I am sitting down to write another blog its December 30 2019 and I look out the window and I see green grass, puddles of water everywhere , its has been raining for 2 days!! WTF this is Ontario, north of the great lakes, our version of the Wall of the North , we are suppose to be White Walkers, shoveling snow off walkways, steps and the outdoor rinks, making snow angels , making Frosty the Snow Man.
Frosty the Snow Man has been reduced to a silly Wabbit overnight December 30th
Growing up in Ontario, born in 1955 I was your typical little (albeit very energentic) speckled-freckled face red-headed kid that loved the snow, 1st pair of double-bladed trainers at 4 yrs old, played hockey every waking moment and when I wasn't playing hockey I was enjoying snowball fights with my friends, tabogganing, shoveling snow never seemed like work, actually I would stock pile it for future use. At night before going to bed hosing down the ice rink my dad created on my grandparents front lawn was a nightly chore.
(Will talk about what that does to your lawn in another blog)
The good old days when Old man winter provided free icetime.
Now fast forward 6 decades and outdoor rinks are scarce and short lived, our climate is like a roller coaster, too many highs and lows. Storms are more concentrated ,winds more severe, flooding more frequent, ice storms ripping apart century old trees, drought , forest fires, temperatures are more acute.
December 19th 2015
I have also noticed a climatic shift in our calendar over this half century. The months have all shifted, most notibly during the changing of the seasons. If I may be so bold to suggest that the thought of spring has all but disappeared, it seems to be approximately 1maybe 2 weeks? Summers have been so unreliable for weather with highly concentrated storms that hit hard and unpredictable, we have experienced decent weather at our office then go to the jobsite minutes away only find the site under water. the weather delays are increasing with either rains that hit like never before, flash flooding surface energy rips holes in any aggregate path or road and or fluctuating temperatures.
July 2019 walking in High Park and wondering how long it will take the Parks Department to fix this dangerous pathway
and heat that parks us under every bit of shade we can find.
Ahhh, but the silver lining is fall, fall has become the go-to time of the year for best weather and accomplishing much needed work outside it starts in September and lasts well into November, sometimes into December.
Three generations picking Apples mid-September 2017
Milder fall weather is now the norm, I remember many Thanksgivings being cold and unruly, wearing winter coats to the Erin fall fair, now we are more likely to be wearing short sleeve shirts when carving turkey, or maybe no shirt at all lol. Our family enjoys the fruits of the season. ie free Hydrangea blooms lol
Then we have winter starts in mid-November and then goes up and down like a toilet seat until March. Just ask the ski resorts about how inconsistant winters have become, as they are on the front lines of winter survival.
November 15th 2019 Patio furniture and laundry still out, hoping winter would not come early, foolish thinking
February 2019
Time to reflect on our climate. Its thyme to change with the times, plan for the future, expect the unexpected, be respectful of our time on earth and design accordingly.
Or just move with the times, so lets see what the next decade brings us and what legacy will we leave our children.