March 2020

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!