Bill's Covid Journal #5
Item
Title
Bill's Covid Journal #5
Description
[Email #5 written to friends during the pandemic by Bill Hogan]
Sat 2020-04-25 9:17 AM
Journal of the Plague Year Week 6
Apologies to Danny Defoe (real name Daniel Foe) for ripping off his book title on the 1665 Black Death plague, but it's so appropriate. Speaking of Defoe, I suggested to Pauline that maybe instead of Hemingway, at week six I now resembled Robinson Crusoe, but she rolled her eyes, so no selfie of my current wild-man look.
I think Pauline has moved on to cute dog videos, now, because she shared a couple of videos of a British sports announcer giving a gripping commentary on his two dogs racing to finish their bowls of food, and then another of one guarding a toy bone from the other. Hilarious. Nothing is really happening here, and he made it entertaining anyway. Hopefully I'm doing the same because NOTHING IS REALLY HAPPENING HERE.
Other than my daily Tim Horton run, I didn't budge past the back yard this week. Over at Timmies every server now wears a mask and gloves and the coffees now come on a cardboard box top or in one of their recyclable trays. No hand serving. I also noticed a sign for do-it-yourself donut decorating boxes (for kids I suspect) of six donuts for $5.99. Way to keep kids occupied Tim.
I did notice a couple of "happenings" in our neighborhood, though, on my Tim's run. First of all, the church on the corner one block over has been having line-ups outside. It seems that since it's closed, and it has a ministry to the many area sex trade workers and homeless people, it offers lunches and groceries through the kitchen window three days a week. They do 500 sandwiches and 300 bags of groceries each week, and 100 cups of coffee and 100 soups each day. Hats off to Westview Centre4Women at 124 Queenston St. That was not a joke about the sex trade workers--this is a serious ministry.
Just about across the street from Westview Fellowship, the local Community Garden has been shut down since it's not an essential service, so there's no one there getting the ground ready. (Yes, I know May 24 weekend is the traditional planting date in Southern Ontario.) The 70 Niagara Community Gardens banded together this week to plead with Doug Ford to let them open with distancing guidelines and wash-up stations. 600 families count on these gardens in Niagara. I understand they're doing seedlings in anticipation of Covid rules relaxing.
On Pauline's side of the home she's watching a lot more You Tube videos and reading news from various world websites. Me, I read The Globe, the National Post and watch The National. I just don't get this You Tube, Facebook, conspiracy theory world. A side effect of these videos, though, are the great great great new recipe meals she's preparing based on those videos. We had French Onion soup to die for. And tonight it was a three-hit wonder, smothered chicken and gravy, roasted scalloped potatoes and cheesy stuffed biscuits. We don't order in at all--one pick-up Wendy's in the last six weeks.
Pauline did have a couple of new shopping experiences. She needed a new desk lamp bulb; yes a vital need. She ordered and paid online with Canadian Tire, they emailed the order was ready, and she drove to the store, parked in the letter E of the spray-painted parking lot and phoned to say what letter she was in. Out came the clerk with her tiny bag. Others had shopping carts full of merchandise being loaded so I guess do-it-yourselfers are finally getting long-postponed projects accomplished. Efficient and smart, I'd say, Canadian Tire.
At the grocery store, there are still long line-ups, still no flour and little baking supplies, the aisles are one way and now you can't use your own shopping bags. Each week a little stricter as we all adapt.
Speaking of line-ups, I remember queuing forever in England in 1952-53 when there was still rationing. I think one line was for orange juice, one for eggs, and I'm not sure, maybe one for cod liver oil. Maggie next door remembers taking two bus rides to get the weekly roast from the black market. Pauline remembers the large "Quarantine" sign tacked to the front door when her brother Harry contracted polio in the 50's. We've come full circle in our lives.
Since Air Miles expire after a year if you don't take another trip and we're not taking one, I cashed mine for $100 at Chapters and spent most of it already, and Pauline took $100 for Amazon. And in another sign of new world disorder Amazon told her it was concentrating on important shipments and her order should arrive in a month from now. Wow!
Remember I said it was important I paid off that $152 I owed on 2019 income tax? Yep, in these tough financial times the Ontario government withheld my monthly $48.50 Trillium benefit because I owed them money! Even though I paid long before the April 30 deadline. Rotten bastards.
On the other hand, the Feds ordered banks to ease up on bank card interest rates, so I contacted TD and I applied online for a kick-back of 50% of the interest each month for three months. They'll let me know in 30 days "due to the high volume of requests". I'll let you know how it ends up.
Oh. The never-ending bus sign saga. Once again I'm wrong, wrong, wrong. I was annoyed at the very large "Essential Travel Only" sign thinking it was rude and who would willingly take a St. Catharines bus (besides students) if they didn't need to. Well it seems lots of people. To protect the drivers, passengers enter from the rear and a big yellow chain separates the driver a long way from the passengers. And since revenues are down 90% anyway, no-one checks for bus passes or tickets. This became known. Enter the "non destination passenger" and the "riders exploring new areas of St. Catharines". I finally cracked the euphemism code. The homeless are riding around and around. What a gig! Warm soothing ride, a different vista each day. The bus seats are blocked now so each bus can only take ten passengers. The first eleventh passenger is told a new bus has been ordered from the depot to come for them. Thus the sign. I get it now.
One last item and I'll let you go. I started this blog April 1 after two weeks of isolation to record my life for future reference as a writer and thought it might entertain a few friends. An organization that previously compiled first hand accounts of war veterans and newcomers to Canada is collecting first person records of life during Covid-19--a living archive they call it. Brock University is collecting them for Niagara Region and has been in touch with me. Shirley from B.C. responded instantly to my first mail-out saying I should forward it to the Globe because of its immediacy--this is how it is in St. Catharines right now. I thought it over and decided the writing wasn't good enough for a national paper, but this, I think I'll go with it if they decide to use it. They want writing without the filter of hindsight. Since none of us knows how this will end, I think this qualifies.
Stay safe. I'm sure nothing interesting will happen next week either, but I'll be here reporting it anyway.
With tongue still firmly in cheek, your diarist of the plague year, I remain,
Bill
Sat 2020-04-25 9:17 AM
Journal of the Plague Year Week 6
Apologies to Danny Defoe (real name Daniel Foe) for ripping off his book title on the 1665 Black Death plague, but it's so appropriate. Speaking of Defoe, I suggested to Pauline that maybe instead of Hemingway, at week six I now resembled Robinson Crusoe, but she rolled her eyes, so no selfie of my current wild-man look.
I think Pauline has moved on to cute dog videos, now, because she shared a couple of videos of a British sports announcer giving a gripping commentary on his two dogs racing to finish their bowls of food, and then another of one guarding a toy bone from the other. Hilarious. Nothing is really happening here, and he made it entertaining anyway. Hopefully I'm doing the same because NOTHING IS REALLY HAPPENING HERE.
Other than my daily Tim Horton run, I didn't budge past the back yard this week. Over at Timmies every server now wears a mask and gloves and the coffees now come on a cardboard box top or in one of their recyclable trays. No hand serving. I also noticed a sign for do-it-yourself donut decorating boxes (for kids I suspect) of six donuts for $5.99. Way to keep kids occupied Tim.
I did notice a couple of "happenings" in our neighborhood, though, on my Tim's run. First of all, the church on the corner one block over has been having line-ups outside. It seems that since it's closed, and it has a ministry to the many area sex trade workers and homeless people, it offers lunches and groceries through the kitchen window three days a week. They do 500 sandwiches and 300 bags of groceries each week, and 100 cups of coffee and 100 soups each day. Hats off to Westview Centre4Women at 124 Queenston St. That was not a joke about the sex trade workers--this is a serious ministry.
Just about across the street from Westview Fellowship, the local Community Garden has been shut down since it's not an essential service, so there's no one there getting the ground ready. (Yes, I know May 24 weekend is the traditional planting date in Southern Ontario.) The 70 Niagara Community Gardens banded together this week to plead with Doug Ford to let them open with distancing guidelines and wash-up stations. 600 families count on these gardens in Niagara. I understand they're doing seedlings in anticipation of Covid rules relaxing.
On Pauline's side of the home she's watching a lot more You Tube videos and reading news from various world websites. Me, I read The Globe, the National Post and watch The National. I just don't get this You Tube, Facebook, conspiracy theory world. A side effect of these videos, though, are the great great great new recipe meals she's preparing based on those videos. We had French Onion soup to die for. And tonight it was a three-hit wonder, smothered chicken and gravy, roasted scalloped potatoes and cheesy stuffed biscuits. We don't order in at all--one pick-up Wendy's in the last six weeks.
Pauline did have a couple of new shopping experiences. She needed a new desk lamp bulb; yes a vital need. She ordered and paid online with Canadian Tire, they emailed the order was ready, and she drove to the store, parked in the letter E of the spray-painted parking lot and phoned to say what letter she was in. Out came the clerk with her tiny bag. Others had shopping carts full of merchandise being loaded so I guess do-it-yourselfers are finally getting long-postponed projects accomplished. Efficient and smart, I'd say, Canadian Tire.
At the grocery store, there are still long line-ups, still no flour and little baking supplies, the aisles are one way and now you can't use your own shopping bags. Each week a little stricter as we all adapt.
Speaking of line-ups, I remember queuing forever in England in 1952-53 when there was still rationing. I think one line was for orange juice, one for eggs, and I'm not sure, maybe one for cod liver oil. Maggie next door remembers taking two bus rides to get the weekly roast from the black market. Pauline remembers the large "Quarantine" sign tacked to the front door when her brother Harry contracted polio in the 50's. We've come full circle in our lives.
Since Air Miles expire after a year if you don't take another trip and we're not taking one, I cashed mine for $100 at Chapters and spent most of it already, and Pauline took $100 for Amazon. And in another sign of new world disorder Amazon told her it was concentrating on important shipments and her order should arrive in a month from now. Wow!
Remember I said it was important I paid off that $152 I owed on 2019 income tax? Yep, in these tough financial times the Ontario government withheld my monthly $48.50 Trillium benefit because I owed them money! Even though I paid long before the April 30 deadline. Rotten bastards.
On the other hand, the Feds ordered banks to ease up on bank card interest rates, so I contacted TD and I applied online for a kick-back of 50% of the interest each month for three months. They'll let me know in 30 days "due to the high volume of requests". I'll let you know how it ends up.
Oh. The never-ending bus sign saga. Once again I'm wrong, wrong, wrong. I was annoyed at the very large "Essential Travel Only" sign thinking it was rude and who would willingly take a St. Catharines bus (besides students) if they didn't need to. Well it seems lots of people. To protect the drivers, passengers enter from the rear and a big yellow chain separates the driver a long way from the passengers. And since revenues are down 90% anyway, no-one checks for bus passes or tickets. This became known. Enter the "non destination passenger" and the "riders exploring new areas of St. Catharines". I finally cracked the euphemism code. The homeless are riding around and around. What a gig! Warm soothing ride, a different vista each day. The bus seats are blocked now so each bus can only take ten passengers. The first eleventh passenger is told a new bus has been ordered from the depot to come for them. Thus the sign. I get it now.
One last item and I'll let you go. I started this blog April 1 after two weeks of isolation to record my life for future reference as a writer and thought it might entertain a few friends. An organization that previously compiled first hand accounts of war veterans and newcomers to Canada is collecting first person records of life during Covid-19--a living archive they call it. Brock University is collecting them for Niagara Region and has been in touch with me. Shirley from B.C. responded instantly to my first mail-out saying I should forward it to the Globe because of its immediacy--this is how it is in St. Catharines right now. I thought it over and decided the writing wasn't good enough for a national paper, but this, I think I'll go with it if they decide to use it. They want writing without the filter of hindsight. Since none of us knows how this will end, I think this qualifies.
Stay safe. I'm sure nothing interesting will happen next week either, but I'll be here reporting it anyway.
With tongue still firmly in cheek, your diarist of the plague year, I remain,
Bill
Creator
Bill Hogan
Date
April 27, 2020
Spatial Coverage
St. Catharines
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