We’ve managed to make it through another challenging year.  We have high hopes for 2022 but it doesn’t look too bright now. I just hope things go well for everyone.

It was a kind of sad lead up to Christmas for me. My dog Suzie suddenly got sick, and I had to say goodbye to her. She was a sweet gentle rescue dog who had lived on her own near Sudbury for about six months. When she came to me, she was afraid of everything. It just took her a little while to become a spoiled member of the family. She was an Australian Kelpie. They are basically a one-person dog so she always wanted to know where I was. If I was in a room, she wanted to be with me.  If I went from room-to-room, she had a spot where she could see what was going on anywhere in the house. I got used to having to step around her. I sure miss having to do that now.

Looking back over things that kind of changed because of COVID, I think we all have to acknowledge that life changed for many of us, but I think that some good things came out of it. People are more aware of shopping locally. I think that many of us are more careful about buying Canadian made products. How many of us checked before to see if our toilet paper was Canadian made? I think some stores are better at pointing out Canadian made goods.

Hoarding toilet paper became a game for some people.  Another thing that people stocked up on was flour. Are there rooms full of flour in some houses? I’ve been making bread since I was twelve years old. My recipe uses one of those little envelopes of yeast to make four loaves. One day in Metro, I saw a woman pick up a hand full of yeast. When you buy the yeast there are three little envelopes attached to each other. That’s enough to make twelve loaves of bread. I don’t know how much bread the lady with a handful was planning on making, but she could have fed a lot of people with that amount of yeast!

I think a lot of conversations in the last little while have been about COVID vaccines. Just about everyone I know has had their first two vaccines. Many are waiting for their booster shot. Every day on Facebook, someone announces that they’ve had their booster shot. That’s always good to hear. I hope the day comes soon when we see that the numbers of cases have gone down. I think we are all hoping that a new variance doesn’t raise its ugly head.

Take care of yourself and try to avoid what could be dangerous situations.

About the Author

Linda Calder is a retired teacher. She likes to write and enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys going on cruises, taking pictures and scrapbooking.