enjoy each day

My son’s baseball team played the first game in their district playdowns this afternoon against the best team in the city at our level of play. Altogether, Adam’s team didn’t play its best, made too many errors and lost the game, but my son was our starting pitcher and pitched very well and he only gave up a few hits in a little over 4 innings, to a very strong team. At one point during the 1st and 2nd innings, Adam struck out 4 of their batters in a row!

I enjoyed doing this a few days ago at work. I was at my usual morning spot to buy my coffee (usually Kona) and muffin and behind me in line was a co-worker. I don’t work directly with her, but she works on the same floor as I do. She said hi to me and joked that I could pick up the cost of her breakfast sandwich while I was paying for mine. So I was pleased to see the look on her face when I indeed paid for her breakfast! haha….she wasn’t expecting this in the least.

This is a fun activity and helps others!

Summer? what happened to Spring? It seemed we went right from long winter directly to Summer, it was 76F today! Am I complaining? no way! :) I can get used to this very fast.

My Grade 7 English teacher was very much into poetry and this was one of many poems that she helped me discover. I memorized and recited Lord Tennyson’s classic poem for Miss Williams. One person in my class memorized over 1,100 lines of poetry that year. I was successful in memorizing just a fraction of that amount, lol. This was one poem that I might never forget. The six hundred riders followed their orders and did not question that the order was ill-conceived, to use their light calvary to try to charge through a heavy cannon defence:

Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d ?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d & thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter’d & sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

1. Spring is upon us. What’s the sign of this season you look forward to most?
1. Not having to shovel snow
24%
2. Toque and mittens strictly optional
8%
3. Seeing buds on trees
64%
4. Windshield wiper fluid lasting longer
2%
5. Christmas credit card bills almost paid off
3%

17738 votes. This is not a scientific poll.

This is not something I like to think about. Our household got off fairly well and only lost power here and there a few hours at a time. You might enjoy this reading:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/icestorm/story.html?id=4c9a65d8-502a-4f01-9f8b-fd199d0b7021&k=11438

Brace yourself, Ottawa

Environment Canada has continued a winter storm warning, saying that a “near-crippling” winter storm was expected to sweep over the region last night and tonight, bringing with it heavy snow, blowing snow and ice pellets.

- Snowfall: The weather office has forecasted 30-40 centimetres today and 10-15 centimetres tonight.

- Wind: From the northeast at about 40 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour this morning. By evening, the wind is expected to change directions to about 30 kilometres per hour from the northwest.

- Temperature: -7C today, with a low of -11C tonight. Snow at times heavy. Amount 30 to 40 cm. Local blowing snow in the afternoon. Wind becoming northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60 in the morning. High -7.

- Information: For the latest weather conditions, visit www.weatheroffice.gc.ca. To find out the current highway conditions, call 1-800-268-4686 or go online to www.mto.gov.on.ca and select “Eastern.”

- Travel: To check flight information at the Ottawa International Airport, go to www.ottawa-airport.ca. If you’re travelling by train, check arrivals and departures at the station by calling 1-888-842-7245.

The Canada Safety Council (www.safety-council.org) offers these shovelling tips:

- Dress in layers and keep your head and ears covered.

- Avoid eating, smoking and caffeine before beginning.

- Use a small shovel to lift less snow and put less strain on the heart.

- Drinking plenty of water.

- Shovel when snow is new, not ice laden or too wet.

- Stop if you feel any pain or tightness, especially in the arms or chest.

Winter storm warning for: City of Ottawa
Issued at 4:33 PM EST SUNDAY 16 DECEMBER 2007A MAJOR WINTER STORM WITH HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW GIVING VERY POOR TRAVEL CONDITIONS TO ALL OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ONTARIO. THIS IS A WARNING THAT DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
AT 4:00 PM A MASSIVE WINTER STORM WAS GIVING SNOW AND WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW TO MOST OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ONTARIO. THE ONE EXCEPTION WAS THE WINDSOR AREA WHERE THE SNOW HAD JUST ENDED. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL END OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO THIS EVENING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AREAS TO THE LEE OF LAKE HURON. OVER EASTERN ONTARIO CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE AROUND MIDNIGHT. FURTHER AMOUNTS NEAR 5 CENTIMETRES ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO WITH AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO 15 CENTIMETRES FORECAST FOR EASTERN ONTARIO. TO THE LEE OF LAKE HURON INTENSE NORTH TO NORTHWESTERLY SQUALLS ARE ALREADY STARTING TO DEVELOP. THESE SQUALLS WILL PERSIST MOST OF THE NIGHT THEN WEAKEN ON MONDAY. LOCAL ADDITIONAL SNOWFALLS OF 10 TO 15 CENTIMETRES AND FREQUENT WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR UNDER THESE SQUALLS TONIGHT.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

We’re going to receive upwards of 40 cm of snow this afternoon and this evening (16 inches). It’s blowing really good outside now and I’m thinking of staying home this afternoon.

During the past 24 hours, we have received approximately 16 inches of snow. Winter has established itself firmly in our part of the world. This photo is not of my house, but the weather conditions are very similar!