Saturday 16 January 2021

Saturday, January 16, 2021

 I thought I should probably put together a blog post, as it has been a while, and what is the point of having a blog if you don't write?

Life is ridiculously different, and for me, busy now that we are in Ontario's second big lockdown since Covid took hold of the world. Of course, children do not attend school at this time. That means that I am once again ensconced in my living room, piles of books and papers spread around me, a white board propped up on a side chair, a stool with two thick hard cover books set in front of it so I can prop up my laptop while I make videos explaining the day's assignments, showing examples, or doing the specialized lessons for a couple of my students who require something different.

 I field emails from parents, read emails from my principal and colleagues, and soon I need to be starting to write report cards. I deal with technology issues, and learn things as I go along. I do live Teams meetings with my students (like Zoom), and am available for them to "drop in" whenever they need help. They are generally eight years old and still need some help from their parents to deal with learning on the computer, but some are quite skilled. I feel the need to be available at all times, and once, when I desperately had to visit the bathroom, I was not surprised to find a student waiting for me on Teams, probably wondering why I wasn't there.

We are back to being a family of all four of us under one roof again, as son's co-op experience for college has to be put on hold for the time being (businesses are not taking co-op students right now). He is able to take one elective college course online. Daughter is now working full time (from home) and is completely done university. There is no grad. She's had to put grad photos on hold twice now, I think. They will not be happening at all in the foreseeable future. I don't mind that our 24 and 21 year old are living here right now. It brings out the mother hen in me, with my chicks close by. But I know their independence is important and they are both very capable young adults with definite directions. This is just a bump in the road for them.

I went out for groceries today and felt flustered by the end of it all. Everyone is out on a Saturday, I'm just trying to go the right way down the aisles and my patience wears thin as people are blocking the way with their carts, thinking long and hard about their food choices. I'm probably doing the same thing in the cereal aisle. None of this has to do with feeling unsafe, it's just my dislike of maneuvering around people and obstacles, and there seemed to be an extraordinary amount of obstacles today. But I got done, spent far too much money (and I was shopping at the cheaper grocery store!), came back home and unloaded everything and put it away. I gave the chickens fresh water and even let them outside. The sun was out at times today and the temperature was milder (a whole 1 or 2 degrees!). The snow was melting. 

I had ordered some library books online and was able to do a drive-by pick up at the library (it felt a bit like a drug deal as I drove up to the library, a young person in a mask came out with a paper bag, held it up so I could see my last name on it, I nodded, put my window down, and the bag was brought to my vehicle). That's probably not what drug deals are like, but it felt weird and sneaky in a way. The book was the new Ann Cleeves Vera book The Darkest Evening and I'm part way into it now. It has been a while since I've enjoyed a book, although I did read the latest Louise Penny, All the Devils are Here. I absolutely loved it, but Penny has never disappointed me. 

And because some of you seemed happy to read about my chickens the last time, I want you to know that today I got TWO eggs! Not just the usual one. I think I have one of the white Columbian hens to thank for the extra one. Here is a typical morning picture, when I walk from the back door of the mudroom, out to the chicken coop.


That is a bit more snow than we have now. This picture was taken several days ago.


There are so many rabbit tracks on our property! Sometimes I see rabbits in the early morning and they run away to take cover by the a pile of stacked cedar rails, or along the fence line. 


These are some of my chickens, who jumped down from their perches as I fed them in the morning. They are excited about a couple of too-old pieces of pineapple. They now have layer crumble instead of layer mash. 

And that's my life right now in rural Ontario. 


64 comments:

  1. Found your blog today and enjoyed it. I am a Louise Penny fan also. I think this pandemic is getting to all of us

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I will look you up, if you also have a blog.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. It's the plain brown paper bag that clinches it.

      Delete
    2. I understand... as I went into the bank for the first time this past week wearing a mask, shield, and gloves, it felt very odd.

      Delete
  3. It was nice visiting with you today! We can all identify with what you are saying about grocery shopping on the weekend. Thank goodness I am retired and can go on days that are less hectic. Teaching sounds a bit stressful also! I love your chicken news! 💖

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, and yes, the freedom of avoiding weekend shopping sounds wonderful.

      Delete
  4. Maybe you must make a sign for your pupils when you go "powder your nose". Like: we will be back after the break or something like that :-). I looked up the Louise Penny book, I think I might enjoy her as well. Unfortunately our liberaries are also still closed and no pickup services.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can actually turn your camera and microphone off, it's just how quickly you turn them back on when you can see that a student is there, waiting for you. I'm very happy we can order library books and pick them up curbside.

      Delete
  5. Two eggs? Two eggs? You must be playing the right
    music then..! HeHe! :).

    Your post just about sums up the same problems
    we are having over here..with new harsher rules
    brought in yesterday!
    Will pop up the supermarket shortly, went last
    Sunday, picked up my prescription on Wednesday,
    and that was that..home the rest of the time,
    though visits from Fudge and Flossie..for their
    milk and treats..Fudge does like to stay a while,
    and if l'm on the PC, Flossie settles on the pouf
    next to me...!
    Wish l had the patience to read a book, but, no,
    never have and never will..unless it's illustrated..!

    HaHa! Made me chuckle...the photo with the shed at
    the bottom of the pathway, reminded me of my Grannies
    outside toilet, when l was a boy, that was quite a
    walk to..and you had to sing/whistle as there was no
    lock on the door, once the paperwork was done, you
    could safely leave..! :).

    Best get on..another lemon tea, wrap up a bit and off
    to the super~dooper~market..! Ciao! :o).
    🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃 🍁 🍂 🍃

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amazing to think that we have more snow at present here in the Yorkshire Dales than you have in lovely rural Ontario. Ours in going fast this morning (7 degrees) - hope yours is too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our snow is being replaced today - flurries in the forecast for the next several days.

      Delete
  7. Oh Jenn... what a stressful thing this teaching from home is. I can only imagine and be guiltily thankful that we are retired and don't have to deal with work stresses on top of the rest of this stuff. I often wonder how the younger folk who are just facing their future are faring. It must be so hard and frustrating for them. I can relate to the shopping experience, again, glad we can go early and anytime we want. Glad your chooks are stepping up! I also have read and enjoy Louise Penny. Thanks for the heads up on the new one. Will have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Louise Penny might just be my favourite author. The new one takes place in France.

      Delete
  8. I had two girls laying but one has given up and the other has gone broody so eggs have stopped again. I am expecting them to start up again in February. Teaching sounds pretty stressful at the moment. I am shopping once a week every Thursday and so far it has stayed quiet which is good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saturday shopping has always been busy, but it's even more frustrating now.

      Delete
  9. Yeah 2 eggs! Thank goodness for your chickens & your children (both 8 letters, which is an odd thing to notice) to distract you from the stresses of teaching online. My last semester was a course about building/making online training courses & we were doing it online. Oh the irony of it all! If memory serves me, this, for you, is only a few more weeks - hang in there. I gave up in person grocery shopping months ago, too stressful & now it's click & collect for me. Can you do that in your village? I give thanks daily that the library is still allowed to do curbside pick ups & I have the latest Ann Cleves on hold & just picked up season 9 of Vera (DVD). What a let down for your daughter of no graduation, after the fact just won't feel the same. ... Mary-Lou =^[..]^=

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, a few more weeks (mid-March). I should really look into getting the Vera DVDs from our library. My daughter certainly isn't the only one who has experienced a graduation let down (high schoolers last year, university grads from the year before...), it will be something that will bond this generation in the years to come, perhaps.

      Delete
  10. Just found your blog and am so glad I did - fellow Ontarian :). I'm waxing nostalgic at the photo of your chickies -- we used to have a flock when we were living rurally, alas, no longer...but i shall live vicariously through you now. :) Had to laugh at the library drug deal...much the same here but I'm SO grateful that it's an option this time around -- having the library closed altogether last spring was just awful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, and I'm glad you found me. I shall look you up, if you have your own blog.

      Delete
  11. Had to laugh at the Library Drug Deal!
    I would feel that way too!
    This is certainly a strange time we are living in.
    I keep reminding myself we are actually living through a pandemic!
    I feel like I should be documenting this, but really it is all I can do to cling to some sense of normalcy. Have a cozy Sunday up there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean about reminding yourself of the magnitude of what we are currently going through. It's surreal.

      Delete
  12. These days, at least once a week I'm reminded of how grateful I am to be retired from teaching. It has to be two or three times as much work doing remote learning.
    I absolutely recognized your store aisle annoyance.
    Big Ann Cleeves and Louise Penney fan here, too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Having older offspring back home can be a good thing..if they are mucking in with jobs and looking after you instead of the other way round!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well I for one really enjoy reading about what your life is like, right now in rural Ontario! I can picture you at work in your living room and am sure that students and parents really appreciate all that you are doing. So nice to have your family of young adults home with you, this is a precious time that the virus has given you. I think that for my scattered family the best thing that has happened for our little grandson is that his daddy is at home and not belting out of the door each morning on his way to work.
    Glad the hens are getting their act together!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do enjoy having them here. I know it won't be for too much longer.

      Delete
  15. Thank you for your dedication to your students! It sounds difficult for you and for your students but the fact that you try to be available to them so often proves how much you care about your students.
    Thanks so much for your post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really doing exactly what every other teacher I know is doing, but thank you.

      Delete
  16. Hi Jenn
    Forgive me if I cannot keep track of your life as well as mine. Not that either of us are moving very quickly but you’re right it is a bit overwhelming just because it’s so over done. Did you not say you were retiring this year? Or did I imagine that?

    Congratulations on the extra eggs my chickens are giving me between four and six a day now but then I live in the central California mountains and we are not having as rough of a winter as you appear to be having at the moment. We’ve gone through periods of deep freezers and now we’re in a warm cycle which is not always a good thing. We haven’t gotten a lot of rain winds are going to be picking up and temperatures getting a little warmer. crossing our fingers the humidity stays high because there’s always a chance of wild fire.

    Sounds as if you are having a very good attitude and enjoying your family with you I do understand that.

    Take good care and enjoy those eggs. And by the way beautiful photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, no, you were correct - my official first chance at retirement is the last day of January, this month. However, I checked to see what my responsiblities were concerning report cards. I found out that I would have to have all of my comments and marks ready for someone to just type them into the report card programme. I realized, if I have to do all the hard stuff anyway, I might as well stick around a little longer, do the reports myself, and pick a more logical time of departure. We have something called "March Break" which is one week of holiday about mid-month. I am going to teach until March Break, and then the students will have a new teacher after the break. It's a good time for a transition for the kids as well.

      Delete
  17. Oh, Jenn, bless you for being such a GOOD teacher! My retired teacher husband would be as available and conscientious as you are (also extremely stressed) and is so thankful he's . . . well, retired. Speaking of which, as Goatldi above wondered, did I misunderstand somewhere along the line and think you were retiring this January?

    How fortunate your children are (and you, too!) to have a comfortable, welcoming home to shelter in during these difficult times. If my daughter was not nearby, I would worry so about her.

    We're still getting only one or one and a half (!) eggs per day from our chickens. How long do we have to wait for them to shift back into first gear? (Perhaps they're stressed by all this social unrest, too.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not doing anything more than any other teacher out there in terms of online school. We're all slogging through it. Yes, if you have a look at the response above, you were right about the end of the month, but I've decided to go until the week's holiday in March. If I had a "difficult" class, I may very well have retired at the end of this month (or Christmas for that matter), but I thoroughly enjoy my class, and it is a fantastic group of parents, too. I was feeling like I wasn't really ready to pack it in, yet. Psychologically, March Break feels better, rather than 3/4 of the way through a term.
      Concerning the chickens, I have no idea if they are going to ramp things up any time soon. As you know, we still have a big chunk of winter left!

      Delete
  18. We've got our two "kidults" home as well. I wish they'd help more with the extra housework they create.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am probably guilty of not expecting them to do more. I'm one of those "do it yourself, do it right" kind of people. I know, I know... no lectures please.

      Delete
  19. I hope you like The Darkest Evening. I found it a great escape and I think you could use an escape right now. I'm sure it's busier with the tribe all in one place but probably a nice, happy safe feeling, too. It seems like everything today cuts both ways. The library drug deal cracked me up. I feel that way at the wine store! Rick does the shopping for me. I'm far too paranoid in a store, though I've ventured in a couple of times late. Mostly I am home and in. I know I can never fully understand what you are experiencing with the online teaching and the sense of needing to be available 24/7. But from your words here I can tell that it is both stressful and time consuming, above and beyond what your "normal" job would be. Good luck with that --I hope you'll be able to open again soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really liking the book so far. I haven't decided yet "who dun it". I hope very much that we can get back into the actual school because I don't want to stop before I get to spend time with my students and my colleagues, but I know teachers who did retire during the lock down earlier. It was incredibly anti-climactic to teach for 30 some years and go out with a fizzle.

      Delete
  20. Jenn, we have our 22 year old grandson living with us... and I feel for him being stuck here with 2 old people, not being able to get out with his friends, etc. But he seems to take it well and it has brought us all closer... such strange times. And I love seeing pics of your chickens. Do they venture out in the snow? I would think chickens would not like the cold...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will go out if there is a bit of bare earth and still some snow. If there is sun, it's better. I don't really open up their door much in the winter because it just makes the inside of their coop so much colder and it takes longer to warm it up again. They can certainly take a bit of cold, but it takes extra energy to keep warm.

      Delete
  21. Gosh, how do you find time to read for pleasure with all that going on?
    We got about six or eight inches of snow. I am thankful to be retired these days. Today is a busier than normal day as I bake bread AND roast a chicken!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reading is my treat to myself. You definitely have more snow at the moment. We've been pretty fortunate this winter.

      Delete
  22. I agree, where do you find the time to do everything that you do? I think its wonderfu that you give special attention to the kids who need it. You're going to miss all this when you retire. sighhhhhh. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not really giving special attention to kids, it's the law that I create an individual education plan for students with special needs, such as a learning disability. Then I must follow that plan and make accommodations and modifications for them. Gone are the days when students are in a different class or get an assistant assigned just for them. It's just how it is now. But thank you, Edna, you are always so sweet!

      Delete
  23. Towards the end of teaching, I was so tired of switching programs right when the students were finally comfortable with them, struggling with technology that changed weekly, and equipment that broke more often than that. I don't know how you do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, don't get me started on struggling with technology and things not working when you need them to work.

      Delete
  24. Very interesting. That online teaching sounds terribly hard to me. I would be lost...as a student or a teacher. Could it be my age? :) How in the world do you keep such a neat clean floor for your chickens. It looks so warm and cozy and clean. I covered the botton of our chicken house with soft hay and now it is rolled and tumbled and filthy. My husband went with me grocery shopping Saturday. He drives me crazy leaving the buggy in the middle of the isle while he looks for something. I was constantly apologizing and moving the buggy. It was a job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so funny that you commented about the neat, clean floor of the coop! I had taken a picture of them on their roost, but decided not to put it in the post because of the chicken poop on the back wall and under the roost! I had just spread new shavings (overtop of the old poopy shavings) a couple of days before that!
      And yes, the buggy in the middle of the aisle. The benefit of wearing a mask is people can't see the words you are silently muttering!

      Delete
  25. that sounds a good life, there, except the shopping on a Saturday. Not my cup of tea! I go at 6AM.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good to hear your kids are safe at home, doing household chores competently is good independence education 🙂
    My daughters chickens picked up laying when I advised her to give them yoghurt, good natural type not sugar filled coloured stuff.
    So happy to hear your retirement is soon, it really is lovely to please yourself how you spend your days.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love the Vera books so I am definitely going to need to keep my eyes open for that one.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was surprised she wrote another Vera one, as she had started a new series. I thought Vera was all done.

      Delete
  28. Pineapple! Lucky chickens to get such tropical treats. It sounds like all your chicks are getting special treatment right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They like all kinds of kitchen scraps, but mashed potatoes are perhaps their favourite.

      Delete
  29. This is no longer a good excuse, but I used to have a lot of trouble with those directional arrows. I could follow them well enough, but then would think of something to go back for, forgetting all about the arrows. Now I just shop in the middle of the week when there are few people. Not easy for you, though.

    ReplyDelete
  30. The description of the books picked up at the library...BAHAHA! Loved it. Made my day start off with a smile. Your chickens are adorable. They look really healthy. You're obviously taking good care of them.

    ReplyDelete
  31. As a grandma who has been virtual schooling with my 6 year old GS since August, let me first offer my profound thanks to you for all you must deal with teaching young ones online. I've had an upfront view to just how difficult it is. GS's teacher is a gem and unfailingly kind even after the 10th child in a row has asked her what they are doing--after she has already repeated the directions 15 times. Arggh! Even my GS starts yelling at the other children to pay attention (...while he is on mute so they don't actually hear him). She has 24 children to oversee including two in her classroom who don't have internet access at home, in addition to her own third grade daughter. Teachers are being asked to to the impossible. As you say, don't get me started on the tech issues either. When the teacher gets knocked out of teams, she emails me and I end up telling the class to hang on a bit while she tries to get back online. With our virus percentages as high as they are, I don't see in-class instruction happening anytime soon. It is taking a toll on the children and parents, too. Wishing you the best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Life indeed is ridiculously different. Chickens, we've toyed with the idea of having some since we bought this Mini Farm last February and could actually have some here in the City if we wanted to. I just think it's cheaper to buy the Eggs and not be responsible for more Living things tho'. *LOL* I have Fantasy versions of what tending to Farm Animals would be like and I doubt it lines up with the Reality. *winks* I get Edgy when Shopping now and it has EVERYTHING to do with COVID since our State of Arizona has the highest rate of spread in the WORLD right now... that really gobsmacked me when I heard it, since on New Year's Day Phoenix also had the worst Air Pollution in the WORLD, edging out Calcutta, India! WTF?! Glad you're enjoying your Adult Children returning to The Nest for a time. We've had ours in and out numerous times over the Years and also Raised some Grandchildren. One Grand is now Grown and moved to another State, but his little Sister is 3 Years away from Adulthood and then PERHAPS The Man and I will finally have an Empty Nest?! It will be over 50 Years of continuous Child Raising, so we're ready. *Ha ha ha*

    ReplyDelete
  33. Your last year of teaching is certainly turning out to be a unusual one. We're all learning new ways of doing things, but I suspect what teachers are going through is far more difficult.

    Take care, stay well!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Catching up with you again. We are not in lockdown but should be. Your days sound busy but stressful. Like all of us I think. The pandemic is wearing us down.

    ReplyDelete