Sunday, October 29, 2006

9 degrees, overcast, light rain

that's the current weather listing on the weather network website. 9 degrees, overcast, light rain. the subtlety lies in what is over to the right of those words.....over on the side where it breaks it down into more specific details you'll see that it says:

WINDS 46 km/h
GUSTS 74 km/h

where are the hurrican warnings? where are the weather alerts and the freaking notices telling me "DON'T GO OUTSIDE. YOU WILL GET BLOWN AWAY. YOU ARE FROM BC. PUT YOUR BIRKENSTOCKS BACK ON AND MULL UP ANOTHER BOTTLE OF WINE IN YOUR SLOW COOKER." nowhere. they are nowhere because this does not register as a weather anomoly to these people. in vancouver, trees would be falling down. here, the trees are just really short and deeply rooted. the tree in vernon's backyard is basically lying flat on the ground but it won't fall down. between "gusts" it just pops back up and flails around wildly like a drunk teenager at a school dance. i am basically refusing to go outside. i'm saying it's because i'll get wet and cold but honestly it's because i'm scared i'll fall over. i am not accustomed to wind and it's really blowing. i've heard stories about people going for walks on windy days and having to turn back because they couldn't walk against the wind - it was pushing them back. and people here say that on really windy days the kids put rocks in their pockets to keep from getting blown over. um. ok. well they can bundle up and put whatever they want in their pockets - i'm staying home. (here we should note that i'm beginning to wonder what people tell me just to see if i'll believe it....they should have figured it out by now, i believe everything they tell me....and it all sounds weird.)


and in case anyone was wondering - home now looks like this:
the remains of a day of study....

the knitting chair. now, this is not where the knitting happens....this is where the knitting lives. i suppose i'll have to move it somewhere when michelle arrives......it won't be happy, but what can i do?? it is taking over the living room. you can't really tell, but that is 3 separate projects in progress. two that are becoming things and one that isn't. i'm most excited about the green that is becoming fingerless gloves. no more freezing my hands off at the office. the other ones we just won't talk about. maybe when they are done. we'll see.


is it just me or is anyone else freezing all the time on this island? i see people without hats and mittens every day and i am bundled up and still cold! we went for dinner at a friends the other night and when we arrived they made some comment about us walking over, thinking that we had because of all my clothes. how embarrassed was i when i said "oh no, we drove, it's just really really cold out there." they laughed. they seriously did. as i peeled off my toque, mittens, down vest, fleece and a sweater.... they all think it's cute that i'm freezing and getting "acclimatized". oh no, there will be no acclimatization happening. i'm going to buy more sweaters, bundle up, stay inside and stay my soft west coast self (birkenstocks at all, you don't think i let those at home did you?)

i just went to try to take a picture out the window of the storm and right when i was thinking that it wouldn't work because it's too dark outside i noticed water running down vernon's dining room window. on the inside. nice. we have a leak! it's not our house so we don't really care, and the landlord has been called and he'll come by tomorrow......probably doesn't help that the rain is coming at the house in all directions including up. anyhoo. that caused some minor excitement. i'm pretty much convinced that the weather is trying to get in at me because i have refused it's challenge and have decided to stay inside. well you know what? a rolled up towel will put it in it's place. ha!

alright. that's all i got. i'm lighting a fire and going back to my knitting. (i have officially become an 85 year old woman). we rented "water" - the deepa mehta film. should be good. i'll let you know.

:)

(ps - i just checked the weather again and it's a degree warmer now, up to 10, and the gusts are down to 54km/h. well - that's downright summery!)

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