson. 
• "JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956" by Fredrik Logevall
• "The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America" by Lara Freidenfelds
• "His Truth Is Marching on: John Lewis and the Power of Hope" by Jon Meacham.

My "Clever Name" virtual book club discussed "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman (which I already read & reviewed here --and thoroughly enjoyed!) at our recent May meeting. Because I'd already read the book fairly recently, I did not re-read it for the book club. 

Watching: 

• I finished watching "Atlantic Crossing" on PBS (8 episodes). It's based on the true story of how the Norwegian royal family fled the country after the Nazi invasion of 1940, how Crown Princess Martha and her three children wound up spending the war as refugees in Washington, D.C., and how her friendship with  U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped influence U.S. policy during the war. I'd give it 3 stars overall. Interesting to see WWII from a different (Norwegian) angle, lovely sets & costumes -- and I loved the period film footage shown at the very end of the last episode -- much of it filmed by Martha herself. But the scripting was a bit clunky and soap opera-ish at times, with plenty of historical embellishments (e.g., a tearful Martha singing "Happy days are here again" to an ailing FDR on his near-deathbed in the final episode?!). 
• Dh often rolls his eyes at my Masterpiece Theatre dramas ;)  -- but he was hooked within 10 minutes of watching "Mrs. Wilson" with me -- a three-part British drama, based on a true story. Actress Ruth Wilson plays her own grandmother, Alison, whose grief over the death of her husband in 1963 becomes complicated when another woman claiming to be his wife shows up on her doorstep... and that's only the beginning! This was originally shown on PBS a few years ago but I didn't watch it then. I'm glad I had the chance to do it now in reruns.
• This drama was based in part on Alison Wilson's memoir, "Before and After" (reviewed here -- see above under "Reading"). 
• I've now watched 7 of the 10 episodes of season 4 of "The Handmaid's Tale," which is airing Thursday nights on the CTV Drama channel (formerly known as Bravo). Most of the action and characters have moved to Canada this season, which has been kind of interesting...! 

Listening:  To a lot of great podcasts (and wrote about some of them here). 

Zooming: Among other Zoom chats recently, I caught up with two of my former coworkers, including one I only recently re-connected with on social media (all of us childless, too!). So nice to chat, and we're looking forward to doing it again soon!  

Buying (besides books, lol):  Not much!  Most stores here (aside from supermarkets and drugstores) are still offering curbside pickup only right now. I did order a few pairs of earrings and a necklace from my favourite sterling silver jewelry crafter when she had a flash sale to get rid of inventory before moving everything over to her new website. Always happy to oblige, lol. ;)  They were delivered yesterday. My squeegee/window cleaning kit, which I think I mentioned last month (ordered in April) should finally arrive this week too. And I ordered my 2022 Filofax datebook insert from Amazon last week.  

Appreciating:  The ability to order a wide variety of merchandise (especially books, lol) and have it delivered to my door while so many stores are closed right now. But also appreciating the efforts of those in the warehouses, etc., who are working (and in many cases endangering their own health and safety, and that of their families) to bring it to us.  :(   (These kinds of workplace settings are a leading driver of new cases here.) 

Eating/Drinking:  Our usual rotation of favourite takeout choices, including amazing thin crust/wood oven pizza (twice!), spaghetti rapini agli e olio, rotisserie chicken, and chicken fingers and fries.  

Wearing:  Bare feet in the house (finally!). (Dh goes barefoot year round, while I'm generally wearing both socks AND slippers during the winter months -- and still freezing, lol.)  (I did have to put on slippers again when the weather turned chilly again last week!)  

When our weather turned warmer during the week before the Victoria Day long weekend, I screwed up my courage, brought out my capris from the depths of my closet, and tried them on. They still fit!! (Well, they're maybe a *little* tight... but still wearable!)  :)  (I also tried on my shorts, with similar results!)  Not having to shop for new ones during a pandemic (with stores currently closed, and changing cuts and uncertain fits making online shopping a gamble...) was a big relief. 

Celebrating: Older Nephew and his wife take possession of their new house today!! BIL is on vacation this week, and he's enlisted dh to help move some of their things up there over the next few days. They are painting and having a new kitchen and some built-ins installed before they actually move in, though. That likely won't be until later this month. 

Wanting:  To wash (the rest of) our windows, now that the weather is nice (but waiting for the squeegee kit I ordered -- see above). The condo board hires window washers every spring -- and they just got done last week -- but they won't come onto our balconies -- so the balcony doors are ours to do, as well as the inside windows. And they really need doing!  

Once they're done, we'll bring up the patio chairs & little table from the storage locker. I'm looking forward to spending some time out there with a book and a glass of iced tea. :) (Before the weather gets too hot & humid...!) 

Loving:  The days when the weather is warm enough (but not overly hot/humid) to have the balcony door open all day, letting in the fresh air! 

Feeling: Mostly happy lately. :)  The warmer weather and sunshine really helps (as do the visits with Little Great-Nephew, lol).