9-31 (31/1/22) -- Another Beginning

Bright sunshine was with us for most of the day. The furry one spent much time in the sunshine as it crossed the kitchen floor. I walked to Main Street to do a couple of errands. The air felt clear and crisp, but the sidewalks were covered in ice that was covered in water in many places. The ice meant I spent my walk looking down at the ground rather than luxuriating in the sun and blue sky. 

After doing some cleaning around the house, I headed out to pick up a takeout order for Chinese food. Tonight is Lunar New Year's Eve -- another beginning. It will be a low key affair here compared to the fireworks and lion dances we encountered in Hong Kong many years back. I try to mark this day with food -- after all, Food is My Life [tm] <grin>. I often make a couple of dishes, but this year chose to let someone else do that cooking. So, I got some hot and sour soup, Singapore curry fried noodle and moo goo gai pan. All was great and they heard me this time when I asked for two of the dishes to be made hot. The heat was super and does not over power all of the other wonderful flavours. Another upside of this wonderful meal is that I now have dinner for tomorrow covered. <smile>  

I looked for a song to share today since the only one that came to mind seemed rather predictable. After listening to several songs and instrumentals, I'm afraid I stayed with the original one that came easily to mind. The others I found in a search just didn't fit for me. So -- sorry, but I expect that most of you will have guessed what I chose to share in this blog. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Eye of the Tiger -- Survivor 

9-30 (30/1/22) -- Ice or Sand?

Bits of sun shone through the grayness today.The plow guy came early this morning before I'd called, so I wasn't listening for them. I ate breakfast and then went out to clear the snow and ice from the car. When I moved all that snow off of the walkway, I realized the backhoe left a huge mess on the town sidewalk and the paved entry to the driveway. The huge tires packed down snow there, while my driveway is a bit clearer. I called the boss and he came by and cleared up some of it with the truck plow blade. Being out just after the first guy left would have let me move the snow from the town property. Instead, when I got out there, it had frozen into a solid mass of ice. It is a bit better, but will need a healthy amount of salt from the sidewalk plow to make the sidewalk walk-able for the many folks who walk up and down this street. Sanding the sidewalks and roads would help deal with the ice layers, too. 

I did feel positive most of the time while moving snow over the past two days. However, this does not mean that I'm in any way pleased with the iciness of the world in my immediate surround. It is weather like this that reminds me that I now worry about falling and breaking something -- or should that be something else. One trip and fall that broke incisors (2 years ago) and one slip and fall on stairs that broke an elbow (7 years ago) are more than enough So, weather like this brings thoughts of being somewhere else -- somewhere warmer and ice-free. Somewhere with salt, sand and ice but from very different places -- salt water, sandy ground cover, and cold beverages. <smile> Several places I've visited come to mind jockeying for position. A song presented itself while I was searching for something else. It seemed perfect and reminded me of a day watching sunset on Waikiki. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Mai Tais --  Train ft. Skylar Grey

 

9-29 (29/1/22) -- Caught in the Media Net

 The day began with an hour of shoveling 15 cm (6 in) or more of snow to clear porches and a pathway to the street. While completing these tasks, another 2.5 cm (1 in) fell followed by another 5 cm (2 in) once I got back inside. Then the snow transitioned to rain with a short period of 'hard' rain -- ice pellets and/or freezing rain. There is to be about 15 mm (just over 05 in) of rain before things move back to snow for tomorrow but with small accumulations. Bottom line -- I had to go out twice to try to move some of the slush this evening. It is wet and heavy so it took longer to move tiny bits at a time. I got most of the slush moved but there is some ice under it that will only become larger as the water freezes tomorrow. To battle the ice, I will be out salting tomorrow. <sigh> 

This makes four storms in three weeks, three storms being weather bombs. These deep lows see pressure drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. Powerful stuff. <sigh> I had never heard of a weather bomb until I encountered one in late October of my first year living here. It introduced me to the monsoonal rains common to the Atlantic coast climate. When these occur in winter,  we often get an extra strong nor'easter. Areas north and west of here are getting much more snow, while areas along the mainland Atlantic coast will get more rain and freezing rain. Determining the track a storm might take involves a lot of computer modeling and forecasts change in the days leading up to such storms and in the hours just ahead. This can create anxiety in those listening to the forecasts. I try to check the information online or with the app rather than listen to the ongoing overstated suppositions verbally, which are often so over the top. Introducing a high level of anxiety to the viewer can lead to people being unable to stop watching. They begin to feel unsafe or threatened. Sadly, this increases viewership and exposure to advertising and such. So, the networks gain far more than viewers. As a media researcher,  I understand the way 24-hour news or weather networks need to fill every broadcasting minute, even though there just sin't enough factual information to share. Instead, broadcasters discuss potential outcomes with 'experts'  and each other. At best, the information shared uses words like might,  maybe, could, and such. But the feeding frenzy of 'what if' takes over and getting off the roller coaster becomes difficult. 

The selection of the day is from 2011 -- not that long ago. I began my work in media content analysis in the mid-1990s. The same concerns hold today as they did back in the 1950s with the beginning of the golden age of television. Marshal McLuhan wrote much about the electric communications and more about the future of electronic age -- all written in the 1960s. So, what this isn't anything new or unique.  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Selling the News -- Switchfoot

9-28 (28/1/22) -- Backing and Forth-ing

Today was my running around day. I needed a new drain plug for the tub and picked up mail on campus If it were most other days, I would have stopped at the grocery store for a couple of items that were not available for my online order at the other store yesterday. Today is the day before a storm (yes -- that makes three weekends in a row <sigh>) and the day students are arriving since in-person classes begin on Monday. Residence check-in times began today and will run all weekend, so getting mail today made sense -- fewer folks around this afternoon. Students living off campus are replenishing their pantries and the grocery stores were inundated. 

This afternoon was our annual vet visit. All went well and he is tired and a bit subdued due to interuption of his usual afternoon snooze and effects of the vaccine he received. We got home when I realized I didn't get a refill for the prescription for the furry one. So, out I went and headed back to the vet office. When I arrived, I managed to find a place to park in the back -- it was very busy at that time of day with folks picking up their animals at the end of the day. Then I realized I did not have a mask with me. I thought I had put some in the car, but apparently that was just one of those good intentions that come to me at 3 AM <sigh>. So, home again and then back to the vet office. Thankfully I live in a small town so things aren't all that far apart. In a city, it would have been impossible to complete the two extra trips before the office closed for the day. 

As I was driving around town today, a song line hit my consciousness. I believe I laughed out loud in the car. <grin>. the moniker fit today, but for rather different reasons. <giggle> Hope it makes you smile, too.  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Runaround Sue -- Dion

9-27 (27/1/22) -- Frozen!

Today was brought to us by the word 'frozen'. It got very cold last night -- well cold for here. It was about -15C (4F). I let the car warm up while moving snow and ice off the windows and roof. I left the  windshield for last when wiper blades were freed from the ice. I drove off to do errands. On the way, I discovered that the wipers did not move across the windshield. Luckily, there was no precipitation today -- just some great sunshine and blue sky. I did the grocery pickup -- the first in a couple of weeks, so it contained lots of fresh produce. Then I got some bread and muffins. When I got home, the wiper blades still didn't move, so I called my dealership service department and let them know that I would be up shortly for a quick look with a lengthier visit for tomorrow, as needed. As I was leaving the driveway, I tried the wipers again and they worked as expected! There was a chunk of ice that had been dislodged from the gutter area. It must have been impeding the mechanism. Interesting. I've never had that occur and I take time to move as much ice as possible away from the blades and hinge area. I made another call to the service desk and let them know that things seemed to be working. That felt good. <smile>  

The colder days can bring sunshine, which is a great plus. The frozen world of snow and ice is far from my favourite, though. I had a song running through my mind while moving ice and snow from the car, porches and walkways. I chose to share it here so that I'm not the only one dealing with this little earworm. Apologies. <grin>.  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Let it Go -- from Frozen, Idina Menzel 

9-26 (26/1/22) -- Walking and Talking

I woke to the sounds of roofers moving in to work on the rental house two doors down. I was surprised that they would do this work in the colder temperatures today. Tomorrow is to be even colder, so I'm not sure if I should expect them putting up scaffolding by 7:30 AM or not. We'll see. 

I went for my walk today with a friend. While it was chilly, the sun was great. It felt great to be able to walk and chat and to speak in person for a change. We usually meet virtually each week. Some of the ice cover was melting due to a larger dose of salt on the main sidewalks. It will freeze overnight and create an icier surface tomorrow. I may have to do a shorter walk or find another outdoor activity -- I do have to move snow and ice off the car, so that may be a good start. 

Today was the 11th annual Bell Let's Talk Day. Efforts are to reduce stigma surrounding mental health challenges by supporting ourselves and others. My weekly chats with several friends are a form of self care to help me reduce impacts from anxiety, which has increased during the pandemic. Seeing friends in person -- even when less often over the past two years -- helps with calming and relaxing. When we share a walk or a cup of tea,  that helps even more. 

The song I chose introduces walking and talking -- the activity I enjoyed a lot today. The bulk of the lyrics deal with hoping and feeling lonely, which didn't fit my day but may fit the day that others experienced. Keep safe. Enjoy!

I'm Walkin' -- Fats Domino

  

9-25 (23/1/22) -- Scottish Heritage

Today was a grey day again. However, temperatures were closer to freezing so there was some melting occurring during the day. I had a meeting about planning future activities and a phone chat with a friend. Both were enjoyable. 

Living in the 'highland heart of Nova Scotia'  brings traditional celebrations of Scotland closer. Today is Robbie Burns Day. I do have ancestors who emigrated from Scotland. I hope one day to travel to Edinburgh where a statue to one of my ancestors stands. Most of my lineage is from Ireland and England, but there is the one branch from Scotland. It would be fun to visit places where all branches began. In the meantime, I've learned bits of Scottish Gaelic. The furry one bears a Gaelic name being a lost boy in this town where street signs are in English and Gaelic. At official gatherings, the national anthem is sung in English, French, Gaelic and Mi'kmaw. I attended a ceremony several years ago where a local Scot addressed the haggis and then we all partook of this washed down with a wee dram. As a friend has noted, haggis is much like a sausage - and this one was more 'modern' than the traditional recipe <smile>. Tonight I will have a wee dram of Islay scotch but will forgo the haggis for an oat cake -- something that I was introduced to when I moved here and am not sure how I managed without them to that point <grin>. 

This year I decided to go a different direction with the song. No bagpipes, just a group from Scotland who made tartan cool. I love this ode to a weekday. It sounds so happy.  I hope the Scottish bard will forgive me <smile>. Stay safe. Enjoy! 

Saturday Night -- The Bay City Rollers