It's still snowing in Stratford, Ontario, where we're used to it and equipped to deal with it. Thank God.

The province-wide lockdown has been relaxed for now in the Huron-Perth region, and we can contemplate such exciting activities as eating in a restaurant (carefully). So far, most people still prefer to eat at home and get their exercise outside. Three or four patches of the ice on the Avon River have been cleared for skating, and the other day I saw a bunch of kids playing pond hockey. People also ski in the parkland along the river and around the Festival Theatre. Walking the dog is a major social experience, a rare opportunity to interact with strangers. (I'm a cat person, but I always greet dogs. The dogs politely acknowledge me, and the human at the other end of the leash will usually say hello back.)

The little group of women who meet at my house to play tunes has expanded to four. Fiddling, picking and strumming resume on Thursday.