My not so free day

Before the rain, when the beach was sandy and the water was clear

I had to take my car back to the garage yesterday morning, nothing serious, just a follow-up to a previous visit, and I thought I had the rest of the day free. Took Hapi to the Reservoir and viewed the damage from the other night's heavy rainfall. As I previously noted they've been renovating the beach and trails at the Reservoir and the heavy rain did a number on it. The trails are mostly okay but the beach washed out to sea, so to speak. Half of the nice beach sand that they had just trucked in got washed into the pond, leaving the gravel underneath exposed and the pond turned into a mudhole. What a mess. Of course all immaterial to Hapi, as long as she can wade in and enjoy a nice soak, mud or no.

Got home and read an email inviting me to a luncheon meeting—all bring-your-own and socially distanced on a shady patio—in less than an hour's time. That was fine, I could do that, and while I was at the meeting my son texted asking if I was available to talk. Sure, why not, just give me an hour to get home again. Only that chat ended up being the better part of two hours and then it was time to get Hapi's supper, respond to some of my writing group emails, get my own supper, and that was pretty much the end of the day. So much for a free day.

The meeting was interesting, we were trying to figure out how to revive our book club. One person refused to do Zoom and a couple of others refused to meet in person indoors, even in a very large space with a small group. So no concensus on that, but everyone agreed that we all missed our old club meetings. We also fear that things are going to get worse in the fall. The local university is going to be going half online and half in person, but there is no plan for providing quarantine space for returning students from away. The town also has no plan for dealing with that. I hear that South Shore ports are dealing with an influx of Americans boating up the East Coast, and we've already had two outbreaks (Nova Scotia and PEI) because of one American who was told to quarantine but decided not to and after infecting a bunch of people tested positive himself. One of the people he infected worked in a continuing care home. This province needs to up its game in enforcing quarantine orders.

My son is trying his hand at online dating, this is actually a pretty good time for that. Because of the pandemic people are spending more time getting to know each other online before actually meeting, and rushing into sex is pretty much off the table. I think that is a good thing. He told me that he had recently received a wedding invitation from an old friend who he considered to be seriously emotionally damaged. He said it made him feel like life was so unfair: here's this guy who my son was sure would never be capable of carrying on a serious relationship inviting him to his wedding, while he himself was still single and looking. Not that he didn't wish his friend well, but darn it, why couldn't it be him? I laughed and told him I understood the feeling completely.

We compared notes on Hapi and Hiro, her brother now deceased. He said that in the last few months of Hiro's life he felt like a full-time hospice worker, Hiro's care was now his job. Sounds familiar. This morning I chatted with a couple who own a dog of similar age and condition as Hapi and they agreed that it really was a full-time job. You wrap your life around it, it takes up so much of your emotional headspace, never mind the time and effort of actual care. They usually go to their cottage on PEI in the summer but they won't be going this year, too hard on the dog. They saw Hapi and me across the pond and told their dog that Hapi was here, their dog picked up his pace in anticipation of meeting Hapi, but when they met he immediately sat down with his back to her and she ignored him too. Dogs are funny.