Wonderland
London, ON, December 2010
This was my BlackBerry camera's view out the kitchen window yesterday morning. I went back to the window this morning to shoot an update, but it hadn't changed a whole lot. Okay, the snow was higher, but it seemed like more of the same. Which it is.
Today's our second consecutive snow day, thanks to a storm that dumped an all-time, single-day record 80 cm on us yesterday and continues unabated today. When lake effect storms set up off of Lake Huron to our north, they often create thin systems, known as streamers, that pump intense snow squalls from the lake right through our region. What's amazing is how localized the storms are: head 30 miles east or west of us and there's barely a wisp of white to be found. Yet here, white dominates all. It's a pretty spectacular landscape.
The kids are thrilled with their surprise vacation, and I have to admit I don't much mind as my typical work-at-home commute involves putting on slippers, grabbing a mug of something hot and heading downstairs to my home office. As long as I have a working phone and Internet connection, I'm good. I like the sound of having them around, too.
The dog loves bouncing his little self through the snow, often getting lost in the drifts as he uses his head like a plow. No, I can't explain it, but it's really cute to watch. Less cute is the impact on others. Transit service ended at 8 p.m. yesterday, and is scheduled to stop at 3 p.m. today. They've scrapped it outright for tomorrow because the busses kept getting stuck. Businesses and institutions across the region are shut down. Folks who get into trouble are having great difficulty getting help.
I remember monumental storms when I was a kid. They were great opportunities to take a time out from life and just enjoy an extraordinary day. I remember drifts up to the roof and getting lost in snowbanks. I remember the wind and I remember the feeling of battening down the hatches with my family. I remember knowing my parents would somehow figure it all out. I remember that curious mixture of comfort, safety and giddy excitement. I can't help but think that this entire experience is creating similar memories in our kids, which makes me almost wish this storm would go on for a little longer yet.
Your turn: Finding the positive in severe weather. Please discuss.
