I've had a few people ask how we're doing in Iqaluit. The answer, like for most of us, is so far, so good.
The three territories remains - and I feel like I should knock on every piece of wooden furniture in the house and then go outside, turn around three times and spit - free of any reported cases of COVID-19. Nunavut ramped things up in a serious way today, which is good to see. I should also note that it may already be here. COVID-19 testing in the Nunavut has been slow so far.
Nunavut might get either very lucky, or very, very unlucky in all of this. It's winter so there are no boats coming in. Only four major airports service the territory - Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal (The mine sites are a whole other thing that I'm not knowledgable enough to get into). With some precautions and travel becoming more restricted, maybe the territory can dodge the worst of it.
Because if we get unlucky and it lands here in a big way, well, I'm trying to think positive thoughts these days. But it won't be good. You're already seeing some communities telling people not to visit or come back. Some are packing up and going out on the land to winter camps or cabins, rather than staying in town.
As for Cathy and I....the schools all closed as of Monday, so Cathy is rattling around the house. She's making lists of things to do, which is good. She needs to keep herself occupied. Sitting on the couch all day isn't her thing. And given her asthma we're trying very hard to be careful.
I'm working from home, so I've got things to keep me busy.
We also finally could take a breath because both our fathers finally got their asses out of Florida and back into Canada (Cathy's dad caught a flight. My dad is driving back and crossed the boarder this evening). They will now get to enjoy self-quarantine for the next couple of weeks. But as I suspect Florida is going to resemble a Mad Max movie in a month's time, I think the minor annoyance is better than the alternative.
Courtesy of the sealift and my recent trip to Ottawa in early February, we're about as well supplied as you can get. So there will be no mad dashes for Lysol wipes or toilet paper. The toilet paper thing is beyond bizarre. And no kidding, now is absolutely the time you should buy a bidet. They're more hygienic and better for the environment.
But yeah, we're pretty well set. Canned items we're good for months. What's in the freezer will probably keep us until mid-May. We figure that once a week, during a quiet time of the day, I'll either walk or cab downtown to get our mail and pick up any groceries. Supplies are still coming in fine, so that's good.
It's also nice that there is a culture of sharing in Nunavut, especially during difficult times. So hopefully means we won't see some of the binge shopping and hording that's happened elsewhere.
I mentioned walking or taking a taxi. About that....our car has been struggling all winter. At first I blamed a faulty block heater and an incompetent garage. But we took her to a new garage last Friday. On Saturday, when taking her out for a test run, they could barely get her back to the shop. So she's down for the count until they can get parts in.
The parts they need come from the United States. Yeah. So we'll see when she's up and running again. Might be in a couple of weeks. Might be a couple of months.
Over all, we're in good shape. Through a bit of geographic luck, we don't have any cases so far and we're well stocked for awhile. Our incomes are secure and there is no imminent financial worries (probably best not to think about our retirement plans). Our vacation plans for this summer are probably thermo nuked, but really, it's three months away. I'm not even thinking about it seriously for awhile yet. And even if they are toast....there are bigger worries in the world.
I'll probably do weekly updates. I suspect I'll be doing a lot more writing on the blog in the coming weeks. Nothing like a global pandemic to break some writer's block.
Take care, stay safe....and keep in touch. I think a lot of us are going to be very isolated in the coming weeks. A few minutes checking in with someone either by text, email or....gasp...a phone call, might make all the difference. Any of my friends or family who want to give me a shout, please do so. And I'll try and be a better friend and keep in touch.
Last Five
1. Our House - Madness
2. The reason why - Ron Sexsmith
3. Na na song - Colleen Power*
4. Los Ageless - St. Vincent
5. Rise up with fists! - Jenny Lewis
The three territories remains - and I feel like I should knock on every piece of wooden furniture in the house and then go outside, turn around three times and spit - free of any reported cases of COVID-19. Nunavut ramped things up in a serious way today, which is good to see. I should also note that it may already be here. COVID-19 testing in the Nunavut has been slow so far.
Nunavut might get either very lucky, or very, very unlucky in all of this. It's winter so there are no boats coming in. Only four major airports service the territory - Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal (The mine sites are a whole other thing that I'm not knowledgable enough to get into). With some precautions and travel becoming more restricted, maybe the territory can dodge the worst of it.
Because if we get unlucky and it lands here in a big way, well, I'm trying to think positive thoughts these days. But it won't be good. You're already seeing some communities telling people not to visit or come back. Some are packing up and going out on the land to winter camps or cabins, rather than staying in town.
As for Cathy and I....the schools all closed as of Monday, so Cathy is rattling around the house. She's making lists of things to do, which is good. She needs to keep herself occupied. Sitting on the couch all day isn't her thing. And given her asthma we're trying very hard to be careful.
I'm working from home, so I've got things to keep me busy.
We also finally could take a breath because both our fathers finally got their asses out of Florida and back into Canada (Cathy's dad caught a flight. My dad is driving back and crossed the boarder this evening). They will now get to enjoy self-quarantine for the next couple of weeks. But as I suspect Florida is going to resemble a Mad Max movie in a month's time, I think the minor annoyance is better than the alternative.
Courtesy of the sealift and my recent trip to Ottawa in early February, we're about as well supplied as you can get. So there will be no mad dashes for Lysol wipes or toilet paper. The toilet paper thing is beyond bizarre. And no kidding, now is absolutely the time you should buy a bidet. They're more hygienic and better for the environment.
But yeah, we're pretty well set. Canned items we're good for months. What's in the freezer will probably keep us until mid-May. We figure that once a week, during a quiet time of the day, I'll either walk or cab downtown to get our mail and pick up any groceries. Supplies are still coming in fine, so that's good.
It's also nice that there is a culture of sharing in Nunavut, especially during difficult times. So hopefully means we won't see some of the binge shopping and hording that's happened elsewhere.
I mentioned walking or taking a taxi. About that....our car has been struggling all winter. At first I blamed a faulty block heater and an incompetent garage. But we took her to a new garage last Friday. On Saturday, when taking her out for a test run, they could barely get her back to the shop. So she's down for the count until they can get parts in.
The parts they need come from the United States. Yeah. So we'll see when she's up and running again. Might be in a couple of weeks. Might be a couple of months.
Over all, we're in good shape. Through a bit of geographic luck, we don't have any cases so far and we're well stocked for awhile. Our incomes are secure and there is no imminent financial worries (probably best not to think about our retirement plans). Our vacation plans for this summer are probably thermo nuked, but really, it's three months away. I'm not even thinking about it seriously for awhile yet. And even if they are toast....there are bigger worries in the world.
I'll probably do weekly updates. I suspect I'll be doing a lot more writing on the blog in the coming weeks. Nothing like a global pandemic to break some writer's block.
Take care, stay safe....and keep in touch. I think a lot of us are going to be very isolated in the coming weeks. A few minutes checking in with someone either by text, email or....gasp...a phone call, might make all the difference. Any of my friends or family who want to give me a shout, please do so. And I'll try and be a better friend and keep in touch.
Last Five
1. Our House - Madness
2. The reason why - Ron Sexsmith
3. Na na song - Colleen Power*
4. Los Ageless - St. Vincent
5. Rise up with fists! - Jenny Lewis
1 comment:
I'm rooting for Nunavut! Been reading your blog on and off for a while because I sometimes translate documents for you guys up North and you accidentally helped me understand some of the Nunavut-specific context (i.e. "LCB"). And also, it's a fascinating place, although the weather is absolutely not for me (Ottawa is already too cold for me, you get the idea...)
I hope you're still doing OK. I was very happy to learn a couple of weeks ago that it turned out to be a false positive in Nunavut. Stay safe!
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