I read yesterday that many of the people who travelled and congregated to celebrate Thanksgiving have been infected with the novel coronavirus. I can understand their wish to escape isolation, but Covid-19 is highly contagious and it may be fatal. Did these people have a right to travel and congregate? Staying at home is not easy. I had a moment of sadness so intense that a young man at the bank called the police.
When I spoke to the two officers, I said the truth. I have been in this apartment since early March, my lovely cat died, and I was not fully settled. Boxes of books must be carried out of this apartment, which I believe could present a danger. I may therefore put them in the hallway the day they leave. The boxes are small and have handles.
Moreover, there are a few compensations that one can arrange. On 4 December, I will share a gourmet meal with a neighbour. The meal will be delivered to her in the lobby of the building. She will then separate it and leave my portion at my door. I will pick it up after she has returned to her apartment, two doors down. We will both enjoy the meal. We will not sit together, but is sitting together necessary?
As for Christmas, it is cancelled. Paulina will be at home and so will John. No one will come to my door. But I will remember the Christmases of my childhood and may re-read The Wind in the Willows. People are rediscovering books.
Today I will order a poinsettia and amaryllis. Last year’s amaryllis is growing again, but it may not flower. These flowers will make the apartment look cheerful.
My freedom ends where yours begins…
I have a little rule and will share it again. My freedom ends where yours begins. There have been demonstrations by people who wish to work and live “normally.” We cannot live “normally.” It is too dangerous. The premier, François Legault, was spotted buying a pile of books, wearing a thick mask.
One is tempted to socialize, but gatherings must be at a distance or postponed. There are four vaccines. Canada has developed its own. In due course, we will all be vaccinated, but our current conditions preclude get-togethers. I was crying when the young man from the bank started to talk to me. His orders were to call the police. He did what he had to do and what he did turned me around. There are very good and kind policemen in Sherbrooke, Quebec. When they left, I was fine. I needed a “break.” As for the remedy, another cat, it made sense. I am still meditating, but I’ve heard of a cat named George who was homeless.
I’m returning to Molière, but re-read Denis Diderot‘s Paradoxe sur le comédien. It is a Wikisource book and short.
Love to everyone 💕
© Micheline Walker
1st December 2020
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Micheline's Blog 
Hello Micheline – Thank you for this. And just to say: Your posts are a gift of enduring and accessible interdisciplinary scholarship. Thank you.
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🤍 Thank you.
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And thank you also for the moving account of how this pandemic is affecting you. I was happy to read of your neighbor and also of the actions of the two policemen who came to check up on you. One day this will all be over and you and we will be safe again. Meanwhile, I am glad that you are taking such wise and careful precautions.
Losing a beloved cat is hard. I have found that taking another has always provided solace. Perhaps George will suit.
And at least you live in a sane country that has taken this pandemic seriously. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of your neighbor to the immediate south!
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Thank you, Josie. This pandemic has affected all of us. I thought I was safe, but I wasn’t. Isolation can lead to genuine distress. But Canada, starting with Premier Legault, called in the military. So did the premier of Ontario. We have to tell the world that we are alone yet together. The role of the police is to protect and to serve. Besides, although the enemy was a virus, we were attacked, hence the military. The government of Quebec has a secretary to Anglophone affairs. Information was sent out in both French and English, and the Premier addressed the press in the two languages of this country, and he has been wearing a thick mask. Everyone was kept informed, and the oft-tested mask and keeping at a distance from one another protected us.
Josie, I feel privileged to live in this country. Donald Trump went into denial. A huge sanitary disaster was turned into faked news, and then he lied and insulted others. Covid-19 started in China, but it was not the “Chinese” virus.
George is an adult cat who needs a home. He may have lost his home, but he’s knocking at every door. He has a name: T. S. Elliot.
I’m so glad to have met you, Josie. Take excellent care of yourself. In the United States, too much is left to individuals to manage. Yet, you all, with notable exceptions, pay your taxes. Wishing you the very best.
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Eliot DID have a cat named George. I have a photo of him somewhere.
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What a coincidence. I have an excellent friend whose cat was named George. After George had a litter of little cats, the family tried to change her name. They couldn’t. In my opinion, she was named after George Sand. Sand had a humble son, Maurice. His illustrations of Molière’s characters and commedia dell’arte comedians are priceless. His style is quite close to that of Edmond Geffroy. I cannot always tell them apart. Thank you so much for the information and keep safe.
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Yeah! What Josie said. And, take some joy in the beautiful flowers and artwork that you include in your wonderful posts! — YUR
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Thank you, Unclerave. There is room on the internet for variety. My posts are longer, but I had a career as a teacher, so this is what I have to give. WordPress would like me to charge a fee, but who would read the posts? Accessibility is the key I am giving, and it fosters equality in as attractive a manner I can find. No, I have not written my book on Molière, but I have written posts that now cover all of Molière.
You find words inside words and provide quotations that say everything in a few words. So we continue. My best.
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I do hope you enjoy tomorrow’s meal, and that the rest of the time may have other comforts
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Tomorrow’s meal will be truly extraordinary. I should also keep the flower of the season. Moreover, keeping an animal companion is a perfect idea. It doesn’t have to be a cat. It could be a bird. But one needs a little companion and events such as a gourmet dinner. I have friends two doors down, Fiona and Brigitte. When Covid has gone away, we will get together in person. More than half of Canadian victims of Covid-19 lived in Quebec. Our Prime Minister may have been too polite. So far, he has dealt with the crisis as well as he could, but he has not inherited his father’s no-nonsense approach and huge intellect. I always love pictures of your garden and those of animals.
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That meal was delicious, I enjoyed it very much. I plan to order a gourmet meal from time to time. I have always loved good food. As you do. :- )
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I am glad you are fine Micheline, isolation its not hard for me, I have spent most of my life alone, despite of past marriages, and children, I guess, is a matter of choice, and character, on my part, although I find this quarantine more of an inconvenient rather than a burden, like I had planed since a few years to go on a long journey at the end of this year, and of course the pandemic got on the way.
Bach, Air on the G String, one of my favorites.
Best wishes! 🙂
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I also love spending a lot of time by myself. For me, the worst thing about my marriage was that I could not do intellectual work. There was no time. I ended up asking my husband to leave for twelve weeks, and when he returned, I had completed my work successfully, which, in a sense, was a loss. I nevertheless prize aloneness, but, about two weeks ago, it had become solitary confinement, and the past was resurfacing. I’m now just fine. Thank you for writing.
The Air on the G String is so beautiful and so soothing. 🙂
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