Michelle Patterson Nipp: realtor, baker and mother explores new territory
“I have a photo. Christie could see him, but they wouldn’t let the kids in. The photo is of his hand on one side of the window and theirs on the other. That just broke me.”
“I have a photo. Christie could see him, but they wouldn’t let the kids in. The photo is of his hand on one side of the window and theirs on the other. That just broke me.”
”I always remember that moment. That’s the moment that everyone went, ‘Oh well, I guess this is what we’re doing.’ Up until then, I really felt like we were all in it together and that most reasonable people were giving it their honest best, but at that point everyone took their cue from the government and went, ‘We’re not trying.’”
She continued, “Elizabeth has the same teacher as in kindergarten, so I know her. I’ve had nothing but an email introduction from Sophia’s teacher. This is very different from in previous years.” Simonson explained, “Last year, I would pick the girls up and we talked to the teachers every day. Now there is a designated area outside for kindergarten and Sophia wanders over to the pickup point as she’s out first.”
“I got to know my kids better. At least through this pandemic, we get to know our kids better, get the love back, and have a good time with our kids. Everyone had to feel that to get back to their kids. Work, daycare, supper is not good enough. It was something we all needed.”
Powder continued, “We are keeping them safe. We attached so much. We all had to reconnect with our kids.”
“There was a period at the beginning where our parcel volumes met our Christmas levels. One to two million parcels per day, Canada wide. It was an incredible amount.” He continued, “But you realize all retail had closed and people were ordering online.
Phillips self-isolated away from her husband and her son in her family’s unfinished basement. For the first days of her sickness, she slept for nine days straight, only waking to text her husband or go to the bathroom. She showered three times in those days and ate nothing. She laughed, “I would text photos of Kleenex and Tylenol.”
In March and April, it was still unknown how Covid would affect pregnancy, birth, and babies. There was also concern about contagion between members of the birthing team. While the majority of women have babies in hospitals, Albertans have access to home birth with midwives.
Longo had a home birth with Eliot and wanted the same for her second birth.
Halton clarified her feelings. “The ability to plant a garden was a privilege in itself. Keeping my mind busy but remaining present. It was less an activity for food security, but more a mental health break and focus on something life-giving.”
An accountant, Fowler quit her job to stay home with the children during the pandemic. They took long walks in the wind, rain, and sun, picking sage and wildflowers. They learned about the healing properties of plants. They watched the complicated relationships and lives of the animals they shared their yard with, such as ground squirrels, raccoons, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, yellow finches, and robins.