Threat of Massive Power Outages

Winter Storm Alert. With the threat of massive power outages all across Southern Ontario, I am posting a couple of hours before midnight and not tomorrow morning for Dec. 22. The freezing rain has already cut power to homes west of here but the concern is that the ice will bring down not just power lines but the towers as well. The forecast is for 30- 40 mm of freezing rain  lasting up to 60 hours and 10 cm of snow, with branches already bending over the weight of the ice build up.

The hardest hit area is 40 minutes from us with a possibility of 4 cm-5 cm of ice build up  which could be enough bring down power towers. How on earth can this be just the  first day of winter? Snort,  at least this the shortest day which is a bit of comfort.

Ah, yes…the joys of country living in Canada, True North Strong and Free and freezing cold. The reason we are free is because no sane person wants to fight us for the privilege of  living here during our 7 months of winter. It can snow in October and  heavily at the end of April or even May. Sometimes we don’t make our frost free planting day of May 24th!!

At least we have a wood stove to heat with, although not big enough to make the entire house cosy, we won’t freeze to death. I have run the dishwasher,  made French-Canadian Tourtières ( meat pies) for Christmas Eve, baked gingerbread, done loads of laundry, showered, filled the bathtub and pails and jugs with water and dug out candles.

Mother nature sure puts us in our place; technology and modern ingenuity topple like children’s tinker toy structures in the face of her power and strength.