Joy

 

It rained yesterday. It stormed last night. This morning it was too wet to work in the garden. But come mid-afternoon, it was warm and beckoning. My wife's garden has little flowers beginning to bloom but the petals are spotted with mud splatter thanks to the heavy rain.

Then I noticed the little rock with the word Joy etched on one side. My granddaughters saw the rock in a craft shop and immediately wanted it for the garden. My wife looked at my picture and smiled. "We all need a little Joy today." 

Clearly, buying the little rock was a good idea.

It's not the way we saw it.

The picture on the left was linked to a Twitter tweet. It raised a lot of concern and anger. These people were clearly not practising social distancing. Complaints were lodged going all the way to the Prime Minister having angry tweets addressed to him

The local paper went out and soon realize the image was an example of photographic foreshortening. The shoppers appear much closer together than they really are. It is an illusion and not reality. (Not quite true, but an in depth discussion takes awhile. When I taught photography I had to take a student to the physics department to get him to understand. Let's not go there.)

The line may not have been as long when the news shooter arrived but he took two images that nicely illustrate how the same line can look quite different depending upon the angle.

Kudos to our local newspaper for nipping this brouhaha in the bud.

A blister beetle or so I believe

It was a big, attractive, dark blue beetle. I took its picture but I didn't touch it. I'm self-isolating and if I can't get close to my grandkids, I'll be damned if I'm going to get close to a bug. Turns out, the expression rather fits when used here. The bug is a blister beetle. Touch it and, you guessed it, you may get a damn blister or two. Ouch!

Seems the little fella excretes a toxic body fluid through its leg joints. Colourless and ordourless, the fatty fluid can cause blisters upon contact with the skin. Be alert as these are often found on flowering plants right across North American. Relatives that look similar but are coloured differently can be found in various places right around the globe.

I'm proud of how good Londoners are at following orders

Last night my wife and I picked up seven bags of groceries without entering the store or making contact with anyone. As we left the lot, we noticed a very loose line-up of people patiently waiting to get into the LCBO (Liquor Board of Ontaro) store. The line wrapped right around the store.

My wife  and I are both amazed at how willing Londoners are to follow the social distancing guidelines. (My picture is not from the LCBO. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring my camera with me to the grocery store. Oops.)

Call in your grocery order and pick up later

A car sits with its rear hatch door open as the owner waits to have his groceries brought from the store to his car. With the fear of catching COVID-19 growing daily, more and more Londoners are taking advantage of the Express service offered at some area grocery stores.

Call the store, give them your order, when your order is ready the store staff will call, pay with your credit or debit card and then drive to the store for pick up. There are reserved parking spots at the front of the store. Use your cell phone to tell the store staff you are there and within minutes your groceries a have been brought out and placed in your trunk.

I wonder if the service will be as popular once the coronavirus has been brought under control.

Coronavirus or not, life goes on

As more and more stuff comes to a grinding halt, it's nice to see something, if only a little flower, popping up out of the winter-damp leaves, opening its petals and blooming for all to see.

The little flower is, of course, a crocus, one of the first flowers to make an appearance each spring. As the cold eases its months-long grip, the cheerful little blossoms begin to erupt -- sometimes while there is still snow lingering on the ground.


In the past, strollers stopped without thought to enjoy these little harbingers of spring but this year folk look for others first. No stopping in groups. Keep six-feet or more of social distancing. 

Sadly, the crocuses will be gone long before the coronavirus has packed its bags and departed.

Won't be back for awhile; self-isolating

The Costco store looks almost empty and it was. Only so many customers are allowed in side at one time. Someone must leave before another person is allowed to enter. Products, like toilet paper, are being carefully rationed.

Note the yellow tape on the floor at the check-out. Shoppers lining up to make their purchases must stop their cart on a yellow line. People are being forced to practise a little social distancing.

My wife and I won't be going back for some time. Probably weeks. Our daughter has agreed to do all our shopping. We are no longer taking our granddaughter daily. We are self-isolating. The biggest wave of infections and death from covid-19 are expected to roll over the province in days. No more than two weeks at most and the viral toll should be hitting its peak. We have our finger crossed.