Monthly Archives: April 2021

Apr28

Thanks For The Memories

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Thanks For The Memories

Every day on Facebook I check out the Memories section. And I reflect on my life and all the different places I’ve been. I also can’t believe how fast the time has gone by and how much I’ve changed throughout the years.

Two years ago I was volunteering at Camp Heartbeat in Peshastin. It was the beginning of my annual children’s ministry experience at LCN.

Three years ago I was in Toronto visiting my friend Deborah. I recall long walks along the lake and the beautiful view of the water from her backyard.

Four years ago I was in Puerto Vallarta enjoying walks along the malecon and gazing out at the ocean from my lounger on the beach.

I found another memory where I was actually in Winnipeg at this time six years ago. That was a year before I discovered Leavenworth.

And then I found a memory from ten years ago. On my way back from a visit to my friend Rochelle in Los Angeles, I had stopped for some beach time in Mazatlan before returning to Culiacan.

Today I’m moving from Leavenworth to Dryden, a town about 10 minutes away. Not quite as exotic as other places I’ve been, but it will be a memory nonetheless to look back on one day.

Apr25

Open? Closed?

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Open? Closed?

When I talk to my friends in Canada I feel like I live in a completely different world. Yes we still have Covid here but we have a lot more freedom. I enjoy a quality of life far superior to what I’d experience if I were back in Winnipeg.

I know we’re far from out of the woods yet. However it is encouraging to hear that 80% of seniors in the USA have been vaccinated. And almost 30% of Americans have been vaccinated. Perhaps herd immunity is on the horizon.

Traveling is once again on my mind. In April I enjoyed a couple of short trips in Washington state. And I’m planning two more short trips within the state in May.

But my plans do not include travel to Canada at this time.

My American friends are appalled at what they read about forced hotel quarantines. “Just let them try that here” they tell me.

I’m not a big fan of FOX News, but I have to agree when they refer to the hotel quarantines as forced internment camps. There is no excuse for this violation of human rights and the deplorable conditions Canadian citizens are forced to endure.

Canadians were quick to condemn Trump for the mishandling of the Covid crisis. I think it’s time Canadians took a long, hard look at their own country and the disaster that has been created by Trudeau.

I not only worry about my family and friends in Canada, but I actually fear for them. There is something very wrong when sufficient vaccines are unavailable by appointment in Winnipeg, and here in Washington state people are encouraged to come by clinics as drop-ins to be vaccinated.

As much as I long to see my children and my granddaughter, I won’t be traveling to Canada under the current circumstances.

Apr21

A Tale Of Two Peninsulas

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A Tale Of Two Peninsulas

Gorgeous sunny weather in Seattle in April is rare, so it was a perfect day for an outing to the peninsulas.

We boarded the ferry in Edmonds and arrived in Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula. A short drive later and we arrived in the delightful town of Port Gamble.

Back in the car, we headed for Poulsbo. The bakery everyone raves about is well worth the trip, although we did eat breakfast at a small cafe across the street. The sweet almond pastry was dessert!

We were soon off again and crossed the Hood Canal Bridge to the Olympic Peninsula. Port Ludlow was another quaint town with a peaceful marina.

Our final stop was Port Townsend. I think this was my favorite town that day and I took the most pics there.

All too soon it was time to head back to the ferry. We went back across the Hood Canal Bridge.

On the ferry ride back i snapped this photo of another ferry with Mount Rainier in the background.

I hope to return to the Olympic Peninsula one day and explore Port Angeles and Sequim.

Apr14

Habit or Addiction

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Habit or Addiction

When does a habit become an addiction? When does one become delusional using denial as a defence mechanism when it does?

Over the past few months I’ve had some interesting conversations with people surrounding this topic. Covid seems to present us with more than enough time to indulge, or in some cases, overindulge.

A friend remarked the other day that Creme de Menthe is nasty. Apparently she had run out of wine and the only alcohol she had at home was left over from being drizzled over ice cream quite some time before. She doesn’t consider herself an alcoholic. Yet she couldn’t go one day without alcohol. Hmmm. When had her occasional evening glass of wine turned into more than 8 ounces daily? Chalk another one up to Covid?

I love my morning coffee. I also love chocolate. Both are notorious in terms of caffeine content. While I can go days without chocolate, I’ve never gone days without coffee. Is my morning habit of coffee an addiction? I don’t think so. The odd time I’ve missed a morning I’m just a little on the lethargic side, not shakey or headachey. But maybe I am delusional. Maybe I am addicted to caffeine.

Tranks. Now those are drugs that once were my best friends. The drawback was that I couldn’t feel emotions such as anger. I merely floated through life on a cloud. Teetering on the edge of addiction, (according to my then therapist), I somehow managed to leave the pills behind more than a decade ago. I must admit that occasionally I wish I were still floating but I also realize that it is far healthier for me to feel emotions and to learn to control them.

Videogames. Sadly, I believe that I have become addicted to Candy Crush Friends. That Yeti is just so darn cute! I love the way he prances about when I pass a level. I also started playing Candy Crush Saga again after taking a year off. I started that game back in 2013 while recuperating from knee surgery. These games have become more than just a habit.

My ex was a hopeless TV addict. It drove me crazy. Half the time he didn’t even know what he was watching as he’d doze off. But God forbid if I tried to turn the idiot box off. Suddenly he was wide awake. Grrrrr.

There are a myriad of other things from sex to hoarding that can easily evolve from habit into an addiction. There are two choices. The easy one is delusion and denial. The hard one is confronting it and dealing with it.

OK. Call me delusional. I’m not ready to give up coffee, chocolate or candy crush.

Apr11

Rant Rant Rant

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Rant Rant Rant

These are my golden years. These are my retirement years. These are times meant to be spent with family. These are times meant to be spent pursuing interests that never fit in with working years. The reality is that these are now Covid years instead.

A year ago the madness had just begun. There was a frenzy of tourists flocking back to their native countries. There was fear among those who found themselves stranded in foreign countries. Cancelled flights and border closings became the norm.

I was in Mexico when all this started. And I still haven’t made it back to Canada yet. I wonder if I ever will. I never thought I’d say that I feel safer in the USA but I feel that way now. I also enjoy a lot more freedom and have a better quality of life.

Canada can best be described as a complete gong show in terms of the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inefficiency of the distribution of vaccines. The ambiguities surrounding the quarantine and subsequent restrictions serve to only increase confusion and promote unnecessary fear. And don’t even get me started on the mental health issues associated with all the negativity resulting from shutting the economy down.

The CDC issued a Level 4 travel advisory this week. DO NOT TRAVEL TO CANADA. Is this merely a retaliatory tactic against Trudeau’s policy of protecting Canadians from being infected by their southern neighbors by keeping the land borders closed?

The way things are right now, the Americans are doing amazingly better in terms of vaccinations. Perhaps the Americans should be concerned that the Canadians are the ones who pose the real danger until Canada gets its act together.

If it were up to me, I’d open up the borders and eliminate the quarantine. I want to travel to Canada to see my family who live in two different provinces. My Canadian friends accuse me of becoming a rebel like the Americans. But this Canadian prefers to be a rebel living in the USA right now rather than a sheep up in Canada.

Apr4

A Year Later

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A Year Later

It’s now Easter of 2021, and the second Easter of the pandemic. Last year I was in Mexico and didn’t go to church. At that time I avoided crowds and religiously wore my mask when I went out for my daily walks. I went out only to buy food or use the ATM.This year I’m in Leavenworth. I went to church on Good Friday and am going to a service today, Easter Sunday. I usually wear a mask only when I go into a public building or a shopping mall. I seldom wear a mask when I’m out walking unless I’m in the downtown area where there tend to be lot of people.My favorite place to walk is in the town of Cashmere. Here are some pics I took the other day while strolling down Cottage Avenue.When I’m in Mexico I don’t get to see the flowers and trees budding. And I’ve missed it.Cashmere is amazing when it comes to scarecrows and Halloween in October. But I did see some Easter decorations including this tree.I stopped at the bakery and was delighted to find hot cross buns. I haven’t tasted those in eleven years. In Mexico Easter is synonymous with empenadas.Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Easter 2021 is definitely better than Easter 2020. But I do wonder if we’ll still be wearing masks in church in Easter 2022.