I groan as I write this article. It seems as though the news has been focused on the wonderful winter weather we have been experiencing; it is what seems to put this province on the map.
Last Wednesday was the official start of spring. It was not a day of celebration but a day of chaos as Mother Nature gave us a swift kick in the pants with a chaotic blizzard. With whipping winds and dancing snow all hell broke loose in the matter of hours, creating dangerous scenarios on many highways as well as in town.
Starting early Wednesday afternoon, the schools began to call the out of town parents to arrange rides as the storm became worse. Busses were cancelled for the next couple of days, giving the kids a few extra days to drive their parents crazy. Some of the parent-teacher conferences at Norman Carter are pushed back until after the Easter Break, as well as the monthly assembly.
The book fair was extended to Tuesday of this week.
Life for many out of town was put on hold until the winds stopped and the graders could push through the hard packed snow drifts without worrying they would blow back in. When I checked the highway hotline last Thursday, most highways around Wilkie were closed. And it wasn't just cars that were stranded. I had clicked on my computer one of the mornings to find, according to cbc.ca, a VIA Rail passenger train stuck outside of Unity for 22 hours with 154 people on board.
Call me crazy, but right about now I would rather be chasing tornadoes than dealing with blizzards. And you never know with our weather. By the time this hits the news stand, it could be 20 above and we could be knee deep in water. Which wouldn't be surprising, for with all of the snow we have the next question to ask is where is all of it going to go when it starts to melt?
Although most of my optimism blew away in the wind, there is a glimmer still hanging around that the Easter break will give us the warmth we need to slowly push into spring. So keep the fingers and toes crossed and enjoy your Easter holiday.
