Another fun writing idea

My husband just gave me another great idea to use in a story: A woman trying to lose weight knows that if there are treats in the house, she will cave and eat them. And yet she wants to allow herself a little enjoyment now and then. So she locks a treat in a strong lockbox and mails herself the key. With the vagaries of the postal service, she may not get the key back for a week or so. When it arrives, she allows herself the treat, then puts a new treat in the box, locks it, and mails herself the key again...

A fun writing idea

I was talking with my sister last night, and she came up with a fun suggestion for a story. Archaeologists a thousand years from now are carefully trenching down through the soil and come upon the "Covid Layer," -- identified by a concentration of TV remotes, puzzles, pizza boxes, fragments of old sweatpants, and obscure references to something called Zoom. 

Made me smile.

Tricked by the Light

The sun was bright today, the sky a deep cloudless blue, and I thought it would be an excellent chance to take the dog for a long ramble. Maybe we'd even follow along the river, which we hadn't done since summer. So I bundled up, grabbed the leash, and stepped out.

Cold. Cold cold. Like, eyeball-slapping, nostril-pinching, headache-inducing cold. We made it about three blocks and then ran for home.

Now I'm sitting in the living room, basking in the toasty sunlight pouring through the window and eating homemade strawberry ice cream. I'm ignoring the sight of the snow congregated in the corners of the yard and am pretending it's summer. From a safe distance.

Outside, I can see a very fluffed-up squirrel huddling on the fence, the strong wind ruffling his fur. I guess he was lured out by the sunlight too.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

Change of plans! Hubby came and got me and brought me home, so I'm here for the duration. Probably for the best. Especially as we watch things unfold in the U.S. on January 20th, I'll probably be glad I'm hunkered down with my loving family!

Polar Vortex on its way, and Sheltering at home

Two big news items here in Canada (which can't compete with what's going on back home in the U.S., but still a bit exciting for us up here). A polar vortex is heading for Manitoba and points east, which means we're bracing for unusually frigid temperatures, and new Covid restrictions were announced today. We are being told to stay home and shelter in place and not go out at all unless it's for groceries, medical reasons, or for exercise such as walking the dog. We're not to go out for non-essential things/reasons. Which coincides nicely with the polar vortex -- none of us are going to want to go out!

I am up at the church, which means if it's too cold to walk Brio, I can play ball with him in the spacious rec room downstairs, which he will appreciate. He's a dog that doesn't do well if he doesn't get enough exercise. However, since I'm at the church, that means I have no access to a car if I do need essential groceries, so the foodstuffs my husband stocked me up with will have to tide me over. I suppose if I got desperate, I could ask a neighbour to pick something up for me when they go grocery shopping, but I hate to inconvenience people. I don't know how long I'll be here. The plan was to stay until the end of January, but if travel restrictions continue beyond that, I will have to remain in place until Hubby can come fetch me. So I'm really sheltering in place!

I will devote this unexpectedly-extended time of isolation to writing another novel and hopefully disciplining my diet a bit so that I come home lighter than I came. Though since most of my food stores are flour, rice, and oatmeal, I'm not overly optimistic.

I have internet and music and a big Rubbermaid bin of books, so I'm okay. More than okay, really. I have heat and a roof over my head and a way to wash my clothes and the companionship of my fuzzy puppy. Life is good.

My Plea to the Media

I try not to get political in this blog, but right now I would like to request just one thing: all news anchors please raise your right hand and solemnly swear that after January 20 we will TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE! 

Stephen Fry said Pres. Trump is like a Dr. Seuss character who grows bigger the more you talk about him. Can we just not talk about him when this is all done? I don't need to know where he goes or what he has for breakfast or what he thinks or says. Let's move on to focus on better things. Surely somewhere in the world there are other newsworthy things to report on.

And I'm removing the word "trump" from my vocabulary and replacing it with "take precedence over." It's more awkward, but it's just my little way of helping the environment.

Looking Forward - 2021

In the build-up to the new year, I admit I have been somewhat jaded in my outlook of late. Closing the door on 2020 will not mean a sudden end to its problems. Covid-19 will still be with us, if not worse, spreading across the population like wildfire. Racism still exists. Poverty and war and natural disasters and selfishness are still rampant... so I wasn't very positive in my approach to 2021.

However, last night as I watched the broadcasts of various firework displays from across the globe, I suddenly found myself fighting tears. I hadn't anticipated the ringing in of the new year to strike me that way. I suddenly didn't see the fireworks as bidding "good riddance" to a rough year; they struck me as evidence of humanity's innate optimism. Welcoming a new year with fresh hope for a better condition. Celebrating that we are still here, still alive, still unconquered. Optimism and hope are essential, born within us, and we need to cling to them no matter what is going on around us.

I went to bed early with a good book, but woke at midnight when firecrackers and shouts began sounding in my neighbourhood. The sound of my neighbours getting on with things. We are here! We are joyful in spite of everything! The sound of life persisting.