It is hard to believe how much our world has changed in a
month!
The first two weeks consisted of relatively normal activities
(to be described in a minute) while the last two weeks have seen a virtual
shutdown of our neighbourhood and Osoyoos.
Normal Stuff
A local nature charity hosts a series of presentations in
the spring, featuring a feature film and then having a live presenter. The film covered how a number of Canadian
species of birds and animals coped in the wintertime. The presenter was “Houdini”, a great horned owl
living at a raptor rescue center just north of us. Houdini was dropped from a nest when he was
very young (probably by a crow) and suffered extensive injury. However, he was treated and has mostly
recovered, although he is cannot be released because of damage to one eye. He is brought out for public education, and
you can see what a magnificent bird he is.
The second week of March we went skiing at Silver Star near
Vernon, and had some of the best skiing we’ve had this year. As we go up one lift, they always have a
Santa’s Postbox along the way, suitably festive for each relevant holiday. Now it was ready for spring and St. Patrick's Day.
The other notable signage was in the village, meant for
summertime guests.
Our return timing was good, missing a storm while driving,
but arriving back to find 6” of fresh snow on the ground. Oh well, I suppose that happens in
winter. The next day, the hill cancelled
all events for spring break because of the threat of Covid-19. Normally the two weeks involved are a big
source of revenue for the hill, and this early closure will be financially
challenging for them.
Driving back we make every effort to stop for dinner in
Peachland (population 5500) at a fantastic German restaurant called the “Gasthaus
on the Lake”. Not only is the food
delicious but the décor provides lots of things to look at.
Signs of Spring
This month has had a cheerful progression of spring
events/sightings.
On March 2, the juncos were back, March 12 there were robins
in the valley, and on March 19 the first chipmunk was out.
On March 22, our earliest spring flower was blooming. The Sagebrush Buttercup is a very small plant
with a big bright flower the size of a quarter.
On March 27, the beginning of the cherry blossoms were
opening up.
As usual, roof avalanches were the big excitement at home,
making a lot of noise when the snow finally fell.
In the meantime, the pruners have been visible in the
vineyards. More and more land is being
dedicated to grape growing, and this is an example of a newly planted vineyard.
It fascinated me to learn that each vine is surrounded by a
protective milk carton. It seems to work
because everyone does it. Some use different
cartons for different grape types.
Apparently here they have planted Half and Half and Fat Free Milk
vintages.
Covid-19
As you have most likely experienced yourselves, the last two
weeks of March have been a total game-changer.
One of the things that I didn’t expect was the closure of
the US/Canada border. We live at most a
couple of hundred yards from it on our property, and can see it readily across
the valley every day. (In wintertime, it
is more visible because the line of snow stands out clearly.) The cleared area is only 15-20 feet wide as
you can see from a closer picture. Most
of our view, in fact, is that of the US, and my camera thinks it is in
Washington. The closure has given me a sense
of unreality as I look across the way.
The town of Osoyoos (population 5000) has been very hard hit
by this restriction because it is about a 5-minute drive to the border, and
another 10-minute drive to the town of Oroville, Washington, (population 1680) where
one can buy cheap US gas and cheap dairy, poultry and beef products. People cross the border for daily work and it
is a significant entry/exit point for snowbirds and tourists. Osoyoos is extremely dependent on tourists, and
the town has practically had to roll up its sidewalks. Most of the businesses in town are small
ones, and many have been closed as mandated by the Government of BC. Bank customers line up on the sidewalk
outside the doors. Restaurants that don’t
offer take-out or drive-through have been closed, leaving empty parking lots
all around. One of the grocery stores
has a security guard to make sure people don’t stand too close in line.
As everywhere, shelves have been emptied of toilet paper for
three weeks now. I have to pass along a great
quip I heard early in the month. I go to a local barbershop for my
haircuts (I don’t need a hair “dresser” for my kind of style) and there are two
barbers there. You take a number and wait for your turn with Josh or Sue,
and in the meantime any conversations going on in the room are shared by
all. (It is worth going there just for the social experience.) So,
Sue has an east Indian boy in her chair while his father and sister wait for
him, and there are a couple of us other customers standing by. Sue was
regaling us with how much toilet paper she had stowed away in her bathroom, and
how she won’t let anyone inside to prevent a case of toilet paper envy.
The boy’s father mentions that, of course being Indian, he loves VERY VERY spicy
food. A Canadian friend of his was asking him what were the normal
procedures in India and the father replied that they used water for
cleaning. When the friend expressed incredulous disbelief, the father coyly
mentioned that toilet paper was flammable! The whole room broke up on
that one.
A
number of our neighbours have been in self-quarantine after coming back from
the US, so things are very quiet everywhere.
It is easy to isolate because of the size of our lots, but it is almost
like no one dares venture outside. I am
happy to report we are both doing well, and able to keep a nice level of
physical activity to prevent from going stir crazy. Brian has been able to get out on his bike a
couple of times already, and temperatures are warming up.
A
side benefit of all this is that we are getting a number of fun things and
chores done that we might have avoided otherwise. I started working on a quilt that had been
packed away since the move, and am making nice progress on it.
I hope
this finds you all well, safe and sound. It
will be interesting to see how we all view this in hindsight. Thanks for checking in!
