May 13, 2020 It's a stellar, sunny day, deep into the covid 19 pandemic and in my efforts to not go completely out of my mind all at once, I walk into town to get some supplies. On the return hike, I meet a woman examining the flora alongside the worn path. She has a professional looking camera and seems relaxed, in her element, happy to pause. We let some goofy teenagers pass on bikes and gave each other a knowing nod as a select few of the group spoke to us while others suffered in their hormone-induced shyness and confusion. We chatted about the imminent arrival of Trillium blooms likely at any moment. Janice didn't hesitate at all when I asked her to participate!
Are you in love?
"Yes, I am! I've been married to the same man–married over thirty years, known over forty! Yeah!"
Who has been the most important person in your life?
"Oh, that's a tough one. Only one person? Um, I guess my husband, I would have to say. We've been through a lot. We have two children and one grand child, and there's been a lot of ups-and-downs. We own our own business, so that's been up and down."
How do you feel about the future?
"Right at this point, during the covid 19 pandemic, I feel scared. Usually I feel like it's been okay. I'm hoping that people open up more about looking after the earth because of this pandemic. I'm hoping that it will be a positive in that way. So, I guess in the long run, after we get past this, then I'm hoping that I can look at it in a more positive way, especially with the environment. I'm a nature photographer and I have seen a lot of the...what humans have done to nature, basically, and I want that to stop. And hopefully, the pandemic will make people think before they do things."