However, if I had known what road conditions existed on Route 6 to Amherst before I left home yesterday, I might have opted to venture out on a different day. Beautiful sunshine disguised the fact that strong winds were blowing sizable drifts across the road. The road would be clear of all snow for a kilometre or so, leading one into a false sense of security, and then round a corner or crest a hill and whammo .... into thick, mushy drifts. Sometimes quite deep. I met three snow plows during the day and their results seemed to be quite ineffective. I was driving my cargo van which is quite heavy and has snow tires, so I never had to worry about keeping between the ditches.
The van easily accommodated the cabinet that wouldn't fit into the car the other day, and a 6' countertop.
It took an extra few minutes to get out of the industrial park because a long cargo/goods train was slowly dissecting the town. Trains have become almost a rarity in this part of North America, which is a shame, they are a much greener form of transportation than most other forms.Being "Twonie Tuesday" I popped into KFC for lunch. Well, it used to be a good deal: two pieces of chicken and small fries for $2. Then it went to $2.22 and now it is $2.79. I joked with the staff that at this rate they'd have to change the name of the deal. I was told the "deal" always lost money and that it would likely be soon dropped.
Walking across the parking lot on this sunny but windy day with my jacket open and no gloves, it was a little chilly at -7C or so, but nothing a seasoned Canuck can't handle. As I headed towards the mall doorway, I saw a man with the same destination in mind walking towards me. He was middle aged, tall and excessively bundled up in arctic clothing. Through the furry outer edging of his hood I detected a slightly ruddied face. That, and a certain cut of his jib, brought me to the conclusion "that man's a Brit". As I held the door open for him he mumbled "Oh, thank you so very much. Very kind" (or somesuch). Hugh Grant couldn't have sounded more English!
It may have been the 12th day of Christmas or Epiphany or even Christmas Eve (if one were Eastern Orthodox) - depending on one's culture and traditions, but it seemed a teeny bit early to see the stores so well stocked up on Valentine's Day paraphernalia. Heart shaped chocolates, cards and decorations abounded. However, it did seem ridiculously premature for hot cross buns to be on sale already!! Easter isn't until April 12th!
I don't know what the answer is to reverse this alarming trend towards the debauched consumerism we are seeing. The origins and meanings of holidays and celebrations seem to have been consumed by big business, to be spat out onto greeting cards in cartoonish representations of their roots.
No comments:
Post a Comment