Posted on April 5, 2021 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

The crown jewel of Victoria. Hint. It’s not me!

 

“Lord, I was born a ramblin’man,

Tryin to make a livin’ and doin the best I can,

And when it’s time for leavin’ I hope you’ll understand,

That I was born a ramblin’ man.

Ramblin’ Man – Allman Brothers

I wasn’t going to mention this for fear of losing the few remaining friends that I have left. This will unquestionably raise a few eyebrows and elicit some sneers of derision. But one of the joys of being a senior is that, with advanced age, you start to care less of what people think about you. The only person that really worries me is the undertaker.

It is Spring Break at our school. I have been in the north for eight months without a break. Remember, the only way in and out of my village is by plane. I could not go home for Christmas because it would have been sheer folly to spend my entire Christmas holidays in quarantine only to return to the north and do two more weeks of the same. While I thoroughly enjoyed “Christmas in Kangiqsujuaq”, I have been feeling the need to get away.

I decided to travel out west to visit my son, Peter.

“You did what, you silly ass? Aren’t you aware that there is a third wave of the pandemic going on in Canada and around the world? Haven’t you heard every health official tell people to stay home and avoid all but essential travel? With every passing day, more provinces are going back into some form of lockdown.”

Ok. My internet has been working well lately. I know about all these things and the Raptors long losing streak. Get out the violins. I don’t know if mental fatigue  rates as essential travel but that’s what I’m going with. I have consulted a few doctors and nurses that I respect. I wasn’t looking for their blessing, but I did want to know if I was being careless and selfish. I had the Moderna vaccine four weeks ago and according to the most recent data, it appears the efficacy rate is north of 90%. What I have learned from these doctors and nurses (and reading respected medical journals) is that my chances of contracting Covid are slim and my chances of passing along Covid to someone else are also small.

A few days ago, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States issued an updated travel statement. Here is the nub of the advisory: “Domestic travel is low risk for fully vaccinated people.” I can see you shaking your head. “Len, that is the United States and you are not fully vaccinated.” Once again, deferring to medical experts, the second dose only increases the efficacy rate by a couple of percentage points. The CDC goes on to say that “certain types of travel are absolutely going to be more essential. And that’s not just for work: we sometimes need to travel for our mental health to spend time with people we haven’t seen in a year.”

Honestly, as I sit here in the airport in Montreal typing this, I think that there is a better chance of dying from loneliness than Covid. My entire check in took under 5 minutes including security. I was the only person in line at security. Didn’t need my Nexus card!

Airports are surreal places these days. One is struck by the quietness. People are keeping their distance, of course and wearing masks. Couple this with the fact that every person is on some kind of electronic device and the atmosphere is less cheerful than a wake.

I have been following rigid Covid protocols for a year like all of you law abiding citizens, maybe doubly so because I am teaching where mask wearing is as common as chalk dust. Travelling from the north was the safest part of the trip as there are no cases of Covid and the entire Nunavik region is a green zone.

Traveling from Montreal to the west coast, I decided to add an extra layer of protection by wearing an N95 mask. I pity the health professionals who have to wear these every day. They are quite rigid and not terribly comfortable.

The flights were barely a third full and everyone was wearing masks. Ditto for hotels. As much as I would like to stay with Pete in his yurt, I chose to rent an Air B&B in downtown Victoria. Pete and I plan to hike every day. I don’t plan to go and visit any of my old friends in Victoria in their homes. We will safely distance in their back yards or go for walks. I have brought along an old CCM (Victoriaville, Hespler – I’m dating myself) hockey stick which we will use for our walks. Someone will hold the blade and the other the butt end of the stick. I’m joking of course, but you get the picture. I am going to be exceedingly cautious.

I hope everyone had a relaxing Easter weekend.

Have a great week.

P.S. OMG. I’m getting old. On my flight to Vancouver, the flight crew dimmed the lights and transformed all of the windows using tinted glass. It felt like you were flying at night. I thought that this was particularly weird. Oh yes, on the 5- hour flight, we generously received a bag of pretzels that wouldn’t fill the stomach of a mature vole and an equally midget sized bottle of water. Our “gift bag” also included a mask, hand sanitizer and wipes. How charming.

In the old days, the button to activate the overhead light was on the arm of your seat. Wanting to read, I fumbled around trying to find the gd light. A flight attendant came by and showed me the light button on the screen in front of me. Later, I wanted to watch a movie (Dead Poet’s Society with Robin Williams). I plugged in my ear buds. The movie began but there was no sound. Once again, I found myself flailing around trying to figure out the sound system. Have you ever tried lip reading Robin Williams? As I scarfed down my wonderful meal of 6 pretzels, I realized that I would once again have to reach out to the overburdened staff. Honestly, the flight crew have nothing to do on these long-haul trips other than maybe changing toilet paper rolls in the bathrooms.

A flight attendant was walking down the aisle. Just before she arrived at my seat, I discovered that ear buds work particularly well when they are placed in your ears. I had skillfully placed one end into the screen console but had forgotten to put the buds in my ear. Thank god I figured this out before she got to my seat. Being ejected from the aircraft over Lethbridge would have been insulting and embarrassing.

The movie was excellent. When I arrived in Vancouver, I was understandably peckish. As I was standing in the lineup at Tim Horton’s, I felt an itch in my right ear. When I went to scratch it, I realized that the end of one of my buds had remained in my ear.

Do you ever think that you’re “losing it”?!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 29, 2021 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Looking forward to chowder at the Dockside Cafe in Arisaig

 

The only thing constant is change.

If we needed any evidence of this truism, we certainly received it in the last year. Many people’s predictable lives were thrown into chaos with the arrival of Covid-19. While the rollout of the vaccine brings us closer to returning to some semblance of normalcy, it will be sometime yet before we can carry on daily routines without giving a second thought to the virus.

I am hurtling towards the finish line of my school year and possibly my time in the north. While I would not trade this experience for anything, I have concluded that classroom teaching for another year at the age of 70 is probably not a good option. There are many people who think teaching is a piece of cake.  There are some similarities to teaching 45 years ago, but the job description these days is much broader and more demanding in 2021. Most teachers I know are not looking for sympathy because it is a wonderful profession with good wages and benefits. Anyone who thinks teaching is easy, take a day off from your current employment and come and take charge of a classroom. Covid-19 has made the job much more demanding. Try telling a group of young children to put their masks on 100 times a day. It really does take a toll. It’s mentally and physically taxing.

I’ll put away the crying towel for a while.

There is still a chance that I might find different employment in the school, but the Leafs might win the Stanley Cup too. I’m not going to hold my breath on either one of these! I expect to be “unfriended” by all my readers who cheer for the Leafs… all two of them. The Leafs have a good team but it is hard to know how good any of the Canadian teams are this year because of the way the divisions have been set up.

I am looking at other options if I leave the north. Of course, going back to Nova Scotia and putting my feet up is not the worst of these. A summer of hiking, long walks, swimming at the beach, and eating lobsters has a very high appeal right now. However, once the batteries have been recharged, I know that I will be searching for something to do.

I have read a few articles lately about elderly people who are still going strong in their 90s. First of all, it appears that most of them have old bodies inhabited by young, vibrant minds. My mom always said that she never felt old. It certainly seems to be a state of mind. Every single one of these people interviewed said the same thing. Having a sense of purpose every day is the key to living a long and happy life.

I can’t remember if I have already mentioned this in this space, but I do have one other interesting “iron in the fire”. Mercy Ships is an organization that provides humanitarian aid on the west coast of Africa. They have two large medical ships that ply the coastline providing medical care, including surgery to the less fortunate. The ship is staffed almost entirely with volunteers from all over the world. A friend of mine brought this to my attention several months ago so, on a lark, I applied for the position of Ship’s Writer. The job would entail interviewing members of the crew who would come from very diverse backgrounds. As well, patients and their families would tell their stories too. The Ship’s Writer would chronicle the daily life aboard the ship and prepare social media posts, newsletters and other communiques.

The organization seems to be somewhat interested in this lad from small town Canada. My application is moving along and I have been approved pending a final review of my application, medical reports, qualifications etc.( God forbid that they ask any of my friends for a reference! ) Should this happen, I will then be put on the crew list. This does not mean that when the ships resume operations (literally and figuratively!) after Covid, that I will necessarily be offered the position, but at least I have a ticket. You can’t win the lottery without a ticket.

Last thing. I would hardly consider myself a voracious reader. I seem to go in fits and starts. Now that the days are longer, I’m getting out more in the evening for walks. I wonder if I will ever find the time to read the four non-fiction books that I now have on the go. I suspect that I am not the only one who suffers this affliction of too many books and too little time.

Have a great week.

 

Posted on March 22, 2021 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

 

This is what a real spring looks like – Victoria 2016

 

Spring has sprung.

Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed. When it’s -30, it’s hard to say that spring is right around the corner with a straight face. Now, I’m not complaining. By and large, the days are sunny and after the time change last week, the evenings are stretching out, allowing many of us to get out for weekdays walks, snow shoeing and cross country skiing for the first time since last October. So, while robins aren’t chirping and you can’t smell earthy aromas, we know that spring will come here soon too.

Honestly, in all my years and all my travels, the only place that I ever felt truly experienced spring was Victoria, B.C. My late brother Tom would often send us pictures of him mowing his lawn in late February or of the cherry blossoms blooming all over the city. I spent a few years in Victoria back in the 70s and got to witness a real spring. I believe that Nova Scotia at one point in its history actually had four seasons but as the cynics often say, there are only 8 months winter and four months of poor skiing. That’s not rue of course but more often than not in recent years it seems like Canada’s Ocean Playground goes from winter to summer, completely forgetting about spring. I am looking forward to seeing how spring unfolds in the north. Last year of course, we were ushered out of the province at the end of March because of Covid.

How have you managed the time change?

Last week, we “sprung ahead” one hour. I don’t ever remember this being a big deal in the past. Of course, with advancing age, there are a lot of things I can’t remember including what I had for supper last night. I see that you agree. It’s shocking that we can all sing the chorus of California Dreamin’ but can’t remember where we left the spatula after baking yesterday.

The time change hit me like a ton of bricks this year. I was in a fog most of the week. Those of you who know me well might opine that this has been a lifelong affliction. My sleep pattern was so confused that I actually had to take a morning off school last week to try and get back on track. First of all, I thought it was my age but many younger teachers and lots of students were unusually fatigued. Tired teachers and tired students are a bit of a toxic brew. I see all you current and retired teachers nodding your heads.

Do you have any idea how many coffee grounds are in a single scoop of coffee? I think about 2 million. I have been making coffee for five decades. I know how to make a single cup, a pot of coffee, and because I’m a working stiff again, I know how to prepare a thermos of coffee. A few days into my ‘spring fog’ last week, I was making coffee for work. I sat the cone filter on top of the steel thermos and started adding boiling hot water. For reasons only known to sleep deprived gods, the filter decided to tip over, pouring a half a thermos full of steaming hot coffee, along with the grounds, all over the counter, into four drawers and down the side of the kitchen counter onto the floor. No big deal. So you think? Go ahead. Try it yourself and see how many infinitesimally small grounds of coffee there are in a single scoop of coffee. I thought cleaning up molasses could test one’s patience.

I hope you have a spring in your step these days and that you shower with Irish Spring soap.

Hope springs eternal.

Have a great week.

P.S. “Big Alec” MacPherson correctly identified last week’s poem as The Windhover” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the more difficult poets to comprehend in my humble estimation. Not only did Alec recruit me into the financial planning business back in the 90s, but far more importantly, he taught me how to play hearts and bridge in the basement of the library when we were at university. I was not an academic all star as my friends know, but I can play passable bridge! Alec will receive a copy of one of my books. Maybe we can meet in the basement of the library to do the exchange, Alec ,and then go to Piper’s to talk about our take home exams back in the spring (!) of 1971.