Month: March 2020 (Page 1 of 2)

It is Tuesday and I am finally at home. It is -5 Celsius outside, not exactly the kind of temperature that invites a person to sit outside au naturel, especially with a good breeze making the trees dance around. Still, the glimpses of sunshine between the clouds is inviting. For now, I will wait.

Now that I am back home, I am in quarantine for a minimum of fourteen days. The likelihood is that we will continue to self-isolate for a few more weeks after that with the only change being the ability to drive into the countryside to go for walks. Until that time. We will confine ourselves to our house and our back yard.

When we got to our final airport, a nephew and his mate brought my truck, filled with gas, to the airport for us. In the back seat of the truck was almost $200 worth of groceries to help tied us over for a while. We already have a full deep freezer and stocked shelves at home with non-perishables. One of our neighbours turned on our water and prepped our house for our return. Another neighbour left a bottle of red wine in our doorway as a welcome home gift. Connections are important. Community is important.

The world has changed, and it is continuing to change faster than we realise. I am unsure in which direction the change is going other than it feels somewhat positive, at least for what is happening in Canada. As for the USA, I don’t feel so positive. I will just leave that statement as it is written. Since it is about how I “feel,” I don’t want to predict anything or make any judgement calls.

Now that I am at home, I have been busy with sanitizing everything that I have touched, including everything in the bags that I brought home. It is just how I do things. Naturally, everything that I am doing is being done while clothing free. I will likely not need any clothing until the first 14 days of quarantine are completed. Since no visitors will be allowed in the house, no one would become offended by my nudity.

On another note, I will likely be busy for the rest of the day and leave a return to writing and editing until tomorrow. This post was an important task for me, as you are part of my community. Be safe, stay home. We are all in this together.

We are in Quito. Yesterday was a unique experience as we made the ten hour drive [normally about an eight and a half hour drive] of 525 kilometres. Most of the travel is through very winding mountain roads as Quito is located in the Andes mountain range which travels the length of South America.

We got stopped ten times for papers, passport, and health checks along the way. Those stops accounted for the extra time. In two of these stops we were required to exit the van and get blasted by vaporized chlorine, using the same equipment that similarly disinfected the van. At almost every stop, the van was disinfected the same way, both the inside and outside of the van. For the whole journey we were required to wear face masks and constantly use provided antiseptic solution to clean our already clean hands. The checkpoints were manned by national police, municipal police and the military carrying weapons. There was no fooling around. No attempt at humour as the journey would have been halted with unknown results. No one was willing to find out so all six passengers in the van were very well behaved. We were the only people in the van over 32.

Once we arrived and had claimed our reserved room, it didn’t take long to claim the room as a clothing-optional residence. It is a good-sized room with a large sitting area and a desk for my use.  I have to admit, we’ve both become a bit phobic about sanitizing everything. We had prepared our own alcohol-based “wipes” and we used them liberally to clean all surfaces in the hotel room. If we leave the room, we wear our face masks and use antiseptic gel if we touch anything, such as elevator buttons. Then, we resanitize everything we touch [doorknobs and such] upon reentry. And the, we follow the hand-washing protocol being preached in every corner of the world. It should help keep us safe, at least at the best of our ability.

One of our grandsons sent us this youtube video to keep up our spirits – Stay the Fuck at Home. Then not long after that treat, our middle child who is mother to three of our grandsons sent us a message: “So my flight attendant friend said when you get home if you can live without the stuff in your luggage you should just let it sit for 14 days. Luggage is extremely dirty and touched by many hands. So run around naked for 2 weeks and then do laundry please.” Who would have ever thought that an adult child would ever give this kind of recommendation to her parents? LOL!

I will, hopefully, put up another post tomorrow, either from the Quito airport before departure, or from the Toronto airport after arrival in Canada. Likely, it will be the latter scenario. Until then, I encourage each and every one of you to “Stay the Fuck at Home!”

We got lucky and now have air tickets for the repatriation flight on Sunday. Tomorrow morning, Friday, we travel to Quito where Air Canada will pick us up on Sunday morning. We are making the travel to Quito early as we don’t like leaving things to chance at the last minute. We have booked two nights at the modern airport hotel which is within walking distance. Leave nothing to chance. As a result, this post will be the last from the casa here in Olon.

The day has been hectic beyond measure, totally an anxiety filled day for both of us. It will be a relief to be able to return home even though it is still winter on the prairies and we will be confined to our house for another round of quarantine.  Family are doing their part in Canada to make our return as problem free as possible. Gas in our vehicle which will be waiting for us at the airport. Vehicle filled with groceries which the missus has listed for a certain nephew who has kept our vehicle in his yard over the winter to date.  Our friends have been doing their part as well.

One particular bit of help was from our next door neighbour who emailed me this morning to tell me she had a dream last night about our returning home. Every bit helps. And you, my readers, have been part of that positive support group that have kept my spirits up while in quarantine here in Ecuador. Thank you.

As this post’s title says, we are alive and well here in our casa in Ecuador. This is not something we take for granted. We are diligent in doing our part to keep out health as good as it can be. The most important part, is how we safeguard our psychological health, how we keep up positive spirits. Once one descends into anxiety and depression, the physical health becomes even more compromised. So, how are we doing that?

We have created routines. Most of our pre-social isolation are kept in place, such as morning coffee on the patio, connections with our children and grandchildren using social media, playing competitive card and dice games, daily exercise, and working together to prepare meals are some of those routines.

A new family group was created using Messenger, with the express purpose of cheering each other and bridging distances. Our adult children need this as much as we do. As well, we have been practising using a new message translator for our WhatsApp application so that there are no misunderstandings when talking to Ecuadorian transportation companies.

Now, for me, the added bonus is that I get to do all of this basically clothing free. I have a pair of shorts and top ready if needed. Of course, if I leave the property to get a few groceries, the clothing is obligatory. Life has definitely shifted to a more hopeful attitude.

I know, it looks like it is beautiful. And, it is very, very beautiful to be honest. Three buildings surround this green space. We are the only residents in this compound. The grounds are open to view by any passersby, but at this time, those numbers are very low – just the occasional foreign surfer, or dog walker, or cyclists who feel the rules of social distancing doesn’t apply to them.

Like all foreigners here in Ecuador, my wife and I spend much of our time combing through governmental info from both Canada and Ecuador [yes, I can read Spanish] to make sure we know the official news. Many foreigners are not so discerning and some are being “taken to the cleaners” so-to-speak as they book and pay for plane tickets for flights that don’t exist. There are no short cuts nor guarantees that we will get a flight before Ecuador says “No!” to incoming flights. If that happens, we will remain in Ecuador until regular flights return, likely some time in June if we are lucky.

I don’t dare complain as we are safe here. The weather is perfect. We have more space than many who find themselves in our situation. And we have each other. The bonus, because of our location, the opportunity live more of my life outdoors while nude is possible. Naturally, I take advantage of that opportunity.

This morning, the Prime Minister of Canada addressed Canadians with a crystal clear statement: “Enough is enough. Go home and stay home.” The threat of invoking the War Measures Act to enforce his words was implied, an act that his father had invoked during the time of the FLQ crisis in Canada in the early 1970s when he was Prime Minister of Canada. The last thing PM Justin Trudeau wants for Canada is to become another Italy.  Here is a link to some recent responses to personal freedoms in Italy.

It appears that the president of Ecuador is not going to be far behind in doing what is necessary to enforce social distancing and social isolation.

Before I wrap up this post, I want to point you to the latest Naturist Fiction blog post which talks about writing in the Covid19 era, and what it implies for Naturist writers. As well, a special wish for the blog post’s author, Paul Z. Walker who is celebrating his 60th birthday today. Now, I’m off to do some sunbathing au naturel on the patio. Lucky me.

This is really what it is here in Ecuador for me at this point in time. Our community is getting even stricter. Curfew has been lengthened, now beginning at 4pm until 5am. Too many foreigners in the community are still carrying surfboards to the beach, and wandering around as though COVID19 has nothing to do with them. As a result, tensions are spreading thin with regards to foreigners and the local people. Of course, a number of local people are also ignoring the increasing number of rules that are intended to keep the community safe for both locals and foreigners.

Since I am an “older” person, I now am restricted from going to the grocery stores. Social-distancing had been replaced with social-isolation. I “must” arrange for younger people to do my grocery shopping for me, and to bring prepared meals from a few restaurants now offering such meals. At least, I can go outdoors on this property. I am luckier than most of the foreigners in our community with this beautiful courtyard. With no neighbours sharing the yard – the other two houses are empty – we have the place to ourselves.

Since we are on the edge of the community, near the end of a dead-end road, there is not much traffic. There should be even less, but that is not my concern. Because of our “natural” distance from others, I get to spend more of my time outdoors without the need for clothing. Of course, I have to keep a pair of shorts nearby as our caretaker appears a few times during the day to check up on us, and a few passersby like to stop and talk for a bit. No, they shouldn’t be out and about, but that is irrelevant. They are the ones who believe rules are for other people and that they have the god-given right to do as they damn-well please. I guess you can see my anger showing up a bit here.

I get to sunbathe, meditate, read, write, do social media – all without the need to wear clothing and outside. Now, it is time to get busy with more editing. Ciao until the next time. Remember, “we are all in this together!”

I slept well, for the most part. We both seem to snuggle closer during the night, both somehow attuned to the other. With the first hint of the night beginning to shift into day, it was time to declare that it was morning, time to get up. It’s not like we have to rush off to work or anything. We just have had enough sleep. Of course, going to bed a bit earlier might be partially responsible for this as well.

On today’s agenda, is basically a repeat of yesterday’s agenda. Morning exercise routines out of doors with nine stations for a variety of exercises included. Losing access to the 12 kilometre long beach and our daily walks between eight and ten kilometres had to be replaced with something. Naturally, we are finding that we are now working muscles that hadn’t been used much while walking. Who knows, perhaps we will be in better physical shape when all this is done.

With exercises done, we take the time for connecting with family and friends using a variety of social media. A special family Messenger group has been vital to all of us for the past few days. The only requirement is that we keep the focus positive. We don’t need to rehash the gloomy news that is flooding the world of social media and mass media. Of course, we do check out the daily news, and the now daily messages from our Prime Minister and government officials. The New York Times lists three government news sources as credible in the world – New York, Canada, and Germany. It’s assuring to know that the rest of the world tells us our leader is doing it right.

Next, it then is time for me to write and to edit. I have a daily journal, this blog site, and book three of my autobiography to rework. I have no shortage of things to write.

Somewhere along the way today, I will make a number of books available for free and others for “price determined by reader” on Smashwords. Once that has been put into place, I will post the links here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. With the going out to bookstores now cancelled in most places of the world, it will be my contribution so that those who are self-isolating have something good to read without having to pay too much as money becomes more and more of an issue. I encourage others in the Naturist Writing Community to do the same. I see that my writing buddy, Paul Z. Walker has already done this. Well done, Paul.