Vinton was a quiet place this weekend except for my house with different friends and neighbours dropping in to wish me happy birthday. We were social distancing outside. I received so many . . .
phone calls, emails and texts on Saturday that it kept me busy from morning until night. I want to thank each and every one of you for your birthday wishes. It meant the world to me.
I received a phone call on Sunday, from my long-lost granddaughter Kathleen. She FaceTimed me to wish me happy birthday and went on to tell me what she was doing in her life. She invited me to visit her when this pandemic is over. She lives in Manitoba with her boyfriend and they bought an old house together and are in the process of renovating it. She was so bubbly and excited to see me and talk to me, as was I to see her.
Last Wednesday, as I was passing by the osprey nest on Highway 148 between Campbell’s Bay and Bryson, I saw one of the osprey returning to her nest. If you look down towards the river you can see another huge nest in the trees there so that must be another ospreys’ nest. It is so wonderful to see them return year after year. Last year I actually saw one of them bringing a fish back to the nest. They’ve got a perfect view of the river and the great hunting ground.
I know everybody’s nerves are on edge and we are all getting fed up with the restrictions but we also need to learn to be compassionate and patient. We are all in this together and I’m sure you can find it deep within yourself to do that act of kindness and you will find yourself feeling so much better.
On Friday night, I made this huge pot of spaghetti sauce and let it cook real low all night long. I think it’s one of the best sauces I ever made. The next day I ended up making 14 lasagnas. Some had spinach, some had cottage cheese and some were just regular lasagnas. Guess what I had for supper on Saturday night? Yes they are for sale along with my other regular specialties. This is what I do to keep busy and keep my mind off this pandemic. It also keeps me at home and I’m definitely not bored.
So now the borders are closed and we can’t travel to Ontario and Manitoba. New restrictions are happening every day.
I received my first COVID vaccination shot two weeks ago and so did my friends and neighbours who are all in my age group. We were very happy to get it. We had a big sigh of relief.
I personally know someone who had received the vaccine a few weeks prior to contracting COVID-19. She was very sick for a week or two but she didn’t have to be hospitalized.
The lawns are almost needing a haircut this week. I bet we are going to have the nicest manicured lawns because there’s nothing else to do. We can’t go anywhere besides getting groceries or something from the pharmacy or to work.
I also heard that the two pharmacies in Shawville will be giving out COVID-19 shots so call your pharmacy and book an appointment. The quicker we get vaccinated and the more people who get vaccinated the quicker we will be out of this pandemic. So it’s really up to you.
I was talking to my aunt Francis Mayhew who lives in Hanover, Ont. and she told me that the officials there totally locked down the whole town for two days. They jumped from five cases a day to 72 in one day and that’s what prompted the officials to make the decision to close the town. Everything was closed no groceries, no pharmacy, nothing. This is how bad it’s getting in some areas so let’s not let our area get that bad.
Happy birthday wishes go out to Lynn Corriveau on April 21, to Susan Belanger and Danny Lepack on April 22, to Stephanie Jolin on April 23, to Diane Pepin on April 24, to Genevieve Corriveau and Betty Bertrand on April 26 and Kelsey Belanger on April 27.
Happy anniversary wishes go out to Cory and Melissa Pilon who celebrated on April 15, to Louise and Jean Pierre Landry on April 22 and to Sharon and Denis Larivière on April 24.
Happy belated birthdays go out to all the people who celebrated on my birthday, April 17, Maya Arniotis, Sally Keindel, Richard Castonguay, Maureen Gagnon and Lynn White. Also happy birthday to Michael McCrank who celebrated on April 20.
They held the funeral for Prince Philip on April 17. It was very sad to see Queen Elizabeth sitting all by herself at her husband’s funeral. She set a great example to all of us on how to be strong during this pandemic.
My deepest sympathy goes out to my aunt Betty Mayhew who lost her sister, Yvonne Rochon of Montreal, Que. on April 18. Betty is especially sad because she was her last sister and she just died suddenly at home.
