April Showers Bring May... Showers?!

Rain, rain and more rain. That has been the story for five days now in Southern Ontario. The forecast is even bleaker. We're all wagering on the one nice day predicted for this weekend, before the storms and rain move in again. If the weather was depressing last month, now it's downright frustrating. I'm planning a 'staycation' to plant my garden this weekend. I have to remind myself it's the holiday weekend, because the weather would have me believe it is only April 12.
Honestly though, I have so much to do, I doubt I'll get it all finished. One good day is just not enough.

That's it for my weather rant for now. I got my camera back, so I wanted to share a few more pictures from our crazy wind storm. Amazingly, much of the debris and mess was gone from around the city last week already.

Three big pines in front of this apartment building were uprooted.

Trees snapped in half like this one, were common all over the region.

Big, old trees took down hydro lines, landed on cars and homes.

Survived the Wind Storm

My neighbour finally had power restored to his house today. It was cut on Thursday, when the wind storm that came through our city knocked both our lines down. Thankfully, mine was put back up.

In the big scheme of things, we were really quite lucky. Our region was ravaged with destruction, yet it paled in comparison to the devastation Alabama faced only a day earlier. Nevertheless, my city declared a State of Emergency at one point, and some homes are still waiting for power. Winds up to 124 km/h at times blasted our region, uprooting huge trees all over the city and crashing down on homes, power lines and roads. Several people lost shingles, or worse yet, most of their roof.

I felt a little strange taking pictures of some of the destruction, but it's something I've never seen before. Of course, I left my camera at a friend's house this weekend, so I can't share. I promise I'll post as soon as I get it back.

I did get this photo from a friend. It was too wild to not share. It almost makes you think the picture is sideways. That's the hydro line holding the tree up. This would've been considered only medium priority likely, if that gives you an indication of what the rest of the damage looked like. Yikes.

I wanted to get this post up, but come back later this week. I promise I'll add more pictures. We lost two older men here. As tragic as their deaths were, they seem eerily similar to what you might imagine could happen in a tornado. All I could think about last week were the families that experienced any of the 312 tornadoes that hit the U.S. last week. 

Christmas in July

Well, maybe not quite but arn't these two cute? Bf suggested a trip to Value Village on the weekend, and I developed an immediately grew fond of these little salt & pepper shakers. For $3, they were mine! They're tacky, paint is chipped, and it's not the right season at all, but I couldn't leave them on the shelf. Besides, maybe they'll bring more Christmas-like weather to the area.

35 degree scorcher without humidex today. YIKES! My air conditioner is working overtime, and I fear it's only burning electricity. My house was 84 when I arrived home from work today and the thermastat is set to 80. I think I hear the money being withdrawn from my bank account now!

My poor plants are hurting too. I missed watering them last night, and my garden has wilted terribly. My once-vibrant cherry tomato is a hurting unit, and my flowers look so sad. [This is where I wish I had the talent to draw a cartoon flower with the most sorrowful sad-face you have ever seen.] I put a succulent outside on the weekend and also forgot sunscreen. It's burnt to a crisp. What's the verdict? Do you think it's dead?

I Missed an Earthquake Today

Thus far, my focus on Savvy Homegirl has been primarily tangible actions, items or results. With the exception of a handful of personal, random posts, I have paid particularly close attention to avoiding any philosophical, opinionated posts. I don't deem conversation I might have with close friends or coworkers fit for this space.

Until today.

I spend little time, if any at all, understanding conspiracy theories. Despite this, of the theories I'm aware of, I believe their basis lies in some truth. Some of which, serves to condemn the very industry within which I have spent my entire life. I'm not a hypocrite, just realistic. Ultimately, consumers 'choose their adventure' with the dollars they spend. There is a consequence to every choice we make. It's the butterfly effect. Post-recession, in the 'era of sobriety', as my advertising agency calls it, consumers will be more empowered to choose sustainably and change the future.

Or will we?

I missed an earthquake today. Possibly, and hopefully, the only earthquake I will ever experience in my lifetime. I was out of town and did not believe my co-worker when she emailed me. My first thought - an explosion or an act of terrorism (seriously, you'd think I was American - no offence intended). Human error or bad choices, but not an earthquake. We don't get earthquakes.

• We are 2 days away from the G8 and G20 summits in Toronto. Toronto and the entire Southern Ontario border felt an earthquake today for the first time in 50+ years.
• Chicago experienced such a drop in air pressure last week, windows blew out of buildings.
• Saskatchewan has had the wettest spring also in 50+ years.
• A volcano erupting for weeks on end shut down airspace.
• Random areas of the U.S. are flooding and on one particular day this winter, 52 of 54 states recieved snow.
• Hurricane severity is predicted to be higher than normal in 2010.

  

It is quite possible I pay more attention to world events now than in the past. Nevertheless, the strongest conspiracy theory in the world won't convince me when it comes to weather. BUT there is something going on with this planet and the atmosphere we live in. Something is re-aligning, and when I truly think about this, it scares me beyond belief. I suppose I could google it and learn what interpretations exist. There are likely all sorts of myths and extreme beliefs, not to mention pure scientific explanations. If this is the reality of the world we live in however, then we can not change this. We can only choose how we behave within it. Can we change our actions to counteract any of the above or is this fate 'mashing up' all Mother Nature's baggage on us at once. Only time will tell...