Above is this mornings view from the Grand Bend web cam near Bayfield.
Watching the Canadian news this morning we see that parts of Southern Ontario in & around the area we live has been declared a State of Emergency because of the relentless snow storms blasting through the area. People stranded in their cars between Sarnia & London. The Military has been called in with a C130 Hercules waiting for the weather to clear. It will fly surveillance spotting, directing 2 Griffin helicopters to land near stranded motorists when the weather clears. Local snowmobile clubs are trying to help but the snow is proving even too deep for them. Wind chill factors are –21C or –5.8F. Police are asking truckers via CB radio to try & help nearby motorists who may be low or out of gas. Snowplows aren’t moving & Hydro electric crews have been called off the road with some trucks being abandoned where they are stuck. Lines are down & many people are without power. Highways are closed in many areas & about 40 people are stranded at Tim Hortons near highway 402. We have our fingers crossed that the snow loads on our roof back home will not prove to be too much. The freezing cold temps will also play havoc with our heating bill despite it being at a low setting. Power outages in our park are common in bad weather so neighbors could already be in trouble. Almost makes us feel guilty for being where we are & enjoying all this warm sunny Arizona weather. However, reality keeps us in check because we know our Southwest winter lifestyle will not last forever:(( UPDATE….all folks stranded have now been rescued & the storm is going to go into the history books as the worst winter storm on record. By the way, the storm is still raging at this hour with no let up in sight.
TONIGHT’S PICS ARE FROM MONDAY’S JEEP TOUR
For any Jay Leno fans out there you might want to have a look at where the folks over at RV LIFE ON WHEELS were last night. Yep, right in the audience of Jay Leno’s Tonight Show. However, on the way through Los Angeles to the show, they came across every RV’ers worst nightmare!!
A SEA OF GOLDEN GRASS
In our RV’s close quarters we sometimes stumble over them. In the night they sometimes get me out of bed & out into the cold. Other times we are referee’s at feeding time. Guns & thunderstorms scare them & morning walks are now sometimes proving to be too much for them. They bring loads of dust & stickers into the Motor Home on dry days & lots of mud on rainy days. These guys are our furry kids & without them our days would be very gray, bleak & meaningless. I must have been a dog in a previous life…..a real dog that is. Well, at least I hope I was:))
RAY TAKES A CELL CALL FROM AN OLD RODEO BUDDY IN OKLAHOMA
I am finding myself starting my blogs earlier in the days now & sometimes I begin the day’s blog not long after getting up. I used to always wait until after supper each night before starting it but have slowly been getting away from that habit since last summer. Biggest problem I have here in the southwest is staying awake long enough at night to finish it. Monday for example we didn’t get home until after 4 & with 204 photos for the day I had a lot of editing to do plus write a post. As any blogger knows, it can take hours to put these things together & if you generally have a lot of photos like I do it is almost a given that popsicle sticks are going to be needed to prop eyelids open. Downside for me is by the time I am ready to ‘Publish’ the blog I am almost too tired to proof read it for mistakes & sentence restructuring. I find if I can get the main body of a blog done early I will always find ways of improving it later on through the day. So, my advice to blog writers is this, try not to wait until the last minute before writing & posting your blog. Don’t wait until you are too tired to think straight. Allow time to go back over your post for re-writes, spelling checks, new ideas & improvements. And yes, I have fallen asleep at the keyboard several times with a half finished post staring me in the face when I woke up. Not good!!
Mike & Janna at TIN TEEPEE/LOG CABIN are finally underway on their long awaited journey to the warmer climes of the Southwest. With the crazy winter weather there at their Montana ranch they are probably lucky to have got out when they did.
Kelly headed off down to Elfrida this morning to check out a small farmer’s market & pick up a few things. Dust hadn’t cleared the laneway & I had my Son’s of The Pioneers CD just a boomin. I’ll bet the folks up in Tucson were a runnin fer cover. The fellas took a well earned break about lunch time when Marty Robbins, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Horton & Jim Reeves all stopped by & sang a few songs around my campfire. We had us quite an old fashioned western Jamboree going on here for awhile:))
THESE DRY CREEK BEDS ARE RAGING TORRENTS IN THE RAINY MONSOON SEASON
GROANER’S CORNER:((
- A man goes to a dermatologist with a rare skin disease. The doctor says, "Try a milk bath". So the guy goes to the grocery store and tells the dairy manager he needs enough milk to take a bath. The dairy guys ask "You want that pasteurized?" "Nah", the man replies "Up to my chin should do it."
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.
Nah, don't feel guilty about being in the southwest when your part of Ontario is snowed under! You deserve the good luck. I hope your property doesn't sustain any damage though.
ReplyDeleteI grew up listening to those folks. My mother was a country western nut.
ReplyDeleteI still listen to country all the time. I even still watch Roy Rogers movies-what can I say?
we can hear the music all the way up here!!..I can just imagine what life at home is like for all those neighbours you left behind..lucky you to be in the sunshine!!
ReplyDeleteYour home area was on TV again tonight showing how many highways are closed with people still stranded. It's pretty rough.
ReplyDeleteSure a lot different from the day you've described down on the ranch, sitting outside and just listening to good old cowboy music.
Sounds like a great day!
Don't feel guilty about taking the better path! You've had your share of the cold, your share of working for a living. Relax and enjoy, even if it does get a little chilly down here!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about starting blogs late in the day. Late in the day is the only time I usually have to do any writing and posting, so that's one reason I don't get on the blog more often. Can't even think straight when I'm that tired.
Ah yes, starting a blog early in the day would be nice. Perhaps some day I'll be able to give that a try. :)
ReplyDeleteI used to blog around 4PM and every day..Now I blog every other day and do it earlier..I found that I was becoming tooooo tied to the computer and was missing the outside...so I cut back...Like I said before...when it stops being fun and becomes an assignment...I'm done.
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