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Here are a few of my favorite online haunts:
REALTOR.ca
[This is the site I visit to fantasize about
living in Toronto again, which is almost
every single
day during the winter]
Jonathan Cainer's Zodiac Forecasts
[This is where I visit in the morning, when
I need a positive spin on things past, present
and future.]
Living Local
[This is where I go to see what Canadians
are up to, sometimes I even buy things from
the businesses listed there.]
Environment Canada Weather
[This is the site I visit every morning,
and before every road trip during the winter]
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My day began at 4:00 A.M. Sometimes I wake up early, and today was one of those days. I waited until five, when I got up and wandered into the living room to open windows and doors. Cool air drifted in, sweeping away the night's accumulated warmth. Hot weather has found us at last.
I like to take my morning coffee with Attila. He worked yesterday, Saturday, and had been off and running almost before light. Today I wanted him to have a chance to sleep late. Morning coffee would have to wait for Attila.
What to do? After puttering about in the kitchen for a bit, I turned on the computer and began to print records that needed to be kept for posterity. Boring. This is the kind of task that can be effectively put off for years, which is exactly what had happened. An hour passed quickly. The job was just about finished when a low rumble rolled over the house. My feet felt it before my ears heard it. It seemed the promised thunder storm was actually going to materialize. My project ended, cut just a bit short.
When thunder and lightening visit, I always unplug my computer equipment, the entertainment system (such that it is), the bread machine and the telephone. It is a comforting ritual, probably unnecessary. We have never experienced an electrical surge due to lightning, so there is no experiential basis for my caution. However, if any of these electrical appliances were damaged they would need to be replaced. I do not want new, I like the aging and familiar machines. They are old friends.
The storm arrived, and very welcome it was. We have had a very dry spring here. It rained about a week ago, just enough to soak the earth and give the plants a long cold drink. Not enough though, to replenish the well significantly. You might remember that earlier this spring our well went dry. It did recover itself enough to provide us with a few daily flushes, a bath for Attila, and the occasional shower for me. All other activities requiring the wet stuff have relied on collected rain water. Yesterday I emptied the next to last rain barrel, to water the garden. A rainstorm would be a timely event.
It rained buckets, for over an hour. Our rain barrels filled to the brim. The gardens wallowed in plenitude. The sky thundered and flashed. And down below the surface of the earth, water began to trickle into the dark recesses of our well.
It was a real show, loud enough to wake Attila. Drawn by the flashing light and trembling firmament, he joined me in the living room. Together we drank coffee and gazed through the windows, into the greening, dripping treetops.
We like it here, in our "handyman's dream" of a home. Most of the time we have all the amenities and comforts. And when we don't? Well, then we drink coffee, and stare into the trees, and think about how lucky we are.
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RECIPES :: Cast
Worldly Distractions
Below Deck
Airwaves
Bird Laughter:
somewhere, just outside our windows, there are birds that sound like monkeys chattering, or birds laughing. I have no idea what species of bird produces such a sound. It makes me feel like I live in a tree house, in the jungle.
Weather
Time 13:00 P.M.
Temp 25 degrees C
Wind W 15 km/h
Rel Humidity 74%
Pressure 101.06 kPa
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