Niagara Visit

We spent this weekend in St. Catharines visiting with our families. It was great to see everyone in person. We hadn't joined them for Easter since we didn't know how I'd feel after my first round of chemo and I didn't think I should be spending hours inside with everyone given the pretty good chance that someone in the family is exposed to COVID every day. Having a visit with our parents and with my siblings felt like it helped everyone understand that I really am doing OK - that I am still myself and that not too much has changed. I know that if I were in their shoes I'd be worried about them and probably not believing them if they told me they were OK. We have lived in Barrie for over 18 years and this is the first time that I think the distance is feeling bigger than it actually is. Reassuring people that you are feeling well on the phone just doesn't have the same effect as being with them in person.

We went for a hike on Sunday with almost the whole family including the cousins (ages 15, 13, 11, 9, 7 and 4...gosh I hope I'm right about those!) and our dogs. My brother-in-law wasn't able to join us as he was working. (As an aside, he is a chef, and we came home from Niagara loaded down with food for the freezer. Right now we don't really need food, but you must understand that you should NEVER turn down food from the family chef. I am salivating just thinking about it!) 

Our dogs have recently become more photographed than our kids, but they are awfully cute and get along with one another which is great. They are all young - under 18 months old - and pretty well behaved for their ages. Here is a picture of my dad, my sister and I with the dogs. They are sitting nicely because my sister bribed them with food. Martha on the left, then Reilly, and finally Indiana.

This week I have plans for more dog walks and hikes. I also really want to get back to the Python course I started a few weeks ago; I haven't had a good stretch of time to work on it in the last week or so, and I am almost finished. I am also helping support the Simcoe County students who are representing our region at the Canada Wide Science Fair next month. The fair is virtual, which is great for me as I have been able to commit to being one of the delegates for our team. A colleague and I will attend some of the virtual events with our students and get to soak up some of the excitement of the national fair. I have attended two fairs in person: Montreal in 2016 and Regina in 2017. The in-person events usually last a week and each day is long, with events running from dawn until 'lights-out.' A virtual fair will allow me to incorporate much more knitting and tea drinking, and many of the events are optional, which will be lovely for me because I can adjust my participation based on how I'm feeling. I'm embracing this opportunity, which I would not have had if I was working. Silver lining! :)