Oct 23 the big storm

The weather outside was frightful, the day was nigh delightful. We really weren’t ready for snow, but it snowed. And it snowed, and it snowed.

We set a record in the Okanagan for October, a dubious record to say the least. We recorded the most snow for an October day since 1899. One hundred and twenty-one years ago the settlements of Penticton and Kelowna were in their infancy. I am certain they were ill-prepared to deal with such a massive dump of snow. We received almost a foot of fresh Okanagan powder, it smashed all records for this date.

I was fortunate the furthest I had to drive was two kilometres to the Home Depot. My friend drove from Vancouver over the Coquihalla Highway in an early-season blizzard; some people have no fear or common sense. We had a massive snowstorm that started early and continued to welcome us to winter all day long. It was a day when Mother Nature reminded us she is in charge.

White flakes as big as my thumbnail fluttered down and filled the air. What started as a few random flakes erupted into a barrage of falling crystals. The green grass quickly disappeared and the world became enveloped in a white coat. In a mere span of hours, our world was transformed from shiny greens, blues, reds, and gold to a solid white. It was a day of epic proportions, a day I was very happy not to be doing snow removal anymore… mostly.

Sheltered in our valley home we await the melting of our white blanket. At the mountain tops, the snow looks to remain, a good base for the coming season. Big White anxiously awaits the day until it can open; it’s almost as if Ular wants to make up for the lost end of last season.

Still, the chaos in the world around us continues unabated.

The geriatric election in the States continues to stagger to the finish line. It is an election in the coronaverse like none other before. Uncertainty continues to fill the air and propaganda flows in the airwaves and on the internet. Who will defeat the viral foe? Will Trump triumph and retain his erratic grip on the soul of the United States? Or will Joe Biden conquer the fears of Americans and vanquish his blustering nemesis? It may be weeks or months after the election on November third that the world learns the results of this most divisive of elections.

I went to sleep after the second debate on Thursday night.  I wondered about the outcome of the debate and watched for the coming snowstorm the experts had predicted.

I woke up early in the morning and glanced outside, the ground remained green and the snow seemed to be holding off. Was it another storm warning that was wrong in the days of storm warnings gone awry? Drifting back into the arms of my wife I felt sure the experts had it wrong again.

I awoke what seemed like moments later and looked into the sky. White flakes were fluttering down and increasing in their volume. Within an hour we knew the storm warning was real and we were in for snowfall of epic proportions.

Sometimes the experts get it right.

Now as winter has taken a tenuous grip upon our world, covid19 has re-emerged to threaten us all. Case numbers continue to rise and the experts warn of a second wave that will surpass the damage inflicted in the spring.

Do we shelter from the coming viral storm? Or do we face the threat head-on and continue to live our lives? The cost of both will be high. We walk a high wire between the two threats. One with potentially devastating economic and social consequences. The other could cost many lives and overwhelm our healthcare system. Either way, we are in a no-win situation and many will question what we do…

All I can do is stay safe, stay clean, and stay sane. The rest I have to leave up to the so-called experts and hope they get it right.