Pandemic

 

Like the rest of the world, 2020 for us was dominated by the Covid-19 virus. The lockdown began in March during spring break. It lasted about a month before our province moved forward with safety protocols that allowed people to return to work and centres to reopen. 

It was a time of resourcefulness and creativity. Our little house felt very tiny as the pandemic wore on. Schools remained closed and as we were doing our home learning at the dining room table I realized the children needed a space to focus on class work. So I made a “crisis school” room in our garage. It had a space heater, carpet, lights, books, everything they could need. It worked for a while but we quickly learned that Zoom classes were not compatible with the either of my children. Learning became much more hands on and creative. We abandoned the workbooks and made it up as we went along. 

Thank goodness we still had our garden and yard. My time in my garden saved my sanity. I would retreat to the greenhouse if it became too cold for the main garden. We delighted in finding a small birds nest built in our greenhouse. And around that same time we found a hummingbird nest just a 3 minute walk from our house. It was a welcome distraction. 

When summer finally came we were so relieved to be able to go camping. We needed a change of scenery but we needed our space. However it seems everyone was camping that summer. It was practically impossible to find a site. We lucked out a couple times but were disappointingly sent home just as often. 

At the end of the summer we bought our new home and sold our beloved little house. It was a good change but bittersweet. My babies were born there, learned to walk in those halls, we planted gardens there and buried pets there. It was hard to say goodbye. Our new house is calling out for good memories and we shall oblige. Change is welcome.