Wednesday, 23 September 2020

The Test for the Times

 Last week was a milestone in our trip to our cottage to PEI.  We arrived at the cottage on September 3rd but in many ways the trip was not over.  We had to go into quarantine for fourteen day.  They take quarantining very seriously here and people in that state are phoned every day by an official from the PEI Health Department to confirm that you are still home.

We know of one couple who missed a call and were visited by the RCMP to check on them.  No harm done but their dog thought it would make a break for it and jumped unnoticed into the back seat of the cruiser and was taken for a ride to quarantine freedom.  However, the canine escapee was discovered and brought back to quarantine prison.   

To be honest being in quarantine has not seemed like being in prison for either Lorna or me.  We have enjoyed the days filled with few commitments and we were able to hunker down to the things which we enjoy doing; for me it is being in the bunkie playing guitar and spending time on the computer and doing my daily spiritual exercises as well as reading and having another kind of spirit at 4:00 in the afternoon.  Lorna on the other hand has thrown herself into her favourite activity-gardening.  I have said for many years that the people who devised house arrest as a punishment were definitely not introverts which is what Lorna and I definitely are.  Of course being in quarantine was possible due to help form friends particularly one who brought us our groceries during this time of isolation. 

I was given one opportunity to break out of quarantine which I took.  We were asked by the PEI official if either of us would be willing to take a COVID-19 test.  I agreed as I thought it was my civic duty to help the officials to gain a better understanding of the scope of the pandemic.  I’m not sure if I would have agreed if I had known I would have to drive to Charlottetown by myself – Lorna wasn’t allowed to accompany me.  She is usually my navigator when travelling to uncharted territory, and sometimes even in charted ones.  I once had a dream where she was a back-seat driver but she was in the front seat.  I am actually grateful for her navigational skills and depend on them as I am directionally challenged which I put down to my type with my sensing function in the Myers Briggs scale being my weakest or inferior one (see last weeks edition for more on types).  We don’t have GPS in the car which I am beginning to wonder if we should reconsider.

In any case, last Monday I set off to the uncharted territory in deepest darkest Charlottetown.  All was well until I took a wrong turn or, rather, the highway too a wrong turn which I didn’t follow and I had to go to plan B which was to phone Lorna on our antiquated cell phone and she bailed me out and got me to my destination only a few minutes late which wasn’t a problem.  Once I arrived the process went very smoothly and the test itself was not a problem.  I phoned in for the results last Thursday and yes, I am COVID negative. 

So, we are now out of quarantine and free to fully enjoy the all that PEI has to offer this time of year which will include hurricane Teddy (a most inappropriate name for a hurricane in my view).  Teddy is scheduled to arrive early Wednesday and we can hunker down once more to ride it out if it arrives and the power goes out as predicted.  We were able to attend a church worship service at St. George’s Anglican in Montague on Sunday.  It was a joy to reconnect with some Island friends and to worship with other people.  I will be presiding at the service there next Sunday, Teddy permitting. 

My journey continues – blessings on yours.  

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