An accident waiting to happen?

It was January 1st, 2020.  New Year's Eve we were smacked with a blizzard, which dumped a good ten inches of snow on us.  Vimy and I were talking a stroll at dusk, down the busiest road in my neighbourhood, surrounded by a white winter wonderland.  

We walked past a car parked in the far lane.  I stopped right there.  Something wasn't right. I saw that there was no one in it.  It wasn't parked on the side of road, it was smack in the middle of the lane. There was no sign of life in the house directly in front of the vehicle. The driveway hadn't been plowed.  I couldn't see footprints anywhere, indicating someone had gone into that house. The car didn't have its flashers on, nor were there pilons around it, nor was the hood raised.  The absence of any or all of those signals, caused me concern right away. I can understand no flashers, as they don't work if your car has just died and not everyone has pilons in their trunk... but NOT to have raised the hood at least?   Two other things had stopped me in my tracks as well.   The car was white, and it was FACING oncoming traffic.  Who leaves a car parked like that?  Am I the only one who thinks this is very stupid and careless behaviour?

I was going to go look in the vehicle, fearing maybe someone was slumped down out of view?  However, there were cars going by all the time, in both directions.  Cars would slow down when they noticed there was a parked car facing them, in their lane, and they would swerve into the other lane to avoid it.  What would happen when it got dark in a half hour? Maybe they wouldn't see this car in a sea of white, until almost upon it, and then pull out, possibly hitting an oncoming car in the other lane?  I realize that maybe my imagination was a little too vivid, but I couldn't deny this feeling of dread that suddenly overcame me. All these thoughts were racing through my mind, as I stood there, trying to signal to oncoming traffic in both lanes, the presence of that car.  

By now a good ten minutes had gone by and I hadn't seen a soul outside. There was still no sign of the driver of the vehicle so I did what I thought any good citizen should do.  I pulled out my phone and called our local police.  I explained that I thought a very dangerous situation was developping, and was assured an officer would be dispatched.  Well, after a five minute wait, I had to keep walking. I couldn't stay there any longer.  I was a bundle of nerves by then, anxious and wanting to get away, yet worried there would be an accident.  

I walked around the block and when I returned, thankfully, there was a police car with its flashers on, parked in front of the broken down vehicle. Whew! What a relief!  I called out to the officer in the vehicle, who told me the owners were coming to boost their car.  Well thank goodness for THAT!! I wanted to ask him if he was going to give them a lecture about having left their car in such a position of possible peril to other drivers, but then I thought, "Whatever! You can't fix stupid!" (Not the officer, the owners of the vehicle!) 

On my walks with Vimy, I have had a bear gallop towards me, a woman drop to the ground and go into convulsions, a young man repeatedly stalk and harrass a young woman walking ahead of me. I am only mentionning some of what I have witnessed on this same street.  I didn't always have my cell phone with me. Now I am prepared! I was a Girl Guide after all. :)  I ALWAYS carry my cell phone with me now.  You never know when having it could save a l*i*f*e!!

Hey, how are YOU getting through winter?

I find that such a negative question. I don't like it AT ALL. Yet, that was the question put to CBC radio listeners out in the streets of one of our southern cities recently.  Saint John maybe?  However, the same question was put in a very different and definitely MORE positive way,and was asked of people out-and-about on the streets of another NB city. Moncton, I think.   That question?  "How do you ENJOY winter?" Now THAT question is worth answering!

What do I DO to enjoy our long winters? WELL, the list is endless.  

First of all, If I can get out, I go outdoors as often as I can, to walk, snowshoe, toboggan or even shovel... every single day, more than once!  If I didn't have Vimy, I would add skating and cross country skiing to my activities. However, trying a "fat bike" is on my bucket list.  I go to yoga on those blistery cold days, attending a "hot" class.  Let me tell you, you appreciate the coolness when you exit THAT class. 

Winter is a great time to volunteer more.  There is nothing like helping others who are less fortunate, to make you realize how truly blessed you are. 

Some winter time indulgences? Reading that good book you have been meaning to pick up; enjoying a great series on Netflix; listening to podcasts that challenge your mindset; starting a new creative project; doing a thousand piece puzzle by yourself; phoning an old friend or two whom you haven't spoken to in a long time; Marie Kondo "ing" a drawer, closet or room even; baking up a storm and freezing it all, or prepping dinners ahead of time, and freezing them as well; researching your next "warm" travel destination; getting more involved with an issue for which you have a great passion, be it "climate change" or "child poverty" or "whatever" floats your boat.

The possiblities are endless, and winter doesn't last forever. It may just seem like it does. 

Mind you, it's all easy for me to say.  I don't live in Newfoundland, (photo below) where they have had almost eighty centimetres of snow dumped on them.  Nor do I live in Alberta where it has been -50 C for more than a bit!

HEALTH IS WEALTH - LA SANTÉ C'EST LA RICHESSE!

Don't I know that?  Eighteen days, nine boxes of tissues, mountains of mucous, a bottle of antibiotics, a bottle of Advil Cold and Sinus, and daily Neddy Pots later, I still have not gotten rid of a very bad attack of acute sinusitis.

I DO know that but I don't appreciate my health until I no longer have it.  I am not a good sick person: I tend to be very cranky and impatient.  I don't know how people live with constant pain, chronic illnesses, surgery after surgery, or a life threatening diagnosis.  They are true heroes in my books, because so many do not complain but continue to laugh, smile, and go on with life.  

Me? Add a very bad blister on my heel from snowshoeing with no socks in my boots, to my sinusitis misery and you would think it were the end of the world as I know it.  Kill me or let me kill someone else, kind of thing, to put me out of my misery, thank you!

A visit to the hospital this week to visit someone and pick up someone, reminded me of who the OTHER heroes are when we are sick.  Those heroes are the doctors, nurses, support staff, technicians and all who work in a hospital setting, day in and day out, and keep smiling.  They do not get to see humanity at its best, yet they smile, and give YOU the best care possible. We are indeed blessed to have universal medicare in our wonderful country. 


I believe a person feels more vulnerable when they are sick.  I know I do, because I can't do everything I normally do.  When I am healthy, I just keep enjoying life to the max. However, when I am sick my mindset is different. This past week is the first time I thought it would be SO nice if someone were here to bring me that cup of tea, or tuck me in, since Vimy hasn't learned to do that yet. :)


There is something that does give me a lift though, every morning and every night.  My backyard neighbours still have their Christmas lights up on their tree, bless 'em.  These "Fallopian Tubes" have been my bright spot this January.  Do you have a January bright spot?

B...U...M...M...E...R!!!

It's that time of year, after the holidays, with a long winter ahead of us, that finds me wallowing a little more in the murk than I should.  So this little rant/pep talk of mine that follows, is just my way of seeing NOT only the negative side of "s%?&" happening this time of year, but also seeing the positive.  There is ALWAYS a positive side: you may just have to look for it a little harder. 

I woke up in the middle of the night last week, and knocked over a glass of water onto my library book. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until the next morning. The front cover, back cover and many pages were water marked.  BUMMER!  I had to reimburse the library $27.00 for that book.  I was going to splurge on having the interior of Jiminy Cricket detailed. So much for that!  However, it was GOOD that I was able to donate the book to a senior citizen's complex, where some of the residents are voracious readers and are always looking for good novels.  There was the BRIGHT SIDE!

In my usual scurrying around one morning while tidying up, I accidentally dumped my portable speaker into a sink of dirty dish water.  Again, I didn't notice right away.  Well, I tried to dry it out in various ways, but I ended up throwing it into the recycling bin. BUMMER! So much for that! However, it was GOOD that I had just received my HST rebate cheque, (because of my single income :)) and was able to allocate some of those monies towards the purchase of a bigger speaker. There was the BRIGHT SIDE again!

On a beautiful snowshoeing hike through trails in the woods, I observed dog deposits... some ignored, and some bagged, but left behind. BUMMER! If you are going to bother to bag the bomb, then take it out with you, please.  However, the GOOD out of this was that I had lots of extra bags, so I played the Poop Fairy.  The trails were now less sullied, so there is a bright side here as well.

There are trails just for fat bikes and snowshoes, but a LOT of people won't, don't, or can't read. BUMMER!  It isn't easy to snowshoe where the trails are all bumpy and lumpy.  I took photos to post on hiking sites online, as a GOOD reminder to people not to walk on these trails. The bright side is that sometimes people just need to be reminded.  

Since Boxing Day, I have been super sick with a really bad sinus infection. BUMMER!  So much for getting all kinds of things accomplished over the school break.  However, it has been GOOD, because it forced me to sit. So sit I did, and binge watched a wonderful series on NetFlix called "Bonfires of Destiny" or "Le Bazar de la Charité" en français.  In French, with English subtitles, it is loosely based on a disastrous fire in Paris in 1897.  It is a superb showcase of "la Belle Époque" in France, with strong female characters, and as a period piece, is glorious!  I have wallowed here... but not in the murk!

A great way to end a week that wasn't such a bummer after all!!

PS: On the advice of a friend, who wanted to look at my speaker, I fished it out of the recycling bin. Lo and behold, it works!!