I fully intended to post to this blog on a more frequent basis this year, but a couple of factors have prevented me from doing so. I am still at a loss as to what to write - as a warning, this post might become a bit morose.
The title is actually an ancient Chinese curse. Interesting times include pandemics, after all. Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones as Covid was a minor nuisance to me this year, compared to the loss of my wife Lee Anne Cohen, who succumbed to lung cancer in September. As you can imagine, it will be a challenge to find humour in my current situation.
Let's start with a recap of all that has transpired since we returned from Portugal in February: Nothing much at all, thank you very much. As with most everyone, Covid drastically changed our lives and even Lee Anne's death. Surprisingly, there was virtually no change in making maple syrup. Most days I travelled to the sugar shack, started the evaporator and boiled down until it was time to go home. In retrospect, I have been isolating every March and April for the last 15 years!
On the OUTRace front (Ontario Ultra and Trail Race series), it was a very interesting time, as races were cancelled and the race directors struggled to figure out what to do. Seaton Soaker held a virtual race, as most of its registration fees had already been spent on race gear and expenses before Covid restrictions came into effect. I was very glad not to be a race director in 2020! Run Off the Grid was the only race physically staged this year. It is north of Algonquin Park and all race distances were capped at 50. The OUTRace series awards were cancelled and prizes were distributed to only one race.
In the fall of 2019, Lee Anne started complaining that she was having trouble breathing, while running up 4 kilometer hills... We figured that this was normal, as she had dropped her running from 150K per week, to "only" 80K per week, due to a knee injury. This, coupled with turning 66, explained (we thought) the difficulty in breathing. However during our vacation in Portugal in January and February 2020, it became apparent that there might be a different reason for her difficulties. Then Covid happened by...
Perhaps not a perfect storm, but after returning to Canada, it became difficult to see our doctor. Lee Anne finally held a phone appointment with our doctor, who thought her condition might be asthma. However puffers had little effect and in June, Lee Anne was finally able to get a lung x-ray. The prognosis was not good. She then underwent several tests and a lung biopsy before lung cancer was confirmed in August. The Oncologist estimated that Lee Anne had between 6 months and 5 years to live.
We put the 93 acre property were I make maple syrup up for sale, in the hopes that we could travel more frequently after Covid was over. Lee Anne underwent her first session of chemotherapy in September, but unfortunately, passed away 1 week later.
It is interesting that someone as fit as Lee Anne (she broke the Canadian 100 mile record for her age category in 2015), who doesn't smoke and eats much better than I (she was a vegetarian) would contract lung cancer. But as one of her Oncologists stated, cancer is not overly discriminating.
So, as with most people in Ontario, I am in lockdown. I am running a lot and chopping wood. My daughter Celeste is currently living with me and will be renting her house in Wasaga Beach for the winter. One interesting aspect of the pandemic is that there are almost no places for rent in the Collingwood / Wasaga Beach area. People are staying in the area, rather than travelling to Florida or elsewhere for the winter.
After Lee Anne passed away, I had thoughts of taking the maple bush off the market, but decided to leave it on the market, as making maple syrup requires about 1,000 hours of effort and I am not getting any younger. The 93 acres sold recently and the new owners are keen to continue with the maple syrup operation, which is great. I hope to help a friend make syrup in 2021, Covid willing. Otherwise I will have little to do this Spring, assuming that travel will not be possible or advisable until the vaccination is available worldwide.
Wishing everyone a happy and SAFE holiday season and new year.
Cheers!
