Day 55: Fall - beautiful or depressing?

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 55: Fall - beautiful or depressing?

It’s September, the month fall starts and with it the most depressing time of the year.

Some see beauty in the fall, I’m not one of them. Sure, the foliage in fall is beautiful but look beyond the colors and you’ll realize that the leaves are dying and soon after that rotting.

Everything is dying ... the trees, the shrubbery, and the flowers. For months the world will be devoid of color. No more green trees offering shade on a hot day. No more bright red geraniums, playfully pink petunias, or yellow and purple smiling pansie faces. No more anything.

Winter at least offers the beauty of snow and ice. 

While it might be cold, falling snow or gazing upon a white landscape can be a source of joy. But what joy is there to be found in the fall?

Even more depressing is the temperature. Warm days are a thing of the past. It’s only September 8th and I’m already sitting with a sweater on. 

Last year was very different. The air conditioning in our condo building was switched off in the second week of September and the residents descended on the management office un mass. They asked, pleaded and begged the building manager to turn the air-conditioning back on because it was stifling hot in their units.

Not this year. The air-conditioning unit hasn’t been on for days, instead of shorts I’m wearing jeans, instead of sandals I’ve reached for socks and slippers, and as mentioned earlier, I’m wearing a sweater.

Halley and Greyson aren’t bothered by the sudden chill in the air. As you can see, they continue to nap in the balcony swing. 

Yesterday I thought it a little too chilly for Halley to be outside, so I covered her with a blanket. She stayed and continued to snooze. That is, until Greyson came along and started trampling all over her.

Fall ... I guess we'll just have to put up with it. In another six months, it will be spring again.

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Day 21: Which is worse, too hot or too cold

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 21: Which is worse, too hot or too cold

OMG, it’s hot. One source says it’s 27 deg C (80.6 deg F), but it feels like 32 deg C (89.6 deg F). Baloney others say it’s 30 deg C (86 deg F) but it feels like 42 deg C (107.6 deg F).

Personally, I’m inclined to believe the latter. It is hot ... OMG, it’s just boiling out there. There is a heat warning in effect but not many people will take that warning to heart. Even though the message states, ‘If you don’t have to go out, stay indoors’, many will venture out and end up in the hospital or worse, in the morgue. Yes, that’s how hot it is.

Now today’s post is once again inspired by a friend. Amidst this heatwave, her A/C packed up. I can relate to that.

In the summer of 2010 the A/C in the condo building where I live gave the ghost. From what I’ve been told, management and the Board of Directors had been warned that is was about to happen, but they chose to ignore the inspector. 

When the A/C suddenly stopped working, Toronto was experiencing a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 deg C (104 deg F). We were dying in our units!

Dieter went out to Walmart and got three fans. Two medium-sized ones for the bedrooms and a big one for the living room. The first time he switched it on, it sounded like a helicopter was about to take off. The cool air was wonderful though.

In addition to the fans, I constantly had my feet in cold water, and a towel soaked in cold water around my neck.

After three days the heatwave broke and temperatures went down to 32 deg C (89.6 deg F). Still hot, but a lot cooler than it was before. 

All in all, we spend 18 without A/C.

When the situation was finally resolved, the residents demanded a reduction in maintenance fees. After all, why pay for the convenience of A/C when there was no A/C for 18 days. Management and the Board of Directors said no, and no amount of pleading or threatening would change their mind. 

A few residents said we should take them to court for pain and suffering, yet that didn’t happen. Lawyers require a hefty retainer and charge a fortune by the hour. Money that none of the residents had, and management and the Board of Directors knew that.

Funny enough, three years later we experienced the opposite situation ... an ice storm with temperatures of -32 deg C (25.6 deg F) when we had no heat, no electricity, and no water. 

While the majority of residents of Ontario had their power back within 72 hours, the building where I live had to make do without heat, electricity and water for 18 days. Apparently, the generator had packed up (another thing management and the Board of Directors had ignored) and now we were all paying the price.

Nature turned into a winter wonderland, with the sun glinting off the frozen trees, but few of us could appreciate the beauty of it.

Too hot or too cold ... I honestly don’t know which is worse.

  

Day 100: What is your favorite season

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 100: What is your favorite season

Today’s creative writing prompt is … 'What is your favorite season?' Well, let’s see …

While for many people summer is their favorite season, I’m not one of them. I’m fine with a temperature of up to 26 degrees C (78.8 degrees F) but anything more than that makes me extremely uncomfortable. As someone once said, “For winter you can dress warm, but what do you do in summer … there’s only so much you can take off.” All I can say is ... thank goodness for A/C. Whoever invented air-conditioning deserves a medal the size of Texas.

As much as I dislike the heat, I absolutely hate fall. While it’s true that fall displays a magnificent array of colors in foliage, I find it a depressing season. Trees, shrubs, and flowers die, their remains lying on the ground to rot. I do like the rain that the fall brings though. Not surprising since I’m originally from Belgium where it rains nine months out of the year. Why do you think Belgium is known as frog land …

As for winter … while winter is not exactly my favorite season, but it does have its perks. There's nothing like a snow-covered landscape and along with snow and ice comes skiing and skating entertainment. Cold dark cloudy days are perfect for enjoying thick soup, cuddling up by the fireplace with a good book, or watching old movies. Winter is also the time for Christmas when the house gets decorated and we go shopping for presents for loved ones.

So that leaves us with spring. Yes, spring is my favorite season. A time when nature comes alive, when trees sprout delicate green leaves, daffodils bob their bright yellow heads, and when people shed their dark winter clothes and boots in favor of pastel colors and sandals.

Along with spring comes nest building for the birds, which is something a couple of finches are busy with right now on my balcony. I for one will be very happy when their construction work is finished, because their constant twittering at the crack of dawn interferes with my beauty sleep.

The cats on the other hand are delighted with the finches’ presence. Now that the temperature has hit double digits, they’re allowed to go out on the balcony and they never tire of seeing the finches in action. “They’re just to look at,” I told them, “not to eat. If you catch one, you’re grounded for a week.”

Don’t forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 98: A day in the life of a TTC commuter

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 98: A day in the life of a TTC commuter

What a day, what a day, what a day I had yesterday.

Over the weekend we had two days of freezing rain. If you wonder what freezing rain feels like, let someone take a handful of uncooked rice and from a distance throw it in your face, hard.

Not only does freezing rain feel painful, I also find it painful to look it. I mean really, yesterday it was April 16, but nature looks and feels like it’s January 16. It’s cold, the sky is grey and instead of nature awakening in a variety of color, everything is white. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, they were taken from the safety and the warmth of a bedroom window.

Before going out yesterday morning, I wondered what to wear … snow boots or regular boots. “Wear regular boots,” Dieter advised, “if it’s a little slippery you can hold on to me.” A little slippery???

As soon as we left the building where we live, I knew I was in trouble. There was so much melting ice that we either had to trudge through the slush or step into ankle-deep puddles. And that wasn’t even the worst of it, oh no, the worst was yet to come. Once out of the garden, the street was no longer a street but an ice rink. We were no longer walking, but slipping and sliding and desperately trying to stay upright.

Moments later we faced another problem … going down the steps to the train station. I wasn’t sure whether to hold on to Dieter or to let go. After all, if he fell, he would take me with him and vice versa.

To make a long story short, we made it the station in one piece.

More bad luck awaited us though. The trains weren’t running due to a power failure and everyone had to take a shuttle bus to the nearest station where they did have power.

Don’t imagine this as simple. Along with hundreds and hundreds of people, we stood in the cold, in the freezing rain, waiting for a bus. When the third bus came along, we finally got on.

At Victoria Park station we all got off and made our way to the subway station, only to find out that now that station was out of power. So, everybody back outside and back onto the bus. Eventually, at Woodbine, we managed to get on the train.

We arrived at work cold and wet and very late, but we had made it. Lots of others didn’t, they either didn’t bother coming out or ended up in hospital. I can well imagine that quite a few people fell and broke something or their car skidded and hit something. Good business for the doctors, nurses and panel beaters.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, have a look what we had to deal with.

Don't forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 67: Christmas Shopping

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 67: Christmas Shopping

I met one of my neighbors yesterday who bitterly complained ...

How I wish that there was indeed such a man as Father Christmas. Someone who would bring the perfect presents to our house in exchange for some milk and cookies. Gosh, I would gladly make him coffee and a sandwich or even cook him dinner for saving me a trip to the mall.

Every year I suggest that instead of giving presents at Christmas, we move exchanging presents to New Years. I mean, what is the big deal? So, we wait a week, so what?  Is one week going to kill us? And think of all the benefits: no crowds; reduced prices; plenty of items to chose from; and no Christmas music.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas carols as much as the next person, but after hearing ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ ten or fifteen times, those jingle bells start to give me a headache!  Then I wonder why nobody gets Rudolph inside so he can warm his nose. 

One year, in the third week of December I went in search of presents. And, just like other years, it was a battle and a struggle. The otherwise relatively quiet mall was packed with people. Some were milling around, not quite knowing where to go, while others were purposefully striding, knowing exactly what to get, where to go, and loosing no time getting there. I got a bump here, a shove there and must have heard “I’m sorry”, “Excuse me”, and “Pardon me” at least fifteen times. I had to ask myself, was this shopping or polite wrestling?

In good time, I found what I was looking for and was quickly weighed down by boxes and rolls of wrapping paper. I became a bit more sympathetic towards the pushers and the shovers as I was now one of them, occasionally uttering the words “I’m sorry”, “Excuse me” and “Pardon me.”

I dragged more than I carried my purchases in large plastic bags and heavy cardboard boxes across the mall, all the while perspiring in my heavy winter coat. My feet were killing me; my back was in urgent need of a soft comfy chair, my legs agreed with my back and to make matters worse I was getting hungry.  What might people think if they thought they heard a loud rumbling noise?

By the time I got home, my bank account and I felt the same way --- exhausted.

Still, mall shopping is a vast improvement over street shopping. Back then it was so cold Santa could have tagged me to replace Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer within the first five minutes. The wind tugged at my coat and scarf as I trudged through inches of snow. Fun it was not, and it got even worse when I was laden with a few packages. I slipped and I skidded, and quite a few times I ultimately ended up on my not well padded behind!

At least now, when I shop in a mall, I keep my balance and my dignity. It’s even worth listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks singing ‘Jingle Bells’.

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Day 65: The Weather - According to my Son

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 65: The Weather - According to my Son

A few days ago, I had to go out. Even though it was December and presumably cold, before going out I asked my son “Is it cold out there?”

Heaven knows why I asked because I never get an accurate response. Dieter is one of those people who is completely unaffected by the cold. It must be pretty bad before he wears a coat and he never ever wears a hat or a scarf. So really, I don’t know why I bothered checking with him.

When Dieter says it’s nice, that means that I need a light sweater. When he says it’s a little chilly, a warmer sweater is needed. When he says it’s cold, I better bundle up in a coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. And when he says that it’s very cold, that means it’s freezing the balls off a brass monkey.

In summer, his temperature assessment is equally deceiving. When he says that it’s a little chilly, it’s actually quite nice. The kind of day that I can go out in a short-sleeved shirt. When he says it’s warm, that’s my cue to reach for something sleeveless. When he says it’s very warm, that means it’s hot. I can handle the heat up to 28 degrees C (86 degrees F) comfortably, but anything above that is too hot. So, when Dieter says it’s hot, that means outside the birds are falling out of the trees.

I’ll bet now you’re wondering how he describes wind and rain. So, I’ll tell you. When Dieter says, it’s okay, that means there’s a bit of a breeze. When he says there a bit of a breeze, it’s actually quite windy. And when he says it’s windy, there’s a storm going on. Now when he says that it’s very windy ... well, wherever you’re going you’re in danger of being airborne.

As for rain, he certainly can’t be trusted. It’s misty means it’s drizzling. It’s drizzling means it’s raining. It’s raining means it’s pouring. And when he says it’s raining hard there’s practically a hurricane going on.

My weather app on my phone is equally unreliable.

For instance. For today my phone said that it was 12 deg C (54 deg F). I’m sure it was 12/54 degrees somewhere, but it wasn’t in Toronto.

There have been days that the app says that 75% chance of rain is expected and there’s not a drop of water to be seen. Last winter the app predicted 6 cm of snow (a little more than 2 inches) and we got nothing than a light dusting.

Fortunately, even though my son fails to give me an accurate description of the weather and my phone app is frequently wrong, I can always rely on my cats.

When they groom themselves and they wipe a paw behind their ears ... it’s gonna rain. When the wiping involves a triple action, it’s gonna come down in buckets.

On the other hand, if they claw at the furniture or carpets, wind is expected. And believe me, it never fails.

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