Posted on May 13, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….everything is about two weeks behind schedule

Walking through the neighbour in the last two days it is abundantly clear that spring is not where it should be. The leaves are only now starting to appear, the blossoms are hesitant to open and the ground is sopping wet. My planter boxes are swimming in water, making it impossible to plant anything and the winds are cold and unforgiving. Our daily temperatures are well below normal and the precipitation is above normal.

You’ve probably heard of the flooding we’re experiencing in parts of Ontario and Quebec. On my walks along the shoreline I’m beginning to notice that the water levels in Lake Ontario are rising. To alleviate some of the flooding further east the water from Lake Ontario has been held back to keep the water levels in the St. Lawrence more manageable.

The islands off of Toronto are in danger of flooding again this year and the sea walls along the edge of the city are completely under water. Climate change is truly a problem and for those who are still naysayers just look outside your own windows. Hopefully things will start to dry up by the weekend when the temperatures are suppose to get closer to normal. Hard to believe that the long weekend is in a few days.

Silent Sunday – May 12, 2019

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Slowly But Surely

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….the temperatures go up and then they go down but surely Spring is in the air

On the weekend we attended a soccer (football) game. The tickets were gifted to us by our daughter and daughter-in-law who had other plans and couldn’t use them. The forecast wasn’t very promising but we decided to bundle up and bring along a stadium blanket to keep us warm.

The seats are very high up in the stadium but the view is spectacular.

I wish I could say that the game was exciting and that we were victorious but TFC was off its game and we were quite disappointed in how they played. In the second half my husband wasn’t feeling well and just couldn’t get warm. We left when the game was tied 1-1 and made our way to warm restaurant for a meal. There were TV screens all through the place and by the time we got there the game was over and Toronto lost 2-1.

On Sunday, the temperatures were up slightly but the best part was the sun and no wind. I took a walk through Col. Sam Smith Park and took a lot of wonderful shots of the lake, the beach and the trees and plants that are getting ready to erupt with colours of green, pink and yellow. You know when the weather is good because everybody and their dogs are out walking.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….from isolation to a crowd

Last week I posted a story about people who live in a ‘bubble’ in their boats all winter long here in Toronto. This week when I walked by the bubbles were gone and the docks were overflowing with activity.

Last Week

Yesterday

Silent Sunday – April 28, 2019

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Living in a Bubble

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..it’s Good Friday and most places of business are closed today

As I sit here I wonder how many people are going to church today. It’s miserable outside, grey and raining. I suppose that’s fitting for Good Friday. It’s suppose to be the most important holiday on the Christian calendar but most people confuse it with Easter bunnies and eggs and forget why they have the day off. Perhaps people are living in a bubble today; happy to have the day off but not really knowing the significance of the day.

My writing this post, however, has nothing to do with Good Friday. Recently on one of my walks I was reminded how a few brave souls literally choose to live inside a ‘bubble’ all winter long. These people are called liveaboards and they actually live on their boats, moored in a marina, all year long. I call it living in a bubble because the boats are literally surrounded with a big bubble of plastic to keep the wind, cold and snow at bay. It requires having a special aerator going 24/7 to keep the ice from forming around the boat and of course they need generators to keep the lights on and heat the place.

I was surprised at the cost of doing this. It isn’t cheap. In fact it costs more in the winter to moor your boat than in the summer. To learn more about living on your boat year round you might find this article by the CBC of interest.

This is what the marina looks like during the winter after all the boats have been put ashore for the season…..