Monthly Archives: November 2020

The Peace & Quiet of Hunting

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Let the record show that I have officially reached hunter status.

Since we had no school for the entire week of Thanksgiving this year, I hunted with Dad 9 days straight! This means my 6-year-old self was rudely awakened from my warm and cozy bed at 6:00 a.m. each morning. Still in shock, I played dead while Dad struggled to dress my limp body in thermal underwear and blaze orange outerwear. Once I could pry open one eye, I kissed mom goodbye and then stumbled out into the cold, dark woods to draw, color, play Sneaky Sasquatch, and occasionally glance out the window to look for deer.

It was everything… peaceful, beautiful and centering. Sometimes dad would even allow us to return home for a nice warm lunch prepared by momma dearest before we would trek back to our headquarters and continue the hunt until the woods were just as dark as we found them pre-sunrise.

Despite COVID putting a damper on making cabin memories, life felt good in that deer stand. So, I soaked up every moment of having Dad to myself, particularly since Genesee has threatened to crash this party next year.

And even though mom isn’t a good hunting sport like me, she seems surprisingly supportive of dad building a bigger deer stand so Genesee can join us…. the lengths mom will go to chase her dreams of reaching sleep-in status.

I guess we all strive for our own symbols of status, or perhaps we just take different paths on the quest for peace and quiet.

Healthy Holidays 2020

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T’was a month before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.
They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.
Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts
When fueled by gas.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their nerve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When summer emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.
Now it’s November
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.
Frontline workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.
This virus is awful,
This COVID-19.
There isn’t a cure.
There is no vaccine.
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner –
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
When no one will see it,
No-one but me.
But outside my window
The snow gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas ain’t cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.

-Author unknown

Genesee meets the Dentist

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Genesee’s first visit to the dentist was supposed to be all fun and games…. wear some cool sunglasses, meet Mr. Slurpy and make friends with all the other tools, get excited about becoming their newest regular customer, etc.

But there was a tragic turn of events when Genesee unknowingly entered the office with a dead front tooth accompanied by a cavity, and then left the premises with a return appointment for a root canal.

Mission: Let’s-Enjoy-Going-to-the-Dentist = Epic fail.

Me, on the other hand? I don’t mean to brag or anything, especially given the possibility that my 3-year-old sister may forever be traumatized by the dentist, but let’s just humbly say I’m still a proud member of the no-cavity club, I’ll likely be spotlighted on their customer wall-of-fame, and I’m probably in the running for their all-time-favorite rule-following patient.

But let’s not rub that in Genesee’s soon-to-be-sore face.

Biden Wins

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I watched parts of the presidential debates. Kinda boring if you ask me, but mostly, I thought President Trump seemed like a bully. So, when we had our mock election at school, I voted for Biden even though most of my classmates voted for Trump. Thankfully, most of the country aligned with me, and ultimately chose Biden to become the 46th president. Maybe better days are ahead?