Coronavirus Update #8 - Finding Enjoyment Despite Adversity

Not such a bad day, self isolating.

It's actually been a pretty enjoyable couple of days.

Like I said, it looks like BC, at least, is having some effect on flattening the curve. That makes me feel good about things and solidifies my resolve to continue social distancing and staying at home.

The numbers aren't spectacular, however. Canada has close to 6000 cases and BC has 884 but it seems that things are starting to slow. Time will tell.

We did have a really nice time last night, though...

Many of the restaurants in Kelowna (and, I am sure, in most other places) are offering great delivery deals so they can stay in business. We have been exploring these and last night, we really found a winner.

Home Block restaurant, at Cedar Creek winery, is offering a few dishes for delivery as well as Take and Bake dishes and meals for two. We opted for the latter - a meal for two with lamb tagine, lamb kofke (sausages), yogurt, cilantro, and pita. We warmed up the lamb in the oven for 45 minutes and it was absolutely amazing. One of the best meals I have had in a few weeks.

It was a great deal for $55 all in. However, it was even a better deal because we had enough left over for dinner tonight. Delicious!

To accompany dinner last night, I delved into the cellar and came up with a 2013 Checkmate Silent Bishop Merlot that I bought a few years ago for, I think, about $65. I decanted it for about an hour and then tasted this wine. It was spectacular - great flavours of black currant, plum, blueberry, leather, mushroom and vanilla. The fruitiness was perfectly balanced with the characteristics from ageing. This wine is at the peak of its age, in my opinion. I have another Checkmate wine from that vintage that I will have to find an excuse to drink over the next year!

Today, we had another great time, despite the social distancing, when we walked from our condo to downtown Kelowna. It was mostly sunny and warm enough for shorts. There were a fair number of other people but everyone was very courteous about giving lots of space.

Found this not-so-secret tunnel on our walk.

We even found a tunnel which went under the Bennet Bridge and avoided the highway and brought us right to the beach at City Park.

Back at home, we busied ourselves with household tasks including rearranging the terrace furniture. It is kinda of nice to have the time to do these things because there's not much else to do!

The teary moment of the day, however, was at 7pm. We had finished our dinner and were sipping wine outside on the terrace, and then we heard the clanking of pots, cheering, and applauding for health workers. Of course we joined in!

I am finding that this crisis can be bearable with a positive attitude, steady resolve, and a commitment to keep busy. We can get through this!

Keep healthy.

Coronavirus Update #7 - Cautiously Positive

Am I self isolating enough?

It's actually been 61 days since the Coronavirus first hit Canada.

There are 4757 cases in Canada. And 792 cases in BC.  Sadly, 16 people have died in BC.

The US is turning into a, pardon my French, real shitshow as they now have the most number of cases in the world - over 100,000.

And Trump wants to station American troops along the Canada-US border.

Among all this negativity, there was a breath of fresh air today from Dr. Henry, our Provincial Health Officer. It appears that BC (at least) may actually be flattening the curve and be closer to South Korea in the rate of infection rather than Italy or Spain.

That is excellent news.

Mind you, my anecdotal experience has seen much better social distancing in the past several days. When we went for today's walk, there were lots of other people walking but we all gave each other a 2 meter buffer. More importantly, there were no groups on the beach, hanging out.

That's right - not one group of people hanging out together.

That is great to see. If people continue to be vigilante in social distancing, staying at home, and washing hands, we just might have this over with in a couple of months.

But what is happing in the US is scary. It looks like there is a patchwork of responses, depending on the state. Louisiana is a 'stay at home' state but neighbouring Arkansas has few restrictions. Same differences between Kansas and Nebraska. Not really happy with what is going on there - especially with the somewhat nonchalant attitude of Trump.

This cartoon about the Americans patrolling the Canada - US border more or less summed it up for me:

So, despite what's happening in the US, I am feeling, at least, a little better and just a teensy bit hopeful about the future.

Here's hoping that tomorrow's news continues being cautiously optimistic.

Stay healthy!

How to Combat Cabin Fever - Niche Wines

Our Cabin Fever Kit from Niche Wines

How about an actual post about wine?

On Monday, my daughter sent me an urgent text - "Dad, check out the Small Batch Box from Niche Winery."

Which I promptly did.

For $99 (plus tax)  you get three bottles of wine, cheese and chocolate. Sounds like a pretty good deal but it ended up being a great deal!

The cheese if from my favourite new cheesemonger in Kelowna, Perseval and Young. There's two types of cheese included - Le 1608, a nutty, buttery cheese from Quebec and La Religuese - raclette style cheese that melts in your mouth. Both smell divine and I am looking very forward to wine and cheese tonight.

The chocolate is from Karat Chocolate, also in Kelowna. There is a 70% Terroir Dark Chocolate bar and a Cherry Dark Chocolate bar. My wife loves chocolate with her wine and these are supposed to be a nice pairing. I'm quite happy to just have my chocolate after wine.

Finally, the wine. First is their 2019  Small Batch Bubbles ($26). This wine is tank fermented and left on its lees for a buttery, creamy flavour. Not sure what kind of grapes are in this wine as my usual sources (including the label on the bottle) don't tell the mix. It has a rating of 4/5 on Vivino.

Next is their 2018 Pinot Noir ($25). I've had Niche Pinot Noir before and it is fantastic! This wine has tastes of cherry and an underlying earthiness. This is the perfect cheese accompaniment. Or maybe chocolate...

Finally is the 2018 Foch ($30). I'm looking forward to trying this one as there are some Foch wines that I love and some that are OK - but I am sure that Niche has done a good job with this. Apparently there are notes of chocolate, coconut and vanilla on the nose so this might go really well with some of that chocolate!

I'm not sure you'll get the same delivery service that I did - the two owners delivered it to our condo last night in  their car! I also got another Small Batch Box for my brother-in-law for his birthday and Niche included a birthday card! Now that's service....

All the wines and food are discounted by 15%.

Included in the box are the two bars of chocolate, the two cheeses, the three bottles, a 'Bubbles are Best!' sticker, a recipe card, a handwritten thank you card, and a little booklet about what's in the box called Small Batch Box - Treats to Cure Your Cabin Fever.

Cabin fever - begone!

Update: You might be having a difficult time trying to order this. It was on an instagram post. The link is here - be sure to put the word SMALLBATCH in the coupon code!

Coronavirus Update #6 - The Toll on the Economy

Out for a socially distant walk with grand-puppy and daughter.

Many countries are doing their best to slow the spread of Coronavirus - some are shutting down non-essential businesses, restricting groups to as few as two people, or even telling people to stay home - 'shelter in place'.

And it might be working. Italy has had a couple days in a row where the death toll and infection rate has decreased. Canada had a one day decrease in numbers (maybe an anomaly, but we will see). China is continuing to flatten out.

But then there's Trump. Earlier today he tweeted, 'THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM! Congress MUST ACT NOW.' By this, he means that the economy cannot continue to be sidelined by Coronavirus. When the self-isolation order expires on March 31st in the US, people speculate that Trump will encourage everyone to go back to work.

I have to disagree. The first priority of a government is the health of its citizens. If people go back to work when the US is in the middle of an upward swing of infections, it's going to be catastrophic there. Their already crappy health system will quickly become overrun and people will die. Lots of people.

Look what's happening in Italy with the restrictions in place. Imagine how bad it would be without restrictions. Imagine how bad things will get for people in the US if Trump actually implements economic policies over health.

Kinda glad the border is closed....

Ever since Trump has been elected president in the US, I have usually found a reason each day to read about something he has done, or said, and then shake my head. This is currently a crisis in the US (as it is everywhere) yet he seems completely out of touch with what is going on.

I contrast that with the seriousness and sincerity of Trudeau and our provincial politicians. They seem in tune with what is going on and are trying to prepare us for a longer term of restrictions. Yes, this will affect the economy, but isn't saving lives the number one priority?

I hope so.

Coronavirus Update #5 - Back off, Jack! Social Distancing

Practising both Social Distancing and Spanish on our terrace. 

The weather here is glorious right now.

In fact, it has been nice and steadily getting warmer since we started self-isolating. Silver lining?

Our days have a bit of sameness to them - get up, coffee together while we watch the news, some work on the computer or household duties. Lunch, a nice long walk, hang out at home to study or paint or play a computer game, a drink or glass of wine around 4:30. Then, cook dinner for my wife's dad (85 years old), drop it off (keeping 2 metres away) chat with him for 20 minutes (making sure we don't touch anything - he really doesn't understand why we won't stay longer). home for our dinner, another glass of wine, watch the news again, and then a couple shows on TV before reading in bed.

It's actually quite a pleasant existence.

The tricky part right now is social distancing. When we are out walking, it seems like the whole neighbourhood is out as well. People are still fairly friendly although we make sure to go around people - sometimes walking into the street. Lots of people our on their bikes, whizzing past us as well.

People generally look happy, to be out of their houses for some fresh air and wonderful weather. But most are vigilant, as well, attempting to keep enough distance.

Yesterday was quite breezy - which made me think - can the Coronavirus be spread in the breeze a long distance? Not a happy thought.

Another glorious, socially distant, walk in the sunshine.

As we walked by a number of beaches, I saw groups of young people - teens or 20 somethings - congregating in groups, playing basketball or hanging out together. There were definitely not social distancing.

These are the people that PM Trudeau and our provincial leaders are talking about when they say that everyone needs to engage in social distancing. Young people are getting sick as well, although not as many. And if they have a mild case, they can pass it on to their parents or elderly relatives. Or to the clerk at the grocery store who passes it onto her aunt. Or.. or...

I remember (vaguely) being in my 20s and thinking that I was indestructible. In fact,. some of my behaviour at that age truly tested those parameters. But we are asking our young people to think beyond themselves and help stop the spread.

It's not an easy thing to do, when you're young, but it's so important.

As of yesterday, there were 424 cases in BC, and 1336 in Canada. Our neighbours to the south have close to 30,000 cases. We need to get a handle on this and getting everyone to engage in social distancing is the best way.

Keep healthy!

Coronavirus Update #4 - Stupid People

Spring breakers experiencing difficulties practicing social distancing.

Since my last posting, the numbers of cases - and deaths  - has steadily increased. 846 cases in Canada with 12 deaths and 271 cases in BC alone.

Our leaders have been very insistent on people following guidelines that will slow the progress of COVID19.

• Stay home. 
• Do not gather in groups. 
• Stay away from bars and restaurants except for take out. 

But there are some really stupid people in the world.

In the US, there are scenes every day of college aged students at the beach in places like Florida - in giant groups, drinking their faces off, having a great time, and not worried about getting sick.

'If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not going to let it stop me from partying,' one spring breaker spouted.

But get this. Right now, the US has over 16,000 cases and 219 deaths. And, according to the latest facts, 20% of those infected in the US are between 20 and 44.

Also, think about the people they know and love. Siblings, parents, grandparents - all could be at risk when they decide the party is over.

Another example off stupidity. All bars and restaurants in Vancouver were ordered to close on St. Patrick's Day. Over 20 decided to ignore that order - motivated by greed. To be fair, there were a lot of foolish people that went in these bars as customers.  I hope their four leaf clovers keep them safe after such idiotic behaviour.

Six feet, not six centimetres, Donald...

Maybe picking on Trump is too easy,  but here's a photo from yesterday. Compared to Trudeau, who is by himself (granted, he is in isolation), or our provincial leaders, who are six feet apart, the US leader is seen cheek to jowl with other government representatives. Not the best social distancing, Donald!

Evangeline Lily - Crisis? What crisis?

Canadian actor Evangeline Lily joins other celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens (whining about Coronavirus being heartless and that maybe she shouldn't be quarantining), Nelydia Senrose (posting travel pics in Malaysia) and Gal Gadot (making an Imagine  video with friends rather than contributing in a more productive manner such as donations). Lily has basically decided not to change her routine, dropping her kid off at a gymnastics camp. “Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing,”

Great.

Of course, there are lots of other stupid things that have come about but that is to be expected in the world. Black people can't catch it (they can). Cow urine prevents Coronavirus (it doesn't). It's a Chinese virus because the Chinese wanted to infect people from Hong Kong (doubtful).  There's a bunch of Instagram filters for Coronavirus including one where you can randomly find out if you have the virus (just plain stupid). 

Bonnie Henry - an oasis of calm in a shit-storm.

Despite all of this idiocy, most people are taking this seriously and are rising to the occasion. PM Trudeau sounds genuine, sincere and is showing that he is a real leader each day when he speaks. Our provincial politicians appear on TV, 2 metres apart, and tend to tell things like it is, in a calm manner. Our provincial minister of health, Bonnie Henry, is the calmest, most sincere person I have seen in this whole crisis. I think my father-in-law would like a date with her...

I am hopeful that the above mentioned stupid people will realize the seriousness of the current crisis. It is never too late to practice social distancing and, if the majority of people are doing so, the outliers may not have much of an effect. 

Interestingly, one of the articles I read today noted that Canadians have an inherent trust in their government so they are more likely to follow the advice to flatten the curve - or plank it! 

I realize it is still early days in many ways but I am hopeful that the steps that most of us non-stupid people are taking will prevent things from becoming really bad. 

Stay home and stay healthy. 

Coronavirus #3 - Fiesta!

Just released! Some rosé to help cope...

I'm sure the title of today's blog is a bit different.

After I blogged yesterday, I went to the local college for my two Spanish classes - the last classes at the college as they are moving to online for Thursday.

For the first class, a first year Spanish Class, half of the class was missing. Surprisingly, it was mostly young kids that missed. The second class, a second year oral Spanish Class with 8 students - mostly over 50 - only had one missing person!

It was a presentation class where you had to explain how to do something, in Spanish, of course. One guy explained how to make sushi and then proceeded to make a whole bunch. I showed people how to taste wine - with their own sample, of course! And on it went - from calligraphy to string games to getting a job.

The class went overtime, not that anyone minded, and at the end we had a party of sorts - una fiesta - where we ate sushi and polished off the bottle of wine.

Yes, we all kept our distance. Nobody was coughing on others. The guy making sushi wore gloves.

For me, it was a rather enjoyable way to celebrate being with more than a couple people for the next I-don't-know-how-long.

The recent news in BC has not been so good. Yesterday there were 83 more cases for a total of 186. Today there's 45 more for a total of 231. There's close to 700 cases in Canada. Nine people have died. Some are questioning how effective the new measures are - not realizing that the infections reflect the situation 5 -7 days ago, not the situation right now.

Yesterday, I proposed three things. They have mostly happened already. The schools are closing indefinitely. The border is closed except to essential supplies and people - US citizens are not excluded (and vice versa). And our politicians are saying, "Stay at home."

Which is harder than it sounds.

When I was reading my email, I got a message that 8th Generation Winery had just released their rosé. We love their rosé so, off we went to Summerland to pick up a case.

The winery had a table across the front of the store and only one person was allowed in the small alcove at a time. After waiting for the guy before me, I ordered my case of 2019 8th Generation Pinot Meunier Rosé ($20 each), got a bonus bottle of Cab Merlot for ordering a case, and left with the wine. Very little interaction and no tasting - which seems like the ideal thing to do in the new reality.

Afterwards, we drove back to Kelowna, appreciating the glorious sunny day and the picturesque Okanagan Lake.

As we drove back, I thought, stay home - stay home except when you need essentials or possible a few bottles of wine.

If wineries can be careful with their policies and people can enter one at a time and keep their distance, I hope they can remain open. I will do my part to support them over the coming weeks.

We even ordered dinner at a local Asian restaurant tonight - pick up only, of course!

Coronavirus Blog #2

The view from my terrace gives no indication of the current crisis.

It's another beautiful day in the Okanagan. Although crisp and cold, the sun is bright in the sky. It's a good thing as I can look out on our terrace when all the news about COVID19 gets to be too much.

The cases in Canada have jumped by 42 to 447. Another person has died (in Ontario, this time) to make the total number of deaths 5. The Prime Minister spoke this morning echoing the standard things that will hopefully flatten the curve; wash your hands, no groups larger than 50, and social distancing. I know I've been elbow bumping everyone for the last couple days and, with the exception of going to the grocery store and pharmacy yesterday, have been staying home or walking outside.

Another thing alluded to by the PM is implementing some elements of the Emergency Measures Act. When I was a kid, it was implemented (called the War Measures Act) due to homegrown terrorists in Quebec called the FLQ who killed one politician and kidnapped another. This gave the government sweeping powers that you don't usually see in a democracy like Canada but may be necessary in the coming weeks to stabilize this pandemic.

There are a few things that I would like to see - and I would not be surprised if most of them happen in the next few days:

1. Close the border to the US. Canada has closed our border to everyone except essential people such as airplane crews and truckers of goods. And US citizens. The problem is, parts of the US, including Washington State, directly south of us, have more cases than all of Canada right now. Our provincial government, contradicting our PM,  has said that we don't want US citizens in BC. I think it would be safer to just close the borders to US citizens (and vice versa) except for trade related trips.

2. Close all schools and universities. I have a presentation at the local college today - but after that, I am tapping out. I don't need the courses - they are just for fun - and I think things are going to get a lot worse. Elementary and high schools will need to close, too, for the sake of the children and staff who need to be out of that giant Petri dish called a school. It's a burden, but there's my next point.

3. People should stay home. We are being told that but my wife and I are practically the only ones we know who are able to because we are retired. I have relatives that work for independent businesses, wineries, the RCMP, and government agencies and they are all working on site. My son, luckily, can work from home. One of the most effective measures in China and Korea was to restrict movement and have people stay home. That would also mean there are parents home to take care of their children.

I realize that people are very concerned about he economic impacts of shutting down most business for the time being - or, at least, running them from home. But the situation in places like Italy and Spain right now show that these measures will happen anyway. Why not reduce the spread - or at least flatten the curve - by implementing stricter controls - temporarily - right now?

Coronavirus Blog #1

Walking in the sun seems a safe way to avoid COVID-19

So... I was going to blog about the recent International Wine Festival in Vancouver that I attended at the end of February - which seems like an awfully long time ago. Unfortunately, the situation here - and in the world - is rather dire so I have decided to use my blog to talk about the Coronavirus and my experiences around the pandemic.

As of today, there are 405 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, 103 of them in my province of BC. It doesn't seem like a lot but the problem is that there are probably many more people who have it who either don't have symptoms yet or had such mild symptoms that they didn't recognize that they had the virus.

I remember a mere week or so ago, we were still planning on going to a trip to Spain in April. They had around 400 cases - like we have now. We thought the numbers were pretty low so it would be fine to go. Fast forward a week, and Spain has close to 10,000 cases with 342 deaths. Everything is closed except for food stores and pharmacies. Needless to say, we cancelled our trip.

Now, many of the retail outlets in Canada are closing or have closed. Grocery stores have sporadic rushes where there are huge line ups of people one day and are normal the next.  Most restaurants are still open but it is uncertain for how long. People are being encouraged to use services like Skip the Dishes.  Gyms and casinos are closed.

Yet, we went for a walk today, in the sunshine, and there were no signs of panic or even concern. People said, "Hi!" as we passed them and there were the usual numbers of people walking, jogging and cycling. We walked to downtown Kelowna and went to the bookstore where we stocked up on some books. There were other people in the bookstore and no-one was wearing a mask or asking if we used hand sanitizer.

One of my relatives works at a private business in Kelowna. Her boss returned home from Las Vegas yesterday and was at work today. No self-isolation, even though everyone who returns to the country is supposed to self-isolate for fourteen days. Is this how pandemics spread?

Things are changing rapidly - daily, right now. I think my wife and I are being fairly vigilante in our approach. We will avoid going out to eat for the near future. We are still going to businesses that are open if needed. We intend to stay home or be outside, walking, most of the time.

My wife's father is 85 years old and is at high risk. We are still trying to figure out how much we should have contact with him. We were at a family dinner yesterday at his house but have decided, today, to drop off dinner for him today and avoid visiting.

Who know what the future has in store? In the meantime, we will wash our hands frequently (my hand washing tune is the Star Trek theme), limit our contacts with others as much as is practical, and keep updated with what is happening next.

Thank goodness the wine cellar is full!