Just a thought… There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. [Will Rogers]
Today: a few lighter moments, but first, a tale of cautionary measures. One of them is admittedly not scientific but anecdotal and may have just been a thin slice of time that we observed, but I wanted to share what happened with Rob this week.
On Wednesday he went out for a few grocery necessities. He went to a village near us, Saanichton, and there was a lineup outside the store. Given that it was raining and he needed only a few things, he opted not to join those getting wet as they waited. He did notice that the people of Saanichton were observing the hockey stick rule (the distance we should stay from each other) before driving to our closest little town, the beautiful Sidney by the Sea.
Outside one store, he observed another lineup, so chose to shop at a different spot. No line at Save On, so in he went. And what he saw in the store surprised him. From what he could figure, fewer than 10% of people were wearing masks; the only person he noticed wearing one – as he was – was the cashier, who was also behind plexiglass.
Sidney is a small town set on the ocean (as you may have guessed by the name I mentioned above). A great many of its residents are seniors who’ve moved there to enjoy the view, the quieter pace and the small-town joys we have come to love in better times: a weekly outdoor market with live music and farm stands, restaurants with sidewalk dining, piers and fresh fish.
In the past few days, BC has seen another increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. While the island numbers are blessedly low, just the fact that so many of our residents are in the age group that has been hit so hard (albeit in senior care homes) the absence of masks left us baffled.
Are we letting down our collective guard? Why on earth weren’t more people wearing masks? We are and, for the foreseeable future, we will. And the first person who makes a comment ridiculing us will wish they had on a hockey mask.
Anyway, that’s what has been on my mind for the last couple of days.
On a much lighter note: my roots. I could stand my three-month growth no longer – even though Rob kept asking, “Who is going to see you?” – and got busy with my Root Rescue kit from L’Oreal yesterday.
Once again, as it always does between hair appointments, it did its magic. And to answer Rob, I don’t care who sees it: it’s for my own good! Makes me wonder, though, if salons will notice fewer colour appointments when this is over, as people come to realize they can do some of the tricks themselves?
Of course, I’ll say here that I could never do as good a job as the pros who’ve had me in their chairs over the years. But there may be some women (and, yes, men) who decide that they are happy to go natural.
I did have to laugh yesterday as I remembered a snarky dog groomer admonishing me for trimming Molly’s face (and doing an admittedly bad job at it) a few years ago. She said, “Would you cut your own hair?” and now the answer is yes. Yes, I would. Or at least I’d let Rob do it.
I haven’t put on makeup except for a swipe of lipstick in weeks. My skin is grateful, but I miss mascara. (Have you noticed how many makeup ads are popping up on social media websites? I think the cosmetics folks are hurting now, as is most everyone, while the hair product sector is likely soaring. Literally a growth industry.)
The very rare visitor we have – a neighbour, a friend dropping off some surprise or someone coming to get paid for replanting a tree – has seen us in almost every pajama combination we have. And we’re not even embarrassed anymore – no matter the time of day! We do get dressed for dog walks, then it’s back into the PJs. As Rob said to me yesterday, “They’re not jammies, this is a flannel pant suit.”
Luckily, we keep each other laughing. And to pass along the favour, my sister sent me a video that I wanted to share. It’s a duo’s take on Simon and Garfunkel and, although I measure every parody song to Randy Rainbow, they did a really good job: true to the original lyrics and meter, excellent musicality and they even manage to pull off looking like the duo.
So enjoy this. Yes, it’s tRump-themed (isn’t everything these days?) but I thought you might appreciate it. And on that note – or those notes – I’ll bid you adieu and be back with you (yieu?) here tomorrow.