Thankful to have a yard during this pandemic

BlissfullyUnawareCanadian

BlissfullyUnawareCanadian

Member
Location
Kingston, Ontario
We are under a stay at home order in Ontario, so we have been making use of our yard which we are very lucky to have since we live downtown in the city!

The kids have a trampoline and use it for hours every day weather permitting. They also have a basketball net and badminton racquets and a few other small things.

Today I noticed Costco has a huge Connect Four set you can use outside. It’s a bit ridiculously priced but being Costco, if I’m not happy with it I know I can return it. So I bought it, along with 300 ball pit balls for the trampoline, a bean bag toss game and a few other small outdoor toys. I think I’ve used up my budget for the year in one day! But my thinking is, if it helps keep the kids (and my husband and I) entertained them so be it. I keep looking at the building beside me that has no yard, only pavement for the car lot. The units don’t even have balconies. I want to invite them to enjoy our yard but of course I can’t.

I hope Ontario gets it’s act together and starts pumping all of us with vaccines very soon!
 

It's nice to have a yard where you can just go out your back door for some outside time. You mentioned balconies which reminded me of a trip to L.A. where we stayed at a hotel with balconies and it was almost just as good.
 

I don't have a yard to do anything in really. But that's how I felt when I justified the money spent on my Nintendo Switch. It's something to do. I can play video games and stay content instead of tearing my hair out waiting for an end to lockdown. Glad you have something. :)
 
I like our yard. We have 40 acres of forestland, and I keep about 1 acre mowed, around the house. I am Never out of things to do outdoors, and during this pandemic, that has been a real Plus. On any day the weather permits, I can look in any direction and see hours of work to do. The physical work helps keep me fairly fit, and gives me plenty to do, instead of just looking at all the bad news on TV.
 
BlissfullyUnawareCanadian said:
We are under a stay at home order in Ontario, so we have been making use of our yard which we are very lucky to have since we live downtown in the city!

The kids have a trampoline and use it for hours every day weather permitting. They also have a basketball net and badminton racquets and a few other small things.

Today I noticed Costco has a huge Connect Four set you can use outside. It’s a bit ridiculously priced but being Costco, if I’m not happy with it I know I can return it. So I bought it, along with 300 ball pit balls for the trampoline, a bean bag toss game and a few other small outdoor toys. I think I’ve used up my budget for the year in one day! But my thinking is, if it helps keep the kids (and my husband and I) entertained them so be it. I keep looking at the building beside me that has no yard, only pavement for the car lot. The units don’t even have balconies. I want to invite them to enjoy our yard but of course I can’t.

I hope Ontario gets it’s act together and starts pumping all of us with vaccines very soon!
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What do you mean a “stay at home” order? Are you saying you can only leave your home for essential needs?
 
911 said:
What do you mean a “stay at home” order? Are you saying you can only leave your home for essential needs?
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Basic needs such as prescriptions, food, health goods, and a few others are the only thing stored are legally allowed to sell right now.
You can leave your house for exercise, or to buy essential goods, to go to work if you are essential, and a few other things.

You can only congregate in groups of five outside of those in your household.

I’m sure I don’t have everything listed, but that’s the general idea. They tried to keep things more open but so many people were still travelling back and forth between the red zones that our cases have shot up so this is what we have to live with until the cases start dropping. Where I am the cases have quadrupled in the last three days. Sigh.
 
BlissfullyUnawareCanadian said:
Basic needs such as prescriptions, food, health goods, and a few others are the only thing stored are legally allowed to sell right now.
You can leave your house for exercise, or to buy essential goods, to go to work if you are essential, and a few other things.

You can only congregate in groups of five outside of those in your household.

I’m sure I don’t have everything listed, but that’s the general idea. They tried to keep things more open but so many people were still travelling back and forth between the red zones that our cases have shot up so this is what we have to live with until the cases start dropping. Where I am the cases have quadrupled in the last three days. Sigh.
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Sounds like you'll have great fun in the garden..is this lockdown just temporary ?..I thought I saw someone say they were in lockdown for 4 weeks...

WE come out of almost a year of lockdown stay at home order, tomorrow...people will return to work ( although not all)....shops , gyms, leisure centres, Hair salons , Malls , etc.. all back open tomorrow.. we've had a year of just grocery stores open( essential stores).. banks on short hours, and no leisure at all...no pubs no restaurants, no clubs etc .....

Not everything is opening tomorrow, cinemas , bowling alleys ,60 % of pubs and restairants with no outside seating will not re-open until the end of may or June ( that will be a total of 16months on lockdown exceptfor a few weeks at the end of last autumn...

I'm fortunate that I have a garden.. but many people live in homes with no garden or outdoor space and this last year has been horrible for them...
 
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hollydolly said:
Sounds like you'll have great fun in the garden..is this lockdown just temporary ?..I thought I saw someone say they were in lockdown for 4 weeks...
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Its not really a lockdown, although I know it’s a term everyone recognizes so people use it. It’s a stay at home order. Similar but we can still go out for certain things and can still go shopping inside stores for essentials. It’s scheduled to last until the end of April here but could be extended I’m sure of things don’t improve.

A year of it would drive me bonkers! I bet many where you are must be happy.
 
BlissfullyUnawareCanadian said:
Its not really a lockdown, although I know it’s a term everyone recognizes so people use it. It’s a stay at home order. Similar but we can still go out for certain things and can still go shopping inside stores for essentials. It’s scheduled to last until the end of April here but could be extended I’m sure of things don’t improve.

A year of it would drive me bonkers! I bet many where you are must be happy.
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we are over the moon most of us...:love:I think there's already a lot of mental health problems after so long being cooped up, some alone, some with people they're not used to being with 24/7 and some in abusive relationships... and not seeing family members....and of course many thousands lost their jobs, now businesses are opening back up hopefully people will be able to be back in work again...
 
New Jersey has been hit hard with the virus. I enjoy my home inside and out so I don't find it a problem staying put. I always can find things to do. Once in awhile we would go out to dinner or the casino in Atlantic City. We could still do that but I don't like the social distancing and mask wearing so I prefer to wait it out.
I can't see sitting by a slot machine with a mask on and not have the hubby sit next to me because they have removed the seats in-between. I don't think the pools are open or the buffet.
I'll just hang on to my little stash of slot play until the world gets back to normal, whenever that will be.
 
In Toronto, we've had to postpone getting together for daughter and son-in-laws birthdays in late April/early May. Not allowed to visit, so we will wait until Mother's Day.

We're trying to get permission for me to wait in reception while hubby gets his eye op on Tuesday. It's way downtown, and will take 2+hours. Nowhere for me to sit and have a coffee indoors. May both have to take taxis.
 
@Pinky. Could you take a thermos and sandwich & sit in a park? Biggest issue would be finding a washroom.

Forget my suggestion - I see they’re predicting rain.

Good luck. These side effects from the lockdown are things we don’t think about.
 
Jules said:
@Pinky. Could you take a thermos and sandwich & sit in a park? Biggest issue would be finding a washroom.

Forget my suggestion - I see they’re predicting rain.

Good luck. These side effects from the lockdown are things we don’t think about.
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There are no parks in that area, unfortunately. You hit it right about the washroom. That's the main reason it would be an issue for me to wait that long. The ride over is quite long as well.

Good suggestion though, @Jules :)
 
Pinky said:
There are no parks in that area, unfortunately. You hit it right about the washroom. That's the main reason it would be an issue for me to wait that long. The ride over is quite long as well.

Good suggestion though, @Jules :)
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The washroom would be a big ordeal for me also even with a car so I can relate also.
 
hollydolly said:
Sounds like you'll have great fun in the garden..is this lockdown just temporary ?..I thought I saw someone say they were in lockdown for 4 weeks...

WE come out of almost a year of lockdown stay at home order, tomorrow...people will return to work ( although not all)....shops , gyms, leisure centres, Hair salons , Malls , etc.. all back open tomorrow.. we've had a year of just grocery stores open( essential stores).. banks on short hours, and no leisure at all...no pubs no restaurants, no clubs etc .....

Not everything is opening tomorrow, cinemas , bowling alleys ,60 % of pubs and restairants with no outside seating will not re-open until the end of may or June ( that will be a total of 16months on lockdown exceptfor a few weeks at the end of last autumn...

I'm fortunate that I have a garden.. but many people live in homes with no garden or outdoor space and this last year has been horrible for them...
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Yes hollydolly, its wonderful to now have the kids here from up north in Ohio...they're spending a week with us and its been great. So feel for
those living in cramped quarters with no nature to help them through the plague. Suburban area housing is certainly in demand and probably will be for the next few years. So nice to have some green grass to lift your spirits and to hear the happy chirp of birdsong. It so lifts the spirits. Now if the swimming pool water will just get warm enough to jump in...got those solar mats cranking out the heat!

Happy for you that finally you will be able to get out and about. Our good friend is visiting his daughter and son in law in London in June (hopefully).
 

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