It may not feel “normal” just yet, but it certainly seems like a great many people wanted to get out and feel as close to normal as they could be over the weekend.
With the relaxed guidelines, Chatham-Kent residents emerged from their homes in numbers to shop in stores again, and to sit on a patio for a meal and a drink.
Local businesses appreciate the support. Keep it up, C-K, with social distancing, masking and hand sanitizing still part of the mix. We’ve come a long way, but we are not there yet.
As for the Corcorans, we hosted people in our backyard not named, well, Corcoran. Three McFaddens visited briefly on Saturday afternoon. We sat in the backyard and enjoyed our fill of food from the Drive-Thru Ribfest on the weekend.
Put on by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario, people lined up in their vehicles to enjoy some tasty barbecue.
We had ribs, pulled pork, chicken and baked beans. All elements were delicious!
And it was consumed with some nice hydrating beverages in the shade with a sweet breeze to keep it comfortable.
We realized we had not seen one family member in about 18 months. That’s what COVID does.
But he came up from Toronto and maintained social distancing. He didn’t even want to go inside our house, despite the fact everyone has been vaccinated at least once.
But on a day like that, the place to be was outside.
We are blessed with a great deal of shade from a number of mature trees in the backyard. Add in some good food, beverages, great music (I was in control of that), and it was a fine afternoon.
One thing we also noticed on the weekend, with non-essential stores opening, the grocery stores seemed a little less busy. That was win-win for us, as we could get through the grocery store in a timely manner, and local residents were supporting local businesses.
The Beach Bus is back in action on the weekends, splash pads are open, and summer is all but upon us.
Factor in the patios, extended ones at that, as well as stores opening again to limited capacity, this past weekend felt like a large step forward.
Let’s hope the COVID-19 numbers don’t skyrocket. Well, vaccinations can skyrocket. Can’t wait for my second dose, although it’s not likely until mid-July.
