WEATHER TEACHES US ABOUT LACK OF CONTROL IN OUR LIVES

After the snow melts, comes the rain and all the weather that accompany it. Our region is still cleaning up from the Ice Storm of December 2013. Many woodlots with the snow melted reveal the enormity of the damage. As we listen to bad reports from the Southern United States, there is a reminder that thunderstorms and even tornadoes are on the horizon. As technological savvy as we are, weather or is it really Mother Nature that can influence our lives. It brings me to the point of being in control. How much control do we really have over our lives? Yes we can pay the bills, eat well, exercise and put activities in our lives that have meaning but there are so many things beyond our control. We could go a little crazy if we thought about all of them. Take our health-our body parts could be ticking time bombs! We can't control the weather or many other things in our lives. So what is control? Is it learning to live with what we have and being optimistic about the future? Is it accepting that we have some faith? Living and doing are control. Foraging ahead is control. Trying to eliminate some challenges. If you check the oil in your car, the oil light will not come on. It does not mean your car may never have a difficulty but trying to get good maintenance for it will surely help. Paying attention to your body's rhythms will help with your health. Old age can not be overcome but approaching it with exercise, regular checkups, and well balanced eating does help. Besides it is better to be over the hill then under it! Slowing down and doing activities safely. Do you really need to clean your own leaves from the eves troughs with an extension ladder? Would it be time to hire someone or at least do it with a partner spotting you? We can try to be prepared for life's emergencies like having batteries, water supply and insurance. We can not fend off all that life presents but can find ways to cope. Anticipating changes and embracing them with the tasks and activities that are manageable and well  in your control.  Books have been written with the theme- taking control of your life! Control-what does it mean to you?

POWER MEANS WARMTH-MORE THOUGHTS ON THE ICE STORM 2013

Do you have power? We often think of power as the ability to control our lives. But lately in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick it means electricity, hydro or "power". The Ice Storm has brought so much disruption to people's lives. Trying to stay in a cold house or apartment for days has been a test of strength. Some people succumbed and went to a hotel. Forget the warming centers set up! My daughter said not to treat someone like a "homeless person". Not shelters really so there is a difference. We were lucky. Only one daughter had no power for 1/2 day last Sunday. Many people in our area are still without electricity and spent Christmas day in jackets and hats opening presents. We are told to prepare for disasters with water, flashlights, a generator and other non-perishables-make sure to have a can opener. No one really tells people how to prepare emotionally! It does take a toll emotionally no matter how invincible everyone thinks they may be. Luckily many of our gadgets can be wireless or use batteries! But still trying to read a cell phone by candlelight wears after a few days. Not being able to flip the stations on the TV. One piece of advice I heard was to get a wood burning stove-sure on the 15th floor of an apartment building in downtown Toronto that would really work. Those unaffected have those gems of advice. When a disaster happens, advice can be great. However, no matter how prepared we think we may be, when there is destruction it is unbearable. Going down streets locally and seeing tree branches everywhere and the tops of trees with "spikes" where the branches have been is a little unnerving. Seeing your street differently! Like in tornados when whole subdivisions are taken out! All the preparation honestly does very little. I usually walk around my house when there is a warning with my purse over my arm and my camera. I figure I have my ID and insurance information if needed. Oh yes if the power goes out and everything is intact that is different. A few hours, a few days we do survive. Do we learn some priorities in our lives? Yes making sure the people we love are safe. Bringing friends and family into our homes for meals, warmth and a hot bath. Anger does set in. Why does one area have heat and others do not? Angry at the mayor, the utilities, the services and even God-why can't you work faster! Even knowing that it may be one tree branch cut at a time and one wire reattached at a time that well takes time sees a person thinking it is not enough when they are cold! It really is the darkest before the dawn. To those hanging in there, the power will return. To us lucky ones, inviting others has become a new norm! Sharing has a new meaning- warmth in a cold season! Do you think anyone will ever complain again if there is a power outage in the summer of being too hot??? We'll see!!!

ICE STORM 2013 IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA

Early morning December 22 brought the reality of the Ice Storm. Tree branches laden with ice snapped and on the ground. In Toronto, many branches taking down hydro wires. In my neighbourhood the lines are underground. My hydro grid is on the hospital grid-Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital-Mackenzie Health! Many areas in Richmond Hill are still without power as I write this. Many of work colleagues do not have power and the joke at work is they can bring their stuff and use showers there. 70,000 customers had been without power in York Region which equates to more people as there are family groups. Many people in Toronto-an estimate of 250,000++ customers- will not have power until the end of the week. So who cooks Christmas dinner for many will  have changed. With all the ice on the trees still very frozen, the worst is not over. A snowfall or wind or both will bring many more branches crashing down. All the streets have little piles of branches. We have some branches down. The good news is my neighbour cut many long branches that were hanging into my property back in September so I still have a roof!! What is always amazing is how we prepare! Even myself being through other acts of nature could have done a better job. Only 1/4 tank of gas in the car, 1 bag of milk, and could have had more salt and all my flashlights in working order. Of course, Adolph just shrugs it off since we were one of the lucky ones who only had the power off for 20 minutes then 10 minutes. If it was day 3 without power like many in the GTA perhaps he would not be shrugging!  Luckily the schools are out, many people have taken time off work for the Christmas week, less cars. Pearson Airport with the largest de-icing system in the world has been getting as many people on their way. We may need Hydro crews from the States as we do have reciprocal agreements with them-we helped with Hurricane Sandy for example. So here's to the service providers-hydro, cable, phone, road and all the other crews working 24 hours non-stop to restore services to us. An added note-seeing the sky light up with a transformer blowing is a little eerie. Early Sunday morning since I awakened at 4 am I witnessed those flashes in the sky both south and north of us- lightening bolts can bring interesting imagery but transformers blowing really do not!

Will the trees survive all their breakage? Only time will tell. Anyone need some ice! There's plenty in the GTA!