Your Last Normal Photo

There was a thing going around on Facebook asking you to post your the last photo on your phone before you went into lockdown.

This is mine:

We had friends over to play Smart Ass the first Sunday of March Break. It was supposed to be after we all saw Cats, but the rest of the performances had just been cancelled, so we were already wondering if we should have people over, but things were still very uncertain. We all washed our hands a lot but didn't exactly social distance, as you can see (we did hug a bit less than we usually do). We were supposed to go over to their house for a hot tub Tuesday night, two nights later, but by then recommendations were coming down and we decided not to go.

Ontario just announced that schools are closed for the rest of the year. We knew it was coming, but it still has a sobering finality. Eve is okay with it, and I'm okay with it for her. I'm pretty sad for myself. I only work a couple of days a week at two different schools, so chances of getting the kids I really like two years in a row are slim. When the kids come up for me to scan their books out, their patron record has their school picture with it. One boy at my Wednesday school is smiling like this in his photo:


When I told him how much I love seeing that smile every time I scan his books out, he started smiling the smile when he came up to my desk. It was a bright, lovely spot in every shift. There's also a boy named Stanley Cramp (I know I shouldn't be sharing his name, but when you google Stanley Cramp you just get some old British civil servant and ornithologist, who for all I know my Stanley is named after, but I don't feel like I'm endangering my Stanley) who has an adorable British accent and was astonished that I remembered his name so quickly, so then I would pretend not to know it - "Walter? Ernest? Plantagenet?" and he would howl with laughter and say "You're winding me up, you are" and guys, WHAT IF STANLEY CRAMP ISN'T IN MY LIBRARY PERIOD NEXT YEAR THIS IS BULLSHIT.

Okay, let's focus on some good stuff. We had no plans for the long week-end, mainly because we completely forgot it was a long week-end, who the frig knows anymore, am I right? We ended up seeing people (from a social distance, MAN I can't wait until I don't have to add that phrase to every second sentence, "I went and saw my BFF and SAT RIGHT BESIDE HER AND NIBBLED HER EAR A LITTLE" every day - my parents for a barbecue on Saturday, our neighbours and their friends that we love on Sunday, and the Smart Ass people and another couple on Monday. Sunday was impromptu banana daiquiris and wine and then someone got the munchies so someone did a McDonald's run. Matt said "did they ask you how much you smoked up before ordering this?"


First time I'd had McDonalds in years. It was better than I remembered, can't imagine why.

My neighbour's dog being adorable and totally not begging for a fry.

Lucy and her big sister.

Our neighbours are amazing and I love them. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't love their neighbours, especially now when even in lockdown rules - no more than five people, six feet apart - we could go sit in their back yard, drink a bottle of wine or five (that was only once), let the dogs run around and use our own washrooms. There have been no issues with our family being locked in together for two months - due as much to the kids' ages and the amount of space we have as to how much we like each other, which is a lot - but sometimes you just want to see another human other than on your computer screen.
I try really hard not to compare myself to other people, but I have been feeling kind of lame about my quarantine accomplishments - I haven't even baked bread, although I've baked innumerable biscuits, a buttload of maple oatmeal scones and some soft pretzels. So tonight we're making grilled naan. As ever when trying a new recipe, I figure it will either be a good meal or a good story.