Day 2-38 -- Still Shovelling

Today was a day without shovelling.  Not that there isn't more to do, but I'm sore and had housework to contend with along with lecture prep.  It was sunny outside so may have been pleasant to be out. I just made a choice to avoid it today.  The next session will be to make  a path along the side of the house and up the back stairs. I can't get out that door due to a chest high drift against the storm door. The basement exit will be easier as it is only mid-calf deep there. The car needs to be cleared, too, so that should be an hour of work doing it at a slow pace. Good exercise, if done correctly.

Yesterday I spent about 2 hours across two sessions shovelling the light drifted snow.  It was knee deep in most places and a little less elsewhere. I did all but 2 car-lengths of the drive way -- just a shovel width wide. The back hoe came while I was at the front end of the car. He used the loader to push snow from the street to the back of the car, depositing it all in an 8 foot pile on the front lawn.  Now the sidewalk plow hadn't been by nor did it go by today. So, I would suspect when I head out on Monday morning at 7:30, it will have just gone by and buried me in again. The trick with that debris is to get to it almost at once or it freezes as large icy chunks. We'll see. I may have to make a consumer complaint call <smile>. Monday class begins at 8:15 so not a lot of spare time to push extraneous snow for the second time.

I'm sharing a selection today that is from an indie band. The music and lyrics are oddly haunting, yet pleasing. The accompanying video is beautifully done. It fits with the ongoing winter theme of my life <smile>. Enjoy!

While I Shovel the Snow -- The Walkmen

Day 2-37 -- What do you like for breakfast?

A conversation yesterday centred on breakfast foods.  When we usually picture breakfast it is often a 'hot' meal of eggs and pork products or hot grains such as oatmeal or cream of wheat.  Other common meals include cold ready-to-eat cereals with milk and a glass of juice. The latter is a more recent arrival with their advent at the end of the 19th century.  However, these choices may appear a bit ethnocentric as there are many traditional breakfast meals found amongst different cultures.

In the conversation yesterday, I'd mentioned that I'd never encountered baked beans as a breakfast food until moving to eastern Canada. This is common here and in Newfoundland. To me, this would be a wonderful breakfast meal with toast or biscuits. One other meal that appeals to me is the traditional hummus and pita common in middle eastern cultures.  The serving size for the hummus is large compared to the snack-sized portion we usually eat here -- 3/4 cup (175 mL) vs.2 Tbsp. (30 mL). As a public health nutritionist I recall a fantastic poster (from a dairy producers organization) that promoted breakfast consumption in children and youth.  It showed a series of pictures of meals with many non-traditional breakfasts -- homemade pizza, leftover spaghetti or macaroni and cheese, smoothies, yoghurt shakes, or fruit salad with muffins, and a variety of colourful sandwiches. It received great interest from the kids and I expect they took some unusual ideas home with them.  It reminded me of when I was a kid and we were away at a family wedding. We went out for breakfast and I wanted a toasted tomato sandwich and my mom was certain this wasn't what I should eat. My uncle met us and he ordered a toasted tomato sandwich <smile>. I ate that for breakfast for years.

A friend shared a wonderful new song today that I'll share here. The lyrics are wonderful, but it may help to read them as they are being sung <smile>. This is definitely something that could be used with youth to promote breakfast consumption. Enjoy!

What makes the breakfast? -- Mike Phirman

Day 2-36 -- Wide expanses of water

It was a rather long day at work -- two regular classes and one longer make up class.  Walking in was pleasant as the temperature was rising and the rain was just a mist.  The frozen ground cover had a layer of slush on top that gave a bit of traction.  The trip home at supper wasn't as pleasant. It was dark so depth perception made choosing safe footing more challenging.  While on the trip in this morning, there were a couple small areas of water that had diminished since yesterday.  However, on the homeward trip great ponds or maybe lakes had developed with the warmer temps and rain through the afternoon -- and not only in the usual places but in most areas.  The slushy areas were lessened with only glare ice often and beside the lakes (really -- these were 2-3 meters long and 7-10 cm deep) there was no secure footing with half meter piles of ice on either side. I chose one of these once and then decided that slipping into traffic wasn't much of a choice over wading through the lakes. It was a slow trip home -- and I remained upright.  <smile> I thought wit would be pleasant to  have a walking partner to share the terror or at least have a ferry across the lakes and the torrents flowing down the gutters. I will admit to one odd thought as I traversed the wildness -- "I must remember to take my vitamin D when I get home." <grin>

The slush from the melting today hadn't fully frozen when I got home, so I took time to shovel more of it off the accumulated glaciers in the yard. In many places it is now more even, but still far from reaching the ground. My hope was that this would make shovelling easier for the current falling snow -- 20 cm expected overnight and there are already a few cm down from the evening.  It should be light snow at least as the temps are dropping about 20 degrees C overnight. That makes me feel pleased on one hand, but to have all that flowing and stagnant water freeze up will be problematic. The Brook overflowed its banks from ice build up and jams earlier this week. This freeze up could add to that as well as push water into businesses on Main in the areas with deep standing water.

The song for today is a relaxing one. The lyrics reflect my wish for another way over the water. I like this version with singers from Lilith Fair just a 'few' years ago <smile> and the wonderful acoustic guitars.  Enjoy!

The Water is Wide -- Sarah McLachlin, Jewel, & Indigo Girls

Day 2-35 -- Disruptors to routine abound

Disrupt -- defined as "to throw into confusion or disorder," "to interrupt or impede progress" or "to break apart or alter so as to prevent normal or expected functioning." (The Free Dictionary).

Trying to maintain the regular daily pattern has become difficult. The repetitive stormy weather has been disorienting. Having 'snow days' during the early part of the week has left us challenged to know what day it is today. The disruption to the routine of classes and labs has left many people in a type of daze. Added physical stress from getting around town and campus and moving snow and ice may be the reason behind the exhaustion visible in faces of people seen at work. Mental stresses from the relentless string of storms lining up across the continent to wreak havoc on the east coast is trying.

Today I realized how difficult the past three weeks have been. Knowing that there is always something looming creates constant feelings of anxiety. The physical activity of walking through snow and ice and trying to remove enough to make a walking path is not only tiring, but it takes time out of one's schedule. I also realized today that the whole process has been isolating.  I generally get out to the grocery store and other vendors weekly. With the storms and colder weather I tend not to drive, so don't frequent my usual haunts. The office is the only place where I see other people. Even when walking this week, I haven't really seen anyone else. There are many others out walking rather than driving, but my head is down as I try to navigate the nastiness frozen to the ground. Doing so means that I don't look up and around as I usually do, so I don't see other people or things as is natural. Exhaustion, isolation, stress -- all major disruptors of life's rhythms caused by weather disruptions.  Hmmm --  I may have to call a taxi to go to the mall and get out among the people <grin>.

The title of a song came to the front of my mind today -- it described what I am feeling perfectly.  It is a fun little song with interesting visuals and instrumentation. Enjoy!

Complicated Rhythms -- Bella Ruse

Day 2-34 -- A World Covered in Ice

What a crazy day!  The storm last evening left about 15-20 cm snow and then it poured rain -- about 15 mm were expected. The top of that snow layer turned into a crust of ice -- at least 5 cm thick. I've seen this phenomenon before, but not as thick as this.  In many areas, this ice layer was so thick it couldn't be broken by kicking and stomping. The icy coating was solid, smooth and slippery. It took about 45 minutes to shovel off the small porch, 5 stairs and less than 10 feet of narrow sidewalk in front of the house. Luckily, while I changed to head into work, two intrepid students walked through the yard -- a commonly used short cut -- and broke the beginning of a trail for me to get out to Main Street.

I've never experienced such a thick coating of ice on every surface.  The ploughs had been through early in the morning to clear the streets and sidewalks. Under the ice layer had been snow and under that was slush.  The slush that remained after the heavy equipment did the job, froze solid by mid-morning due to a flash freeze.  In some areas there are pools of water that gathered during the storm and had no where to flow -- leaving no where else for walkers to go either. Good news -- the new water proof boots work as expected. <smile>  The walk into the campus for the afternoon class was wild. Coming back down the hill this evening showed no changes. The roads are covered and hills very icy. So glad I didn't need to drive to work. There was beauty in the ice crystals on the tree branches -- some of the freezing rain that fell during the freeze -- and in the bright sun this afternoon they sparkled like diamonds.

Interestingly, only one song came to mind earlier today as walking into work.  I found myself muttering and the next thing I did was laugh as I thought of the lyrics to the song selection for today.  The rhythm is wonderful and the dancing great -- just not something that could be attempted outdoors here today <g>. The lyrics say it all for today. Enjoy!

Ice Ice Baby -- Vanilla Ice

Day 2-33 -- Stuck in Time Warp

Well, it is Groundhog Day for those who feel a rodent can predict weather better than someone with a science degree. I will admit to thinking this possible, but tend not to hold much stock in the outcomes since the major furry prognosticators do not always agree -- even the ones in fairly close geographic proximity. That said, I'd be quite happy for an early spring <smile>.

I had thought that the nor'easter every third day had gotten old rather quickly. It is like being on a merry-go-round -- first the storm day, then the clean up day, then the scramble to get errands done day to be prepared before the events repeat themselves.  Storm. Clean. Ready. Repeat.  It reminded me of that silly movie Groundhog Day. The feeling of repetition brings odd thoughts -- how many storms have there been in the past two weeks? Really -- or are you just imagining more since you dislike them so much? Will I be able to get out the door tomorrow morning? The later is uppermost in my mind right this minute. Often the storm door (which opens out) must be forced to open just a couple of inches. Hands must be used to move enough snow to get the shovel out the door and then the door open enough for a human to pass through.  This challenge seems rather absurd especially when I think of trying to explain snow and ice to people in Thailand -- where 70F temperatures lead them to wear sweaters and longer skirts and pants <smile>. I keep hearing their response to an explanation of the -35C temperature we'd left in Saskatchewan. One young man noted this must be like a freezer. When we told him it was far colder than a freezer he said, "Why do you live there?" Indeed.  An explanation of not being able to get out of the house due to deeper snow on the porch likely would convince them we are not in possession of our full faculties.

I've chosen a song that speaks to the feeling of being stuck in this repetitive 3-day time warp. This was part of the first foray into recording for this quartet. If nothing else, it brings some feelings of relaxation. Enjoy!

Deja Vu -- Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young

Day - 2-32 -- A love of history

While working and wondering about the next storm heading our way, I found myself thinking about my love of history. I've always enjoyed learning about the past. Historical novels and biographies have been part of reading fare as long as I can recall - from the Little House books to the period pieces of Agatha Christie and more recently with the tomes of Rutherford and Gabaldon.  I enjoy historical movies with life stories such as the musical biographies of Glenn Miller, Red Nicols, Billy Holiday, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and Bobby Darin (and so many more <smile>). Biographical movies of other famous people have made an impression including Charles Lindberg, Queen Elizabeth I, George VI, Elizabeth II, and Nelson Mandela.  Other notables, like the books, take place during historical events but are not all works of fiction. Many of these have involved wars, battles or uprisings like A Year of Living Dangerously, Blood Diamond, The English Patient, Man in the Iron Mask, The Count of Monte Cristo and so many more. Of course there are many television programs -- series and mini series -- that have informed understanding of various times throughout history. I've been an avid viewer of these, too.

Perhaps then it isn't a wonder that I have been drawn to historical research <smile>. I have read much of the start of the dietetics profession as we know it today from the mid-1800s. Luckily much is available online or through interlibrary loans. Yet some key pieces of information from writers of the day are only available for reading in international libraries. I've made a journey to the British Library and read some historical items that helped to contextualize some of the interpretive writings of other researchers.  It is a joy to pursue this type of research question.

So -- Imagine my joy when a friend shared a link with me today with an historical theme!  Needless to say that helped me with the struggle for a single choice of a musical selection for today. The theme speaks for itself with these talented vocalists. Enjoy!

Evolution of Music -- Pentatonix