I just came indoors after shovelling the driveway one more time. Will this Winter of our Discontent never end? I thought I ought to get the snow scraped down to pavement level because the long-range forecast is for more snow, freezing rain, ice pellets, and high winds.
Martha just came in from her walk on her new snowshoes. Santa picked them up from the back door of a local sports shop on Algonquin Ave – the front door was closed due to the shutdown. I didn’t mention the icicle hanging from her nose.
Wow, did you see that? A nicely-tanned young woman just walked by the swimming pool. She was wearing a mask but not much more. Ah, here comes the server with my Cuba Libre.
I understand, from hearsay, that the people in Florida are taking the pandemic very seriously although when I saw the lineup of old people queuing up for the Covid vaccine, they were huddled together out of the hot sunshine, sharing shopping hints for the New Year sales. The stores are open in Florida, both the Big Box stores and the small independent Mom and Pop stores. Locking Down in Florida means they ask you to wear a mask and there is Don Trump brand hand sanitizer available. Not for internal consumption.
I did get in line for the vaccine shot but I accidentally said ‘eh?’ and the Deputy politely told me to go *%#! home and get my shot. I tried explaining that it would be April before the General and his helpers made it to North Bay with a freezer full of vaccine, but I got no sympathy from her. I guess she just didn’t get it – once you have wintered in Florida or on the Islands, you don’t want to spend a winter shovelling snow. If you doubt my word, ask the former Ontario Minister of Finance.
We were golfing last week – I mean last summer – and Martha mentioned that golf was a lot like politics in the past nine months. You don’t take the flag out and Gimmies are a dime a dozen. If you hit one into the rough, say like lying about where you travelled during the pandemic lockdown (verified with prepared photo backgrounds) you just drop another ball and continue playing. Now, the Premier might give you a nasty look for not counting a stroke, but I heard that he is a little free and easy with the rules too. Come to think of it, Dougie isn’t the only one, is he Justin? Maybe politicians are exempt from the rules, and if not exempt, free of any consequences. However, like a golf tournament, if you cheat you are kicked off the course.
I have been reading opinion pieces about the politics back home every morning while I have my coffee on the lanai. There were some interesting words about transparency, ethics, and accountability in the City. It sounds like virtual reality up there. However, it is nothing like what we have down in Florida. They have an interesting system here where you can forgive yourself for mistakes made while in office. I mean, officially, not just shrugging off bad decisions and walking away. Pardon me, as they say. All those in favour of delaying the rink in favour of Cassellholme say ‘Aye’.
Sorry, I missed the vote - I had to step away for a moment – the neighbour’s cat was after the hummingbirds again.
Anyway, about reading the local news, the internet (and TV) prices down in Florida are dirt cheap compared to Canada. Maybe after we get this Covid thing under control we can look at getting some hi-speed internet service into the northern remote regions – at a reasonable cost. The internet has become as necessary as electricity, telephone, and water. (Whoops we still haven’t that last one cleaned up yet.) How do the people in remote areas ever get good service from Amazon or hot meal delivery by all the Restaurants on Wheels?
On that subject, do you know if the government is going to allow the restaurants to open after the lockdown? The ones I visited before the Boxing Day lockdown were doing an excellent job of keeping us safely fed . . .
If 2020 did not maul or bruise you too badly, you will have stories to tell about the year that challenged us. One must be optimistic about 2021 and the recovery some are calling the light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, Kudos to all the essential workers who kept us fed, looked after our medical needs, and those who tried to cheer us with good words and kind acts in the past year.
Gotta go – Martha says were are going to pick-your-own oranges this morning.
This virtual trip to Florida is the pits! Maybe I’ll pretend to isolate myself indoors with a good book for a couple of weeks and just let the snow pile up. Isn’t that what our former Minister is doing?
