Little explanation ahead of this one. In light of the storm that hit home this
week, a series of poems dealing with the weather extremes I’ve endured. Each numerical heading is the measurement of
each event. In order… degrees… minus
degrees… feet… and km/hr.
Extremes
46
Hot tub heat
While walking the street
A ball game played
Without the shade
Thirst never quenched
Cicada bugs
Act as heat’s soundtrack
-42
Barren parking lot
Gloves and hat forgot
Howling wind of fears
Pain attacks the ears
Hands scurrying back and forth
Coat pocket heat
Transferred o’er freezing ears
21
First floor windows encased in white
Avalanche buried and out of sight
Bi-daily blizzards arrive
Unsure you’ll survive
Streets now lanes
Sidewalks now hills
Summer a foreign dream
148
Quite a wintery scene
Less a howl and more a scream
Leaning all your weight
Unsure of old tree’s fate
Window panes rattle
Upstairs loft shivers
As the woodstove keeps you safe.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Long day. Work
days… then stuck in traffic for 90 minutes to get home. A sink hole at the off ramp of the highway to
Orleans has a car sitting in the sewer under the road and the main route into
Orleans cut.
--- I get home just in time to change, grab some food, and
out the door again for ball.
--- A late meal and some drinks after the game means a lack
of sleep for tomorrow’s dayshift.
THURSDAY…
--- Tired at work.
Drive home is better… but I take a long route to avoid traffic and still
take a little more than a half hour.
Though when I get home, it seems traffic wasn’t so bad today
anyway. May have been people cutting out
earlier today than yesterday.
FRIDAY…
--- Walk in the morning.
50 minutes out there. Funny, I’m
starting to look forward to the Fall and Winter so that I can walk without
mosquitos buzzing around my head.
--- Nap and then off to night shift alone. Hmm… as I typed I left off the “f” in shift…
would have meant a completely different type of sentence had I not caught it.
SATURDAY…
--- Rainy times. Been
much thunder and lightning off and on ever since yesterday evening. Kind of fun.
--- With the rain… it’s up around 11:00… a little TV… back
to bed at 2:00… up at 4:00… work shift again this evening.
SUNDAY…
--- Up around 11:00.
Lazy for a while… watch a ball game on TV… go for a walk. The few days of rain have really made a
difference to the creek and pond out front.
Pond is as full as I’ve seen and the creek is running into it as a
babbling torrent. Well, it’s babbling
anyway.
MONDAY…
--- Groceries. Both a
stop at the little market on the side of Navan Road (berries, grapes, apples)
and Sobeys.
--- Walk after that and some time around the house. Heard from my neighbour today that the
extension of Trailsedge to the right of my place may be on hold now and it
would stay as forest there as well as the area across the street from me. That would be nice.
TUESDAY…
--- Checking out blinds/shades today. Got the living room window, ensuite bathroom,
front window, and patio door all to do.
Ball’s in motion.
--- Ottawa is becoming a horrible city to drive in. Just going across town today for the window
coverings place, it takes me about 40 minutes to do a 20 minute drive at 11:15
on a Tuesday morning?!?! Not like I’m going in rush hour or anything. Construction is everywhere and lanes of road
are closed more often than not it seems.
Plus this city is horrible for the types of drivers in it. Everyone seems to fall into one of two
categories. (1) drive 20 below the speed
limit in a drift-along fashion. (2)
drive 40 above the limit with the attitude that tailgating is an acceptable
means of getting around.
--- Got the call while on my walk… the rocking chair is
ready to be picked up. I’ll get it
tomorrow… yeee… I’m becoming an old man.
--- BBQ this evening.
Summer not quite gone yet.
