May 20, 2026
It’s definitely spring. And
not only is it spring, it is a spring with delusions of summer!
The last few days here were
very hot and humid. Looking at the sky, it was easy to imagine that there would
be a thunderstorm or two before too long.
What wasn’t easy to imagine?
That my cell phone would go off with an emergency alert 10 times yesterday
between about 4:30 and 6:30.
Usually that two-toned
strident alarm, rare as it has been, is the announcement of an amber alert.
Yesterday, it was a weather
alert of tornado warnings for our “mobile coverage area”. Our coverage area is
a significant chunk of southern Ontario, so I wasn’t overly worried. But I took
the warning seriously. I know of too many people who have paid too high a price
when tornadoes appeared near them, not to.
A visit to the “maps” section
of the Weather Network gave me an idea of what the situation was now and would
be in the next few hours. Sure enough, a long line of active weather,
stretching north and south of us, was heading, west to east, and would be over
us before long. I activated the map “forward” feature and watched the
forecasted progression. We would be in the active zone for the next two and a
half hours.
A few minutes later, my
daughter came downstairs and announced her intention to sit on the front porch
and watch the storm. Our porch is now and has always been covered by a roof, but
it is also open. It’s a covered space, not an enclosed one. As long as the
winds don’t get too strong blowing from the north, south or east, we’re
protected. But this weather was coming from the west, and our house quite
literally had our backs.
I can’t tell you how many
times through the years our family has done this very thing. It’s a tradition,
of sorts, that goes back to our first days in this house when our children were
17, 12, and 11.
We’re all very lucky that
storms have never frightened us. Mostly, we’ve appreciated the rain—especially if,
like last night, the arrival of the downpour also gutted the humidity.
It was like old times, the two
of us out there as the rain came down, hard and fast. The winds had died off a
bit, and we enjoyed watching the lawns get watered, and drivers in their cars,
few but brave, slow down as the drivers headed home.
It gave us a chance to see how
the new sewer openings worked, and I am not at all certain that we could give
them a passing grade.
Eventually, the winds shifted
just enough that we began to be misted. Not long after that, we decided that
inside was a better option.
Fortunately, there were no
tornadoes spotted in our area. This morning dawned, warm but not particularly
hot, and that was a blessing.
This past weekend was Victoria
Day weekend here in Canada. The holiday itself was observed on Monday, ensuring
that most people enjoyed a long weekend. It used to be the weekend for
fireworks; but those big, beautiful, pyrotechnic displays are now mostly
enjoyed on Canada Day. So, if you’re visiting Canada on July 1st,
which this year will be on a Wednesday, you can look forward to a little something
extra while on vacation.
The Victoria Day weekend is
also considered planting weekend—unless, like this year, it comes earlier than
normal (it’s the Monday before May 24th). Most folks planting home
gardens will be doing so next weekend. We’re looking forward, here in the
Ashbury household, to being among them.
This year, with our enthusiastic
encouragement, daughter will he head gardener. I just know it’s all going to go
splendidly.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
No comments:
Post a Comment