We have an ice storm that came up from the good USA. This America, you may keep. I am afraid that with global warming this is probably only the beginning. So, I was told at a seminar a few years ago about Emergency Management.
The view outside was beautiful as I awoke yesterday. The trees in my backyard had a beautiful sheen. The little beasts outside in their nests remained intact. Once I walked outside my front door and slid down my driveway, I knew I was in trouble. I had sanded my drive twice that morning before 0800 to no avail. I realized that walking on the sidewalk in my area was impossible and so walked on the roadway which was ok. My salute to the city for the hard work that they do. Our roadway is always taken care of for us. At a Christmas party at a cousin's house in Richmond hill, with their upscale homes and horrid snowy roadways made me appreciate my bigger city and more effecient clearer roadways.
I saw a nighbour's tree branches on the ground and other branches were crackling and ready to fall. It seemed that braving the cars was easier than braving falling branches.
On my return home, I saw one man nearly fall in a lane way as he attempted to walk back on the lane from the snowed area. People seemed to be in good spirits because it looked Christmasy. "Looks like we are going to have a white Christmas" one woman who I do not know shouted. "Yes!" I replied with a smile. I like white Christmases myself. If I ever lived in a warm climate, I would have to return to snow at Christmas. New York has snow!
I listened to the news as I entered my home after attempts to enter my drive met with negative results and a neighbour said salt did nothing and I had to break the ice. Break the ice I did and then managed to call it day. The city warned that it may take 72 hours to get service back and that 250,000 people in our city had no power. That was enough to have the insight to cancel appointments - safety first.
Good thing too, because my power went out and with that was my heat, my coffee opportunities and my news. I was alerted that my home phone was not working with someone calling my cell phone. I need power to utilize Rogers phone. I knew that but took the better rate than Bell provided after being with them forever. I knew that my cell would work in power black outs. I was asked if I would be leaving my home and a hotel was suggested. I will not leave my pets behind and they would not like a hotel. It had not reached that stage. After all I had no power for two hours and I was not in panic mode. Besides my city with the hotels in them have the same problem, so I would have to leave the city? No, it is not an emergency yet. I finished reading Bill Cosby's Love and Marriage which I enjoyed reading for fun. I ate realizing I have enough food to last a week and enough chocolate under my tree to last me at least a month. I would not starve in three days. I checked up on some elderly neighbours. Their house was very warm and they had layer after layer of clothing on. They showed me two measly candles but I was assured that they would be ok as the neighbour next door to them have a wood fireplace and that is where they would go (whether the neighbour liked it or not). I admired the spunk. As my home became colder I decided to go to bed much earlier than the norm. I watched the CN tower boldly shine their lights. The neighbouring towering buildings did the same while my neighbourhood fell to a blanket of night cold. One pet found himself under the blankets with me, the other found her own space.
At 0615 this morning the power went back on and I wasted no time to get up and make that coffee, I so much was looking forward to. As I drank my hot coffee and began to feel the heat once again, the power went out. When the power came back about 15minutes later, I immediately went to make another pot. I did not forget to give Rudy, my squirrel, his four peanuts for the day. My power is still on, though I am expecting it to go off again eventually. However, my home is almost warm again and I have had a good breakfast of toast, eggs and tomato with I will not tell you how much coffee. My cable is not working, nor is my phone but I am listening to the radio and the people of Toronto are being informed that we will all have power by Christmas. We had two hospitals with no power and of course they were given priority as they should.
As I was drinking my hot coffee and watching the 24 hour news, I thought of my life and how much I have to be grateful for. How many people live in countries where their well being is not foremost. I love my country and I love my city. We don't have politicians trying to convince women that they should not drive cars because it would not be good for their ovaries (really???????How stupid!) We elect our politicians and if we do not like how they run our cities, provinces and country, we can demonstrate that by voting. Today I am feeling very very rich. I have a warming home, I have a city who is working very hard and 24/7 to bring things back to normal in what I am hearing is the worse ice storm for Toronto. I live in a country that has given me the opportunity to serve it and to choose the education and careers of my choice. I live in a country where I have the freedom to say what I think. My parents couldn't have picked a better country to immigrate to. My parents became citizens so I can be a citizen because I was too young to do so and I asked them to make that move so I could have the occupation I had chosen. I have a home. I have good food to eat. I have people who love me and care for me. I have retired and though I did not have to work again, I chose to do so. My country has given me so much that I can never return all I have been provided with. This Christmas in my now warm house, I realize that I have my greatest gift - my life and my choices I have made for myself with my country supporting me all the way.
Thank you God and thank you Canada. To the world I wish you a Merry Christmas. I wish you a Happy Hannakah, I wish you happy holidays. I wish your warmth. I wish you food. I wish you freedom and I wish you peace and love.
Thank you to all the city employees who are working so hard and are away from their families to get Toronto back into the life that we have become so accustomed to.
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