My year-end blog post last year was titled "2020 | What The Hell Was That?". Well, here we are 365 days later and we are still dealing with the same issues. I almost called this post "2020 | What The Hell Was That? 2.0”. I sure hope this doesn’t turn into a trilogy. It’s been a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, and although 2021 was a shaky year, it was an improvement over 2020; here’s a recap:
January
- Although vaccinations were underway, the Delta variant was on the move.
- Vaccine shortages, delivery delays and concerns about adverse reactions were much-discussed topics.
- The Capital Hill Riots in Washington were a disturbing sight.
- Joe Biden was inaugurated as the new USA president.
- My mom turned ninety-two.
February
- Tiger Woods was in a terrible car accident that sidelined him from pro golf.
- A polar vortex caused temperatures to drop below -50 with the wind chill. It was a little nippy and cold temperature records fell like dominoes.
March
- The pandemic continued into a third wave.
- Megan and Harry’s interview with Oprah shook things up in the royal family.
- Easter was another low-key holiday for our family.
April
- Spring came in early, but temperatures remained cool.
- The Queen’s “strength and stay”, Prince Philip, passed away at the age of ninety-nine.
- Our oldest granddaughter had her last preteen birthday.
May
- May brought with it a drought; the farmers who planted crops early, with the hope that it would rain, had to reseed.
- Our grandson had his second birthday.
June
- Bill Cosby was released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction.
- Megan and Harry welcomed a baby girl they named Lilibet, after the Queen.
- We went on a fishing trip to Cowan Lake to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary.
July
- Masks were no longer mandatory.
- On July 2 we reach the hottest day of the year at +40C.
- The Norma Galambos Lifestyle Podcast became a member of the Saskatchewan Podcast Network.
- We revisited Cowan Lake for our annual family vacation. The weather was beautiful, the meals amazing and the kids played hard.
August
- The last US troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
- We celebrated my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday.
- Our middle granddaughter turned six.
September
- The ninth month brought the fourth wave of the virus.
- September 11, 2021, marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- We attended a beautiful wedding in Saskatoon.
- Our youngest granddaughter turned three.
October
- At ninety, William Shatner blasted into space. Seriously, Captain Kirk in real space, how cool was that.
- Thanksgiving for us was cancelled due to a Covid contact.
- Masks were brought back.
- The weather was nice through October, and we enjoyed the extra time working in the yard and sitting around the fire table.
November
- The “Free Britney Movement” and documentary were the catalyst that finally ended the conservatorship imposed on Britney Spears years ago.
- We were snowed in for the winter the week of November 15.
- The vaccine was approved for children ages five to eleven.
December
- I was a vendor at three trade shows this fall, and continue to collaborate with local businesses to sell my line of handmade products in their establishments and from my online store.
- Booster vaccinations commenced.
- Oh joy, another variant of the coronavirus surfaced, the Omnicorn. I can never remember the name, so I just call it the unicorn.
The Pandemic
I know everyone is sick of hearing about it, but one can’t write about the year without discussing it. It hit almost every country worldwide and has taken the lives of over five million people. Healthcare workers are exhausted, and staffing shortages are a significant concern.
Schools did remain open, and sporting activities opened up for adults and kids. Things were a bit random as some functions were cancelled while others limped their way through.
Covid has made life even more complicated for young families. The anxiety they feel every time their child gets a fever or sniffle, having to pull them out of daycare or school, taking them for testing or vaccinations and missing work is real.
Little kids, like my two and three-year-old grandchildren, don’t remember a time before Covid. They think it's normal for people to wear masks. They scan the playgrounds in the hopes that one will be vacant so they can play.
As far as I know, there’s never been a time in history when one health crisis came in four waves with maybe more to come. All the waves and names for new variants reminds me of the way they name hurricanes; so far, we’ve used C, D and O, so that leaves twenty-three other letters. Sweet Jesus, send help!
There are benefits to wearing a hot, itchy, rash-inducing mask though, you can; eat chocolate and nobody knows, scowl and nobody knows, wear make-up on only half your face and nobody knows, who's going to know?
Life Goes On
Lumber, gas, and grocery prices rose; it seems the cost of most items has increased. People are fighting over Christmas turkeys for heaven sakes, even though they have tripled in price.
Microchip shortages and delivery delays through the shaky supply chain stressed the market. These chips are the building blocks of technology, and a deficiency affects many areas of our lives, including work, travel, entertainment, and healthcare. Now, to kick us when we’re down, there is a cream cheese shortage.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of e-commerce giant, Amazon, was the wealthiest guy in the US ($201 billion), no surprise there. We need stuff, we order stuff.
In entertainment news, songs by Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Walker Hayes, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and Coffey Anderson were popular. I am impressed that I actually know some of their songs. By the way, Lady Gaga did not end up with Bradley Cooper...that I know of. Even though I stopped trying to keep up years ago, I did note that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s marriage ended. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton tied the knot and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez reignited their romance from nineteen years ago. Does anyone remember “Bennifer”?
Our CFL football team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, made it to the semi-finals but lost to Winnipeg. Sadly, even the unwavering support of fans who wear watermelon helmets and paint their protruding bellies green, couldn't pull us through to The Grey Cup.
I listened to many podcasts this year; I confess I am a true crime addict. My Netflix channel took a beating, there were binges. Watching shows like Yellowstone and Peaky Blinders, broadened my horizons. I also watched Christmas movies until I was ready to barf.
As you probably have guessed, I spent a fair bit of time on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok, sorry not sorry. On most days, there’s no one to talk to around here, so unfortunately for you, you’re it.
As a result of climate change, the world is changing before our eyes. The weather extremes we have been experiencing in Canada continued. Saskatchewan was hot and dry, we seem to be getting more days above +30C which isn’t typical. British Columbia had intense heat and little moisture which led to raging forest fires in the summer and then they were hit by torrential rains, mudslides, and flooding in the fall. Other areas of the world were plagued by tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, record snow falls, dust storms, floods, and wildfires.
The Blog
- “Cool Conversion | How to Convert a Camper Into an Ice Fishing Unit” was published by More of Our Canada Magazine.
- "Hard Labour | The Unbreakable Men of the Bunkhouse" and “The Paris Cafe | Est. 1917”, were published by Saskatchewan Folklore Magazine.
- The top posts on this blog in 2021 were:
Final Thoughts
Throughout the year I worked as a Substitute Educational Associate at two Hutterite Colony schools and a K to 12 school and as a Substitute Administrative Assistant at the K - 12 school. I love my creative time at home, but I also like getting out and spending time with the staff and kids.
I was thinking about the emotions I experienced over the past twelve months; uncertainty, anxiety, disappointment, and frustration, but also love, hope, pride, peace, accomplishment and optimism. I enjoyed good times and laughter with friends. It has been a rough patch, from professional athletes to Olympians to everyday people, mental health was an issue.
I felt powerless to do anything about what is going on in the world. It’s kind of like the last time I tried to swim in the ocean, I couldn’t get back up on shore, and the waves kept pummeling me. It wasn't pretty. I felt exhausted at times this year supporting others and trying to alleviate their fears.
Over the past two years, we have gotten used to staying home more. We realized that if we didn't miss doing something we once did, then it probably wasn't that important in the first place. The days are getting longer now, and 2022 will be a fresh start with new hopes and dreams.
I love the Grinch’s to-do list for the new year:
- wallow in self-pity
- stare into the abyss
- solve world hunger
- wrestle with self-loathing
Remember that the journey is the prize.
Happy New Year!
❤️ Norma
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