Blackout lessons for all

When the lights went out across most of Ontario back in 2003 I was at work putting out our regular Friday newspapers. Obviously the blackout changed what I was going to put on my front page and thanks to a back-up generator the papers went to press, a little late but they got out.

Fast-forward to Dec. 22, 2013 the lights went out a second time and where was I? At work again! You see a trend happening here. Obviously I like to work in the dark!

Ice hangs from a tree out front of my home.

The recent blackout though was far more dangerous for two reasons -- first, it was the dead of winter and when the power goes out so does your furnace. Second, the ice storm that caused the whole mess left felled trees and broken tree limbs hanging precariously over streets, hydro lines, driveways etc. It truly wasn't safe inside or out.

As I write this blog post the power is still out in many parts of Toronto, Peel Region and even here in Durham Region. Tonight there is high winds expected and you can be certain more trees and tree branches will come toppling down. I just pray the birch tree in my front yard stays up. It's bending right now in a completely unnatural way.

Unlike last week though I am slightly better prepared for any more power outages. This time I have propane, a new flashlight, a new set of lighters and food in the freezer. Cash also becomes king in the event of a blackout so for a change I am carrying bills in my wallet. It feels a bit nostalgic but I think I'll get used to it because in the event of a power outage debit and credit cards don't work.

Last week Heather went to our local No Frills to stock up for Christmas and while the power had just  come back on a few hours earlier the debit machines were offline. You wouldn't believe the number of people screaming at the poor manager.

Losing your power at any time of the year sucks but I'd take a summer outage anytime over a winter one.

Stay safe out there people.

If you think you're having a bad day think again



 I'm sporting a nasty bruise on my hip today thanks to a lightsaber battle I lost at the hands of Darth Child last night. Did he use the force on me? No. Was my lightsaber thrown from my hands? No. How I lost this battle was epic, I fell over the vacuum cleaner. Who leaves out a vacuum cleaner in a Death Star? I am so not a Jedi.

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My family was reduced by two this weekend and daughter No. 2 was never happier. Rebekah and Tavish disappeared to two different sleepover parties leaving Heather and me with Bronwyn. It felt like 1998 all over again when we had just one child to look after. I'd forgotten how much easier it was to entertain and feed a single child. Bronwyn loved the undivided attention. Far too often she has to battle with her older brother and sister to be heard. No yelling this weekend though.

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If somebody carves the word 'asshole' into the side of your car while it's parked in the driveway that's what I would call a bad day.

If somebody returns and throws silver paint over the hood of your car that's still parked in your driveway that's what I would call another bad day.

If your birch tree gets blown over rendering your front yard a complete disaster I would call that a really awful day.

Believe it or not these things have all happened to my neighbour in the last three weeks. The car problems were a result of a dispute with a former tenant. The birch tree could only be the result of a dispute with God.



Timber! This is what I would call a bad day.



Last summer a water pipe leading to his house sprung a small leak that went undetected for weeks. His yard turned into a bog. He got the leak repaired but in the process must have damaged the root system to the tree.

Last night the wind blew the birch over making a mess of the whole yard. Funny, when asked, not one neighbour could recall hearing the tree fall putting an end to an age old mystery!

The part of the birch over hanging the street has been removed but my neighbour, who shall remain nameless, had to cut that part with a handsaw. Nobody had a chainsaw for him to borrow. It will be interesting how long it takes to him to get this mess cleaned up.

So if you think you're having a bad month, think again. You could be my poor neighbour or worse yet, you could be his tree.