In the mental words of my big boy, my watch dog Remington..
“You best be keeping close watch on things”
I will fully admit that I really did not want to write anything on this subject before Christmas, I wanted my posts to be filled with sweet imagines and thoughts like this one.
However C-21 (aka the Omicron Version of C-19) has come in like a lion in march, we will see if it ends up going out like a lamb (I have my doubts it will).. I live in Ontario as so we are still more open then Quebec, which is a hop skip and jump from the farm.. honestly I could ride to the border on my horse (but good luck crossing the river without bridge or ferrier)
None the less, things are being closed up, moved back to smaller numbers, no food or drink allowed, we have always kept the masks indoors for most things but now even more have limits.. I would say its a only a matter of time before its fully closed again.. It will have to get a lot worse.. they will close the schools before they close up the 50 or 25% in store again.
We had notice and time, a month ago it was easy enough to upgrade the masks (even buy them on sale and Canadian made) order the test kits in blocks of 25 on the christmas sale of 30% off.. and everyone went fa la la.. and made their holiday plans safe in the knowledge that they “the majority” of Canadian’s and those in Ontario were all double vaxed
It did not matter that we tried so hard to share the information that the “Vaccine” does not prevent getting or passing on C-19, that it NEVER WORKED THAT WAY.. nope, I have had those talks till I was bang my head in a wall.. that it was clear as a bell that it was to keep peaple out of the hospitals and ideally to keep the death counts down..
The second one is that we are all about us.. what is happening in our community, our province, our country, everyone EVERYONE knew that the varients would come.. and they have by the thousands.. most of them are minor.. a few certainly have not been.. and still the world chugged along making sure that we continued to have for the first time in Human history the fastest means possable to share them all..
So here we sit.. today we broke the single daily record, smashed it at 5, 790 cases in the past 24 hours.. with a active case count offically as of today or 42,000..
If you want to believe them, they say that on the average its 5 to 10 times higher in the population so..
Low end 28 950 new cases yesterday in the province.
High end.. 57 900 new cases yesterday in the province
Current active cases in ontario today 42 000
lets be nice and use their own 5 times.. 210,000 active cases in the province of ontario..
Everyone is very clear that Omicron has a rate of 4 to 8.. so for everyone on person that is actively shedding in infection, they can and are easily spreading it to another 4 or more..
We have hit the point that they are saying point blank.. if you are sick stay home, if someone in your household tests postive the whole house needs to stay home and assume they have it.. No walk ins.. only booked tests and they are giving the booking testing first and formost to those in Essential services or family members who work in Essential services to get the tests so they can continue to work..
I will give them credit on this, that is smart.. if you are vaccinated, its mild.. STAY THE Bleep home, but if you work in Essential Services, be it health, be it police, fire, be it power or heat or food or shipping etc.. they are getting the first pick and spots on the testing.. Its one of the few things they are doing that makes sense to me
However there have a been a few things happening in the past week that have caught my eye..
First we had a gentleman stop his car at the end of my driveway to see if we could lend him gas, he left something to prove he was coming back, and he did etc.. I made sure he knew we had the DOGS big time.. but what really struck me is that he ran the car so low on gas that he needed to borrow.. you only do that when its hard to keep the tank full due to lack of $$
Then I started getting the notices from friends as more and more have been exposed and are being placed on the “high risk” lists.. Some are prepared, many others are not.. all of them are having that internal war.. if its mild and we are all going to get it.. then just get on with it.. at the moment 43% of folks in repots taking in the past 3 days say they are still going ahead with all their current get together plans..
IF this is right and I expect its higher to be honest.. then we can expect Jan case counts to be wild! and Feb will tell the truth in regards to what is going to happen to hospital needs and death rates.
This morning as I was sitting in my normal work space, slogging my way though a lesson on line for a course I am taking, I saw a black/grey full bottom half mud covered truck come zipping up to my drive way and come flying in.. I was up and to the door with the dogs and the moment I opened the door and stepped out in bright red jacket.. one look.. straight into reverse and back out as fast as they came in and took off down the road..
Two mens with scruff, hats pulled low, hoodies on, even if I had my camera nothing to see or read due to the full mud job on both front and back plates (hmmm).. that was a planned fast grab and go if I ever saw one… shakes head.. sign of the times.. in need of quick cash..
Stay safe out there! In all ways.. Remember that no matter how cold and bitter the winter is.. the seeds are waiting.. that’s how I feel to a point.. hunkered down, fluffed up and grit in my eye.. but the seeds are there waiting.. waiting..
Winter is HERE! in the now.. the darkest day has come, and the wheel is turning.. it will be a slow turn and time will feel fluid and it will flow to fast and move far to slow at times..
Hold.. hold.. the seeds are waiting..
Just another Day on the Farm 
Twenty years ago it did not occur to me we would need a gate at the end of our driveway – until we came home one day to discover somebody had pulled in with a truck and trailer and decided to use a portion of a field to turn around – and got stuck. Badly. The destruction was mind boggling, at least two acres of mess. We installed gates across the drive. To little effect. I came in from the back field one day to discover someone looking at one of our vehicles – they had simply crawled through the fence on the other side of the gate. Fixed that. Our fencing at the time was set up so the dogs protected the house, not the driveway. Not long after that, someone watched us leave the property, actually climbed the gate. We got home not an hour later to discover they had gone through the barns and swiped a draft pulling collar. The gates are now clad in eight foot tall fencing boards that can’t be climbed. They are an absolute pain in the ass to open and close in the wind, and in the snow. Whether we are home or not, those gates are closed and locked. This year we also installed a second driveway gate from the house to the barn. My mastiff can now patrol the house and the barns. Good luck getting past him. Rural areas are an easy target. Theft in the area where I live is a regular occurrence – for the most part it’s the big ticket items that go. Stock trailers, work trailers, generators, tools and equipment. All of our trailer hitches are in possession of padlocks as well. Can’t hook up to them unless you have time to cut the lock off.
Somebody joked recently that our place is like Fort Knox. Good. That’s the impression I want to give.
Now since covid….I find people are beginning to lose their sense of control over things, with unsurprising results. I have people who’ve never owned a firearm asking me if I have anything extra to sell them, or any extra ammo – are you kidding me? There is a huge underground economy for that stuff going in right now. I see almost every week, somebody installing gates in their driveways, slapping game cameras up. Weekly, people are asking us to raise them layers, meat birds. Do we have any of this or that for sale.
Honest – if you put your ear to the ground, you can hear and feel what’s coming. This will get worse before it gets better.
Yup, we did the same and I need to fix it.. there is a straight run in to the yard that needs a big gate and the fencing so that the dogs can meet you at said gate.. we have the camera’s but I am starting to think that while I can, I need to get a alarm that goes to my phone if someone crosses over a certain point.. then can check the photo that comes with it and see if I need to haul out of bed, or from back barn or little barn etc to the front.. I am planting in a good number of hedge rows and part of it is interplanted cedars but also I am going to be the rose lady.. its going to be so pretty, I mean beautiful and it will be outstanding for photogrpahy.. (but those roses that grow from ground to hedge size.. they might also come with enough thorns that unless you have a wack of time, you are not coming though it.. they are fast growing as well both on average two to three feet a year and so it should be in full useful by year three and there after.. plus I am using it to create wind buffer zones for the new little barn and the geodome, if I do it right it should bring that microzone up one full zone better even in the hardest part of winter.. I know its going to get worse but we have to live it, or I hope to heck we get to live it, so we might as well plant the flowers and enjoy the little things.. breath in the smell of horse, feel the purr of the cats in our hearts, enjoy the amazing bond with our hounds, feel the sun on our face.. there is a shit storm coming but we are lucky enough at the moment to have so many blessings at the moment..
Yes – good for the mental health to stop and breathe for a moment. We got over a foot of snow yesterday – the sun is out today and it’s gorgeous, though damn cold. On my way out to take pictures anyway.
A foot.. wow, we got a dusting lol.. enjoy those photos.. maybe you will even get a owl all snowed up.. that would be amazing.. I keep seeing owls in my friend feeds but I never see them here lol.. the sun fools us at time in winter lol.. its so warm coming though the windows and then we go.. o we should go out into it and then Brrrrr jack frost laughs.. silly silly peaple.. I wish you the best chirstmas if I don’t speak to you again before
And the same to you! 😊
Ohh Val, I hope you, your husband and the critters have a calm and peaceful Christmas, God Jul!
Theft from rural areas is not uncommon here. Not only in equipment which my sister and her husband sadly experienced, but also in stealing crops and poaching – a neighbour of my sister now has decent pictures of two vehicles that got away after having poached on their land. They are getting more and more bold, leaving behind the remains after they have butchered for all to see. We’ve been asked to keep an eye out for them.
Although I am guessing the police can’t do anything about ‘visitors’ if they don’t manage to steal anything, would it be worth reporting them, in case they try their luck and are successful elsewhere? Or is that not something the police would bother with?
As my sister had her knee replaced in October, our family is being careful especially now. I tested myself the day before flying home, on the day I landed, yesterday and today. I am thankful that lateral flow tests are available for free from our government (for now) so Husband and I can test ourselves, especially before meeting other people.
I am so glad you are getting to visit with your family, sorry to hear they are having those things happy, you have risks in the city and risks in the rural for sure.. I am glad you get the tests and while everyone here is waiting hours in the bitter cold hoping to get tests, often to be turned away empty handed.. they are running of tests for the elder homes and honestly they need them more.. I am glad we have a supply if needed.. merry christmas..
Sign of the times. We were starting to see crime move into our tiny village before our we left. We caught more than one suspicious character making their way up our twisty turny logging road. Stay vigilant.
Despite the crap in the world, I hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas.
Thanks Crafty, we will do our best to have a wonderful christmas here on the farm and I hope you and yours do as well.. indeed a sign of the times and best to prepare for more as it going to be a few rough months with some challenging years coming I expect.. but for now.. good food, good company, the love a great man..
Sounds like you have everything ❤