My Time in HermitVille 

How the Heck Did I Wind Up HERE? 

Back in the day – pre pandemic – I spent a wonderful 10 days in Arizona.  What had started as a fun sibling trip, had now become an annual sibling trip. Four out of the five of us gathered at my older sister’s place in Maricopa for sun, fun, horses and excursions.  

The highlight of those excursions was a trip to Tucson Rock and Gem show. We cruised through one of the 39 venues (yes – insane!) and what a blast. I loved it! Bought a great selection of gemstone beads and agate slabs, as much as I could carry. My crew had to drag me away, protesting all the way. Good thing they made me quit though, my carry-on baggage on the plane was a touch on the heavy side! At that time, none of us could imagine that would be the last trip together for a long while.  

I got home from our Arizona trip, stashed away my stone haul and in what felt like no time at all, re- packed my bags to head even further South.

My hubby and I headed to Mexico for a winter vacation. Near the end of our time there the pandemic began to explode in Europe and the UK. As it turned out, our scheduled flight home was just about the time Canada was shutting down.  

Getting Cozy in My Cocoon 

This being confined to our home thing was a new experience. Our first quarantine made us very appreciative of what we have. We are very fortunate as we have lots of space, half a hectare of land, multiple workshops and a decent sized house. We have never appreciated our home more!   

While cocooning in our home we had some great company.  

A wonderful young man, C.S., had been house and dog-sitting for us when we were in Mexico. Due to the lockdown he really had nowhere else to go, so we happily invited him to stay.  

When you are not used to spending all your time with your spouse (can you relate?) it was such a gift to have a young, energetic and super pleasant house mate. And did I mention he loved to cook? Always there to help with our to-do list.  

The other saving grace for us was our two German Shepherds, Tia and Cash. As so many people discovered this past year, animals are the best companions to keep you sane.  

Like many people, I tried to be productive during my ‘quarantine time’. But I enjoyed the cozy feeling of of my greatly appreciated cocoon. You know that list of things you never had time for?  I call them “Bug Ems”. It feels good to ‘tick’ them off the to do list. Hallelujah!  

After working for decades in Kamloops, making that 120K roundtrip trek to work, I was content to stay home and embrace living in HermitVille! 

And now you know, that is how I spent some of my time in HermitVille.  And how the heck I arrived here.   

But there is more…Stay tuned for more stories on my pandemic adventures.   

~GP