Recently a loyal reader suggested I write about places to skate in Toronto. This seemed a little awkward because I haven’t skated since I was in grade 8. Along with other girls in my class, I used to go to the arena on Saturdays – not to skate, mind you – but to meet boys! At this point I don’t know where my skates are. But I remember they are white with blue furry covers and little tassels on the laces. Very flirty.

As for Peter’s skating history, he is much more athletic them I am, but he hasn’t skated lately either. The last time was when our grand daughter Agnes, who was about 7 at the time, took him to the local arena and, well, let’s just say she was better.

Anyway, despite these disadvantages, I started doing some research. Did you know that Toronto is the World Capital of mechanically-cooled outdoor rinks? We have 60 of them. That’s pretty…ah…cool! Many of them are just rectangular neighbourhood ice pads, with fences and maybe a couple of benches where you can sit to change your footwear. There are a few with washrooms and some serve hot chocolate.

Then there is the iconic skating rink at Nathan Phillips Square. It has all the extras – washrooms, skate rentals, a snack bar, lighting and music. It also has crowds. Another ice rink, one that is new this winter, has popped up on Front Street. it is not so fancy, but it has a view of two Toronto landmarks – Union Station and the Royal York Hotel. It also has chair apparatuses for adults learning to skate.

Next I decided to check out a couple of “skating trails.” Instead of rectangular rinks where you go around and around, usually counter-clockwise for some unknown reason, skating trails meander somewhere, for example, through the woods. The first one we visited was Sam Smith Park on a Humber College campus near Lake Ontario. Peter joined me on a dreary, drizzly day and we were actually surprised to see skaters and ice! We watched as they glided through the trees, in time to piped-in music. Then the skaters noticed us and yelled “Where are your skates?” We smiled and headed back to the car.

On another day we went to The Bentway. This trail is situated under the Gardiner Expressway, on land that really isn’t good for much else. On the day we went to watch, there were 100 skaters on the ice and about 50 more waiting in line. The music blared out as the skaters followed the 220-meter trail around and about. An art show is advertised, but we didn’t see any sign of it on that day.

One of the most popular places to skate in the city is High Park, where there is an outdoor rink. But there is also Grenadier Pond. This pond used to be marked by flags indicating the ice thickness and relative safety, and was very popular. But there were a couple of accidents where skaters ignored flags and suffered the consequences. So now the pond is off-limits to skaters, frozen or not.

Which brings me to the point that skating is not the safest activity for our time. Even as an outdoor activity which can cut down the risk of covid germs, there is still danger. The ice could melt or, even worse for us older adults, we could slip and fall. Just ask the loyal reader who suggested this topic – she had a spill recently and is down to one arm for a while. So stay safe out there! Maybe just buy some hot chocolate and enjoy the view.

Sue

Last year around this time, I wrote about Finding Joy in January. I must have been high on something when I thought up that topic! At least the days are getting longer. With Covid still here, more daylight is really all you can say that’s good about this month.

This year Peter and I managed to have a small gathering on New Year’s Eve. The guests stayed till about 1:00 am – we were so happy to be together! The next morning, New Year’s Day, I was so pumped up from the party that I woke up early. Then I woke Peter up to tell him about the adventure I had planned for us. He didn’t seem too excited, especially when I mentioned wearing bathing suits. But he agreed to go.

I have told you, in some past posts, about how I spent my childhood swimming in Lake Ontario. Since moving to the city, I have tried to go back into the lake during the summer. Too cold…brrr! So the polar bear dip on New Year’s Day has always intrigued me. How could people actually Do that? I decided this was the year to find out.

Peter and I put on our outfits, grabbed our hot coffee, and set out. We drove to the waterfront and parked. Then we walked the last kilometer to Sunnyside beach. We didn’t see any other swimmers in bathing suits. But we did see some groups of young people rushing along, laughing hysterically and carrying bags and backpacks. Could these be other potential swimmers?

As we approached Sunnyside Beach, we did not see the huge crowds from newscasts of previous years. But there were some other old people like us, standing with cameras and phones, not wearing bathing suits, waiting for somebody else to create the kodak moments. In fact, there were far more spectators than swimmers! We found a good spot and waited. Soon younger people began to gather in groups, still laughing – a kind of nervous laugh – as they began to strip down. I asked Peter if it was time…

Then the first group of swimmers assembled for photographs. Was this a swimsuit competition or a group hug? Or was it just a case of safety in numbers? The swimmers let out a yelp and headed for the water. We noticed they were holding hands. They were all in this together – no escaping. As they hit the water, there was a lot of squealing. They splashed around for about 15 seconds and then exited the lake as quickly as they had entered, racing towards their towels.

The next group had their turn. This time the shrieks were punctuated with screams of “Why Am I Doing This??” Nobody answered – they were all too numb with cold. We watched them emerge and dress at warp speed. Slowly their shivering stopped and one person exclaimed: “Wow that was fun!”

Really? Immersing yourself in ice cubes is a fun way to start the new year? But now it was our turn. We looked at each other…and smiled. Somehow we had left our bathing suits at home! For us, just getting up and walking by the lake on a chilly day was enough fun. Time to go home again and warm up with another coffee. At least we had gotten some exercise. Now we could sit down and figure out another, less daunting, way to get into the swim of things in January.

Sue

Urged on by warnings of supply chain shortages, I did my Christmas shopping early this year. Wearing my N95 mask and armed with my booster shot, I braved the malls and grabbed up appropriate gifts. When stymied by stores, I went online and snagged other gifts. Then I hit the pet stores and got some squeaky toys and cow bones for the 4 grand-dogs. Finally I was finished. Or so I thought.

Then last week, when grand daughter Agnes (in New Zealand) and I were having our weekly facetime meeting, she stumped me with this: “Nana what are you getting Missy and Sissy for their Christmas gifts?” Missy and Sissy are Agnes’s pet mice that we are babysitting while she is away. I hadn’t even had them on my shopping list. Silly me!

I went back to the pet store and roamed up and down the aisles. Since I had never shopped for mice before, I had a hard time. What size did they wear? I quickly gave up on the clothing idea because they don’t even like to be petted, never mind dressed! And they have lots of food treats, so much so that one of them is getting a little chubby. So no food gifts. Agnes is always telling me they have to be entertained in their cage, so I figured a new toy would be good. I settled on a set of tubes. They already had one short tube and it is a big hit. The new ones can be put together in many random shapes.

I thought this was a good gift because Agnes, via facetime, could help me design a structure with the tubes. I took the current toys out of the mouse cage, lined up the new tubes on the dining room tale, and waited for Agnes to call. Meanwhile Peter was not impressed. As a little boy, he got very few gifts from Santa. And here we were buying toys for mice! But he dearly loves Agnes and he agreed to help with the set-up.

Agnes was delighted with the new toy. Eagerly, she began instructing us on the best tube configuration while I held the ipad and Peter connected the tubes. Finally the structure was ready. We carefully loaded it into the cage and waited. Slowly and cautiously the mice emerged from their hutch and ventured out to see. They sniffed around a bit and then went back to bed. Imagine!

Pretty soon Agnes got bored and went off to practise her Christmas songs on the piano. Then it was time to say good-bye. But not until I had promised to be on 24-hour watch, ready with my phone to take a video of Missy and Sissy using their new gift. This turned out to be a bigger promise than I had expected. Those mice avoided their new toy for days.

But finally, one night when I was reading a book nearby, I sensed movement. There was Sissy, the shy one, entering the first tube. I grabbed my phone and began following her. She toured the whole structure from beginning to end, and then she turned around and went back the other way. Then Missy, not to be outdone by her sister, headed down the first tube. This video was turning into a full-length movie!

So I am happy to report that Missy and Sissy had a good Christmas. I hope you did too, dear readers. I’ll be back with another post next year.

Sue

PS Unfortunately, this platform does not support videos so you’ll have to wait for the Academy Awards to see it.

Well, dear readers, it’s tempting to write about Omicron, that Covid variant that is taking over our lives, once again. But honestly, do you really want to read about That? Wouldn’t we all rather go for a walk in the forest somewhere and pretend that Covid doesn’t exist?

Trees are so majestic, and yet so comforting! They provide homes for birds, and tiny mammals. Some of them give us food – maple syrup, chestnuts, and other edibles. They supply oxygen to the planet. And at Christmas, trees create a focal point in our public spaces and in our homes. So I decided to take a look around the city to see what trees can offer us this holiday season.

I started with a trip downtown. Here are the Christmas trees at Toronto City Hall and (the tallest), the Eaton Centre:

These decorated trees are in place to make us feel festive. But I wanted to dig a little deeper and find some more meaningful trees. I found them in a heritage building in Mississauga. The small Arms Inspection Building was designed in 1940 and used as a munitions plant during World war II. In 1974 it was given a heritage designation and now hosts many arts and cultural events.

One such event this year was the “Festival Of Trees.” Just inside the front door is an eye-catching one called the Mother Tree. Over 300 strands of wood, plastic, burlap, beads, shells and other found materials created by over 200 artists, hang down and form roots, symbolic of the connections that trees have to the earth, and that people have to nature.

Another stunning tree was called Twice Blessed, a lacy creation made from men’s cast-off white work shirts, cut into delicate branches and leaves. This tree is a reminder of how often we discard barely-worn clothing that could be re-purposed – into something beautiful.

A third creation that caught my attention was Diversitree, a tree whose boughs are covered with garments from various donors of diverse backgrounds. When the show finishes, the garments will be removed and donated to a local charity.

Another gorgeous installation was an entire forest of trees, titled We Remember. This installation focuses on Covid and how we are all cocooning – one of the life stages of butterflies – as we wait for the end of the disease. At the same time, we remember all the loved ones we have lost. Visitors are invited to write the name of a deceased friend or family member on a paper butterfly, and add it to a branch.

And so we are talking about Covid after all. Please try to celebrate the holidays in whatever way feels safe. Gather around your Christmas tree if you have one, or visit a local forest. And think positive thoughts about all the good things in our lives.

Sue

I have talked a lot about presents recently, but I haven’t yet told you about the gift that Peter recently received…a gift that keeps on giving.

You may recall reading about our ongoing battle with the squirrels in our back yard. I’ve written before about Peter’s Herculean efforts to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder, to no avail. I was really worried that he might be ready to get out his slingshot.

Our bird feeder was an eclectic one – a wooden device on a home-made platform on a pole. It wasn’t beautiful but the birds didn’t seem to mind. They gathered in groups, according to their pecking order; cardinals, jays and sparrows, all having a feast. The squirrels didn’t mind either and would scurry up the pole and onto the platform where they would eat their fill, and then hop off, leaving the feeder empty.

Peter tried valiantly to keep the squirrels away, He got a baffle for the pole but the squirrels figured out how to climb around it. Then he tried lowering the baffle. The squirrels began taking flying leaps from the swing, so he moved the feeder farther out into the back yard. Then they began flying from the magnolia tree, so he moved the feeder again. After they conquered that leap, he greased the pole and lowered he baffle even more. Those clever rodents even navigated the greased pole and the baffle, where they sat on top and reached up overhead to grab the platform and climb up. Peter was apoplectic.

As a last resort, I consulted the internet. And there, at Lee Valley, was the perfect bird feeder – “Squirrel resistant”! As Christmas was almost here, I ordered the feeder and it arrived just a few days ago. Peter was skeptical. How could any bird feeder possibly work, after all the deterrents he had tried? He set up the feeder anyway, on the pole, and admired the concept – the birds were supposed to sit on a bar and reach into the feeder for the seeds. But, if a squirrel sat on the bar, its weight would push the bar down and a little metal plate would also come down and cover up the bird food. A great idea, in principle.

Peter set up the pole, filled the new feeder with high-quality bird food, and we sat down near the window to watch. Soon a curious squirrel came by, and climbed up the pole to take a look. He jumped on the bar and “wham!” the plate slammed down and covered up the seeds. The squirrel lept down and ran away into the neighbour’s lot. We were delighted!

But where were the birds? We reasoned that they needed a few hours to find the new feeder and discover its contents. So we waited. And waited. NO birds arrived. Peter found an old feeder we had in storage, and he put it on top of the new one. Maybe the birds would recognize it and then notice the new one down below. Nope – nothing. What good was a bird feeder without birds?

We were contemplating another trip to Lee Valley to return the new feeder when suddenly – a cardinal landed. And he ate some seeds! Then his wife joined him. But nobody else. We held our breath. The next day we checked but it was snowing and no birds were flying. We waited some more. And then, like a Christmas gift, the birds came. Sparrows and jays joined the cardinals. And the squirrels looked up with envy.

I can also report that occasionally the squirrels still try to outsmart the feeder. They climb up, check the bottom of the feeder for holes, and sometimes even try to pry off the roof. Then they jump down, shaking their little heads in confusion.

May you find a useful gift in your Christmas stocking too.

Sue

On one of our Friday excursions Peter and I went north to Thornhill. We have visited this area several times because my son lives there. From our perspective, it was a sweet little place with some good restaurants and our grand-dog Venus. We didn’t know it had such interesting heritage or such brilliant holiday charm.

Thornhill is a community divided between 2 municipal governments – 2 wards in the city of Vaughan, and 1 in Markham. There is no city hall and no area defined as downtown. Some residents might say that Yonge Street is the main street, while others would argue that the hub of the community is at Bayview and John Streets, where the community centre, housing an arena, a pool, banquet facilities, and the library, is located.

Despite being a divided community with no hub, Thornhill certainly has a storied past. Community leaders have a strong heritage commitment. They have worked hard to identify heritage buildings with plaques, and they have moved several buildings rather than tear them down. They also believe in re-purposing buildings. For example, a main street paint store, Thornhill Paint Supplies, was built in 1850 as a family home. Many of these historic gems are protected under the heritage preservation act.

Thornhill’s founding father, Benjamin Thorne, arrived from England in the 1820’s and began gathering up properties. He built a grist mill, a saw mill, a tannery, and, of course, a Post Office. The village, which had been founded in 1794, got the boost it needed from Thorne, and flourished. Although Thorne eventually declared bankruptcy and shot himself, he is considered a hero. A monument to him stands outside the library.

One of Thornhill’s local characters is referred to as Holy Ann. She was an Irish servant girl believed to have miraculous powers. It was understood that she could coax water from a well during a dry spell. You can see a replica of this well in “Answell (aka Ann’s well) Park.” A replica of her prayer shed is also onsite. Ann’s home has been moved from its original location to a side street where it still stands. Ann herself left town in a box, and is buried in Toronto’s Mount Pleasant cemetery.

Probably the most famous resident was Group Of Seven artist, J.E.H Macdonald. He moved to Thornhill with his family in 1912 where he eventually bought a house at 121 Centre Street. It’s here that he created one of his most famous paintings, The Tangled Garden, in 1916. Critics panned the piece because they said it was a huge canvas for such a mundane subject – a garden. One critic said it looked like a tomato salad! This painting now holds a place of prominence at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. The gardens at Macdonald’s house are open to the public.

What is Thornhill doing to celebrate Christmas? Since there is no city hall, there is no village Christmas tree. But a Christmas gem can be found on a neighbourhood street, Wild Cherry Lane. Here visitors can experience an incredible light show, put on by a group of neighbours. Martin Lindsay, the inspiration behind the show, began his lighting career at the age of 9 when he and his brother, Andrew, began hanging lights on their big front-yard evergreen tree. In 2000 they created a major tourist attraction when they built their first computerized display. The light show has since moved to its current location, Wild Cherry Lane, and 9 families now work together to create and oversee the display of more than 120,000 lights. Donations from visitors all go to local charities.

If you have any spare time over the holidays, head north to explore this diverse and interesting community.

Sue

After my sad commentary on shopping a couple of weeks ago, I decided I needed to redeem myself. So I did some research for you, dear readers. Since many of you live in Toronto, I checked out some websites for you on unique holiday gifts that celebrate our great city. For sure you are going to want some of these!

First, there are always tickets to the Raptors or the Leafs, if you are a millionaire. These tickets are precious even when the teams are losing, for heaven’s sakes! If that’s a bit beyond the budget, you can go for a traditional snow globe featuring the CN tower. How wonderful if we could capture all the Toronto snow this year and put it inside a globe!

Of course there are Toronto-themed clothes. As I mentioned in a recent post, the TTC online store is full of wearable goodies, including hats and socks with little streetcars on them, for the “boys” of all ages on your list. The most useful piece of apparel I found was a tee-shirt with a list of tourist attractions, (including Chinatown, the Path, Casa Loma, and …the Gardner expressway. Really?). This is so handy when you are out wandering around and get bored. Just read your shirt and figure out where to go next.

From the AGO you can purchase Phil; a bottle meant to be filled up with good safe drinking water at Toronto’s outdoor drinking fountains; as in Phil the bottle – get it? From Indigo you can purchase candles that smell like Toronto neighbourhoods. For example, a Rosedale candle smells like roses, duh. High Park smells like cherry blossoms. The Beaches candle smells a little fishy to me, but maybe that’s just my imagination. And there’s actually a Gastown candle, from a well-known Vancouver neighbourhood, but I don’t know if it comes with a gas mask.

My very favourite Toronto gift is a mug: a mug in the shape of a city garbage bin, all grey and square. And out of the top pops, you guessed it, a raccoon! He is really quite adorable, for only $19.

But the most precious gifts are always time, time spent together with family and friends. Last Christmas we were denied this; forced to sneak around, going on walks in parks, 2 meters apart. We searched frantically for parks with open washrooms, and picnic tables where we could sit together for a few precious minutes. Or we shared the garage with the kayak and the bikes and a few family members bundled up in warm coats. But all that seems to be behind us this year, at least so far.

So this year, let’s enjoy our freedom while we can. Get out there and do things together! Take the family on the GO train to Niagara Falls. There’s a special package that includes the train both ways and the Hop on-hop off buses that travel along the Niagara parkway. Or visit one of the many drive-through and walk-through light shows that have popped up this year. There is a walk-through in Vaughan called Nights of Lights, close to Pioneer Village. In downtown Toronto Casa Loma is all decked out in festive lights day and night.

As for Peter and me, we are taking our entire family to visit Little Canada. I wrote about this in a blog post in October; a place in Dundas Square where Canada is represented in miniature. Even us. Yes, Peter and I have been “little-ized”! You can see us in Ottawa, at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, dancing near the piano. Come and visit us over the holidays.

Sue

As we watch the news from out west these days, we are horrified at the sight of drowning cows being towed down rivers behind rubber dinghies, and travellers stranded in their cars between mud slides, waiting all night in the pouring rain for helicopters to make daring rescues on the side of a cliff. But that is BC and this is Toronto. Nothing like that would happen here, would it?

Those of us who are older will remember the devastation caused by Hurricane Hazel back in 1954 when the Humber River overflowed its banks, destroying bridges and homes, and killing 81 people. Or, if you think that’s too far in the past to be relevant, just go back as far as July 2013 when Toronto received over 120 mms of rain during rush hour. Who can forget the picture of the GO bus disgorging passengers into a rowboat, or the Ferrari drowning in an underpass? How immune is Toronto from climate change, and are we doing anything about it?

First of all, Toronto is well-positioned. We are not located near mountain ranges which tend to alter rain patterns, and we live close to a lake which can help moderate extreme temperatures. According to predictions, Toronto’s biggest climate risk is for high heat, over 60 summer days of temperatures above 30 degrees celsius. Lake Ontario can help with that. At the very least, we can all go swimming, and I assure you those Lake Ontario water temperatures are chilly, even in July!

Most important, Toronto has developed several climate change initiatives. After Hurricane Hazel, new policies were written that forbid housing in the river valley. All along the Humber now are parks and playgrounds instead of homes. Too bad that BC didn’t consider this option when the government drained Sumas Lake back in the early 1900’s and built on the lakebed instead. Now all those dairy farms are gone.

According to climate change research, the biggest emissions in cities come from buildings. Old buildings emit gasses through their natural gas heating systems, and then let the heat escape through leaky windows. A complicated but effective strategy for Toronto sets out goals of new buildings with zero emissions by 2030. In a blog post last February, I wrote about Toronto ‘s 2009 green roof bylaw, which states that any new building over 2000 square meters Must have a green roof. There were over 700 such roofs at the time of writing.

Toronto is also into electric vehicles. The TTC is on track to purchase 300 electric buses next year. City council has recently approved a plan to allow businesses to use cargo e-bikes for deliveries, and a plan to build 3000 charging stations by 2025 with another 10,000 by 2030. In an attempt to get us out of our cars, there are bike lanes springing up on major city streets such as Bloor, and more bike rental kiosks now wait for riders along busy pedestrian travel routes.

So, with all this positive energy around, how can we help? Many of us feel useless and even guilty as we watch our planet fall apart. But, as Greta Thunberg reminds us, we are “never too small, (or too weak or too old), to make a difference.” Here are some to consider:

Turn down your thermostat a couple of degrees and put on your tacky Christmas sweater instead. Leave your car at home and walk to the store with your grandson’s wagon for your groceries. Put food scraps into a composting bin; add a few worms and soon you will have high-grade soil for your garden. Make some modern art for your living room with all your used covid masks.

OK maybe that last one is a bit far-fetched. If you have some better ideas, send them out to our readers.

Sue

Recently in the newspapers and on TV we have been reminded that there are delays in product supply chains and in the stores. There are warnings to shop early and avoid disappointment, and to take extra money along because prices are going up. Vendors have made promises to lure us back from online shopping by keeping things new and interesting.

With Christmas on the horizon what are we to do with all this news? As a writer with dedicated shoppers following my posts, I decided it was time to investigate. So I put on my comfortable shopping shoes, filled my wallet, and set off for Sherway Gardens, my local mall.

As I wandered down the hallways, I noticed few signs of the pandemic. Most of the directional arrows have been removed and there are fewer hand sanitizer stations. But there weren’t many people there either; only a few retired folks like me; some shopping, some sitting down for a quick nap, some walking purposefully in order to get their 10,000 steps.

Sherway’s holiday decorations this year are white, in various shapes. There are a lot of spheres; snowballs I guess. And there are white animals: moose, reindeer and at least one cute little bear. The tone is more of peace than festivity – all that’s needed are some white doves flying overhead. In fact, with all the climate disasters, disease, and civil conflicts in the world right now, peace is a very good way to go.

My first stop was Indigo. This used to be a book store with very few gift items. Now it is a gift store with a few books. You could easily do all your shopping here. There are plush throws tied with beautiful ribbon, mugs and more mugs, gourmet food items, and tree ornament for every taste. I managed to pick up a couple of stocking stuffers, but there were no sale items.

Then I tried The Bay. I wasn’t too impressed – there didn’t seem to be much effort at decorating. One tree was only half-lit! Following predictions of price hikes due to low inventory, there were very few sale items. I managed to buy only one gift at 30% off. But there weren’t many clerks either and I had to walk around a lot to find somebody to take my money.

Then I headed for the food court. Here I did have to show my proof of vaccination in order to sit down and eat. The area wasn’t crowded, and there was no Christmas music, no ear worms of “All I want For Christmas Is Youuuu!” There were no Christmas food items either; no Tim Horton’s holiday specials of polar bear donuts or candy cane hot chocolate.

But all is not lost! As I walked back through the mall, I noticed that vendors in some stores have definitely got the holiday spirit. One shop had everything gift-wrapped in red at the front entrance. The TESLA store had red cars in the showroom. Tommy Bahamas had red bikinis in the window. How festive!

And what about Santa? How is he faring this year? Well his little hut and big chair are set up and waiting for him. But studies show that there aren’t many Santas available this year. It seems that Covid has taken a toll on Santa candidates. So, if you have any spare time this holiday season, you might consider growing a beard and gaining some weight…

Sue

Life as we knew it is coming back. I am not making this up. We had some experiences last week that gave the news away.

One afternoon Peter and I actually went to the movies! We saw the latest James Bond film with another couple. There were the requisite car chases: around tight corners, along precarious ledges, through deep water and mud, all the while being shot at from behind. There were the usual sexy babes, wearing slinky black dresses with low-cut bodices, short skirts and invisible pockets for hiding the pistols. There was the necessary suspenseful plot: the hero at death’s door and the world about to blow up.

But we had our own share of suspense just going into the theatre. Would it be safe? Would people breathe covid germs all over us? Would we suffocate while wearing our masks for almost 3 hours? Well none of that was true. We were checked for vaccine ID as we went into the…EMPTY…theatre! There was nobody there but us. We were eventually joined by 6 other people, all in couples, all sitting very far away from us and each other in this massive theatre. We even took our masks off part-way through the movie so we could breathe for a bit.

Another day Peter dared to invite his poker group for an afternoon of games. First of all, we made sure that everyone was double vaccinated. There was a lot of discussion about keeping windows open and masks on, but the guys were so glad to see each other after almost 2 years, that they forgot both. They spent the first hour of the afternoon catching up on news and jokes. Then they spent the next hour trying to remember the various poker games they usually played. In 2 years they had forgotten a lot. One player even forgot his winnings at the end of the day! But we promised to put the $$ somewhere safe for him – as long as we don’t forget where.

A big disappointment of the event was that the chairs I recovered for the poker guys during last year’s long winter – chairs that were featured in a blog post, chairs that used to be ugly gold and are now soft black vinyl – went unused! I tried not to cry when the guys seemed to be having a good time without them, even staying later than usual and planning their next get-together in only a few weeks.

Another first was when I went to have my snow tires installed: I was actually allowed to sit in the waiting room until the service was finished. The chairs were all spread apart and an attendant came by a couple of times to wipe them off with disinfectant. There was no coffee available and no newspapers to read. But there were treats – Halloween candy, individually wrapped.

And, on the weekend, our curling club opened up for the first time since March 2020. Once again we all had to provide proof of double vaccination. On the ice we mostly kept our masks on, but we took them off when our glasses fogged up so much that we couldn’t see! The tables where we have our post-game social were all spread out, on two levels, so nobody had to sit too close. There was no popcorn or other finger food, but the bar was open for beer and wine, It was a fitting way to toast our old lives coming back again.

How is your “new old life” going these days?

Sue