Weather

Canadians talk so much about the weather because we get so much of it.

We certainly have had our share this winter. Yesterday we had a welcome break as three hours of freezing rain were followed by several more hours of heavy rain. Today we have quite a bit less snow cover than we had at this time yesterday. The temperature is still 2°, so the water still lies in puddles for vehicles to splash through and still runs in rivulets toward the closest drain.

OTOH, the Weather Network's website states that we should get something like 100-120 cm of snow in a normal winter with about one quarter of it falling in February. Have we had that much so far this winter or even this month? I doubt it, but cannot be sure unless I can find some actual data recorded at one of the weather stations. Oakville is not listed in the Weather Network's page, but averages for Toronto's Pearson International Airport and Hamilton Airport are the closest I can find.

The same website informs me that we have had about average snow cover for the month - about 15 cm. The snow banks along the street where the plow and shoveling have piled it up makes it appear much more. Actually I would put the amount on our front and back yards at least more than 20 cm even with the melting of the last day or so.

I am happy that the cedar trees at the back of the garden are now free of snow. Until yesterday they were heavily laden and bent with snow that fell last week and pressed them askew. I noticed while at lunch today that they had resumed their normal rounded shape. Not so, the juniper, the globe cedar and Korean box trees in the front garden. They are still weighed down and twisted with heavy, wet snow. If we get colder weather as predicted for the next few days, they will not be relieved of this weight until the next good melt.

I do note however that the 14 day probabilities are for temperatures below freezing for the rest of this week, but above normal temperatures for next week and into early March. It could be that we shall lose our snow cover before the next heavy snowfall.
We usually have another blizzard in early March and can expect about 20 cm for the month of March. That could come in what is known in my family as "Betty's Blizzard." It is so called because she was born in Montreal on March 7, 1920 in a snowstorm that nearly prevented Mother from getting to the hospital in time for the delivery.

I can also recall years when we were snowed in for a couple of days around the same time. That happened in 1944, if I recall correctly. Betty, George and Gordon were at Windy Ridge for the weekend. Betty and Gordon were due back in Ottawa Sunday night. George was on his embarkation leave. They were all stranded by the storm until Tuesday morning. Both George and Gordon were reported AWOL, but so were countless other troops. I believe a troop train bound for Halifax from the West was stranded in Northern Ontario that same weekend.

Of course, this may not be an accurate account of the affair, but that is how I remember it. Was it the same storm that piled so much snow on the golf course across the Rivière du Chêne that Stewart and I were able to ski over the clubhouse roof
and I photographed Stewart leaning on the crossbar of a telephone pole? I wonder if I still have that photo or its negative. Ah, the adventures of youth that remain in memory even after sixty-five years!

Politics A- Plenty

Yes, there's politics a-plenty in both the US and Canada. According to all the media reports I have been sampling, the general consensus is that Barak Obama is outmanouvering Hillary Clinton in the contest for the Democratic nomination. We won't know for sure until all the primaries and caucuses have been held, but the momentum of success in the ten most recent events have given Obama a distinct lead in both delegates and public favour.

Meanwhile here in Canada, Parliament has recessed for a week after putting the Afghanistan issue to rest with a token agreement by the Liberals and the Conservatives that our participation in the UN mandate there will continue until 2011 with some minor changes to the exact deployment of our troops. None is quite sure whether Dion or Harper caved in to the other's proposal, but at least there will not be an election over the issue. OTOH, the budget to be presented Tuesday, Feb, 26, may be cause for a confidence vote by the Liberals bringing about the downfall of the government.

There appears to be a growing consensus that an election this spring would likely make little change in the relative status of the various parties. If so, that will likely result in another Liberal change of leaders as Dion will be forced to resign. Perhaps that might be best for the Liberal Party which needs to find a whole new approach to appear fully recovered from the debacle of the Sponsorship Scandal and the ten year internecine struggle between Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.

At least it would be a help to future renewal of the party of the party if someone from Ontario rather than Quebec became the leader. The best bet, IMHO, is Michael Ignatief. He seems to have the least baggage and has shown considerable skill as deputy-leader under Dion. Someone has even suggested that Dalton McGuinty, present premier of Ontario, would be an even better choice, but I doubt that. All that can be said for sure at this stage is wait and see.

Storms

We have had three storms since I last posted. So we now have plenty of snow cover for the roses and other fragile perennials in the gardens. Wally has done a yeoman job of keeping our driveway clear, even if having a minor catastrophe last Saturday when the belt that drives the spiral rotor broke. The break may have been caused by catching a scarf lying in the windrow cast up by the street plow, but I did not press the issue. The evidence is a badly mangled scarf lying near the fire hydrant. The best part of this work Wally does for us is his promptness. The last two days he has been here early each morning to shovel the doorstep and blow away the snow from the driveway before going to work.

This latest pair of storms was somewhat unusual. They were separated by eight or nine hours of relatively cloudy weather when no snow fell. That was due to the storms having separate centres - one coming from Texas and the other from further to the southwest. They dragged a cold front across very warm moist air in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky setting of a series of severe tornadoes that left more than 50 people dead and a still uncounted amount of damage. The same storms sped across the lower Greta Lakes leaving us two successive 15 cm snowfalls which we are still cleaning up. As yet our street has not been plowed, although the sidewalks have. I think I just heard a plow pass along the neighbouring street - Munns - so they should be along here soon. That will fill in our driveway for Wally to clear this evening.

The other storm this week has been in American politics. What the media defined as Super Tuesday came and went with very little change in the Democratic race, but a big change for the Republicans. Both Democractic candidates, Clinton and Obama scored with their favoured supporters. Obama secured more delegates in more primaries, mostly in smaller states. Clinton secured greater support in the larger states. Because they share of delegates is proportional to the number of votes cast in each state, both gained a significant number but Clinton received enough to pull ahead slightly less than 100 delegates in total. Both have to gain more than 1000 more of the +/- 2100 delegates in the remaining primaries to win the nomination. Both will probably win some more delegates in several primaries this weekend and next Tuesday, but not enough to make a significant difference. The question is whether Obama will succeed in overtaking Clinton's slight lead. Another question is whether or not his successes on Super Tuesday have given him enough momentum to make his the odds on favourite.

The Republican race to nominate their candidate is just about over. Senator McCain has won more than the other two combined, but not yet enough to claim total victory. OTOH, the resignation of former Gov. Pitt Romney from the race may well have sealed the deal for McCain. His only remaining competitor is Gov. Huckaby and he is so far behind that he has little or no hope of stopping McCain.

And so we move on slowly as the storm continues.