I did make it up for sunrise this morning. Unfortunately the pictures weren't worth sharing. The sun was so bright, it ended up washing everything out and looking like an Easter egg.
Our warm weather is at an end at least temporarily, but I'm not going to complain after reading, "Roaring blizzard shuts down St. John's" in this morning's Toronto Star.
Newfoundland’s capital city virtually shut down Saturday after a fierce blizzard pummelled it with powerful winds and close to 60 cm of snow.
St. John’s was like a ghost town all day, with wind howling down empty streets as cars, buses and taxis stayed off roads clogged with snowdrifts that were neck-deep in spots.
Most businesses, restaurants and shopping centres remained closed during a storm that was so intense at one point that 15 cm fell on the city within a one-hour period.
Visibility was near zero at times, as winds gusted up to hurricane force levels of 130 km/h.
The snow total would be 24.6 inches and the wind gust would be 81 mph. The one-hour total of 15 centimeters would be 5.9 inches. I managed to find a weather cam of St. John's which shows a Canadian winter scene that is all too familiar. I used to visit St. John's when I worked for Apple Computer. It is truly a world onto itself. You might notice that the time is 1.5 hours different than ours. I understand the city has undergone a tremendous boom due to the oil boom. I remember Newfoundland as one of the most beautiful places on the east coast of North America. I came close to homesteading there, but that was another life and a story for some other time.
I snapped this picture yesterday of one our pet Cardinals watching me take of picture of him. He was trying hard to figure out what I was doing.
Another milestone was met in my dual career of house hubby (wife with a broken ankle) and high tech sales manager.
With careful instruction I managed to do a couple of loads of laundry last night. Of course the first time I put the washer on "soak only" by mistake and went back to find a tub full of water and laundry. Fortunately I figured it out myself and was rewarded with clean spin dried clothes the next time I checked.
I also forgot the dryer sheet the first load that I dried, but that appears not to have caused the world to stop rotating, though I'm sure it made a dent in the profits of some great corporation. Today I get to strip the bed and do the bed linens. I've participated in that many times before so it should be no challenge. There aren't many chores around the house that I don't do on a regular basis with the exception of laundry. The downstairs bathroom near my office is mine to clean if I want it clean between periodic cleanings of it. Washing dishes, vacuuming, cleaning floors, cooking, and making the bed all happen regularly enough to keep me sharp. Bill paying and laundry seemed to be the domain of my wife just like lawn mowing, snow shoveling and gutter cleaning are my realms. I'm also chief coffee maker and master of the grill. Our division of labor has worked well for nearly thirty three years, but I am looking forward to the recovery of my wife. Doing the dishes together is a lot more fun than doing them alone.
The cat seems to be taking it all in stride. They're very adaptable. He quite willing to share his sofa with Glenda while she recovers. That is as long as she doesn't intrude on his space. Well, off to my chores, I have to take the recycling and get those sheets stripped. Then its time to spend the afternoon on a custom sales force automation project which will be a web driven database. Now that is shifting gears.
That when I have to turn over care of the patient to the cat whom I sure will keep a watchful eye on the situation.
Special note- if you're checking the St. John's web cam, don't be surprised if the snow has disappeared if you're reading this article after Sunday Feb. 26, 2006. It is Maritime weather and it changes rapidly. I'm going to send a note and see if I can get permission to post a captured picture from the web cam, I doubt I will get an instant answer since they are caught in blizzard.
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