22:33 - 19.06.05
Old Man River
Well the rain has stopped. 14 days of a downpour. This is an area more used to coping with drought conditions, so it is hard to get one's head around the idea of rivers rising up and swallowing communities. My parents have photographs of flooding in the communities they grew up in when they were teens living in Calgary, but within my memory I can't recall anything like this. After I posted last night, there were warnings for several communities including two where one of my sisters and my brother each live with respect to sewer backups as well as evacuation notices for the low lying areas in my brother's community. In all about 2000 people incalgary had to leave their homes under mandatory evacuation. Nor is it over yet. There is still three feet or more of snow pack in the mountains that feed the river basins that will likely start melting this week when temperatures climb near 30 C/ 90 F. The rivers haven't crested yet. Happy full moon, solstice,and Father's day too - yes I know that is in reverse order.
My youngest went out to look for the lawn mower on Thursday. He called me at work to let me know it had been stolen. Right now the city has a bylaw that states that grass can grow no longer than about six inches. Ours needs a machete in places after the monsoon and I can't afford to buy a lawn mower after losing three weeks worth of wages not so long ago. I'm hoping one of our neighbours will let us use theirs in the short term. When my Dad gets back mid July, he and his neighbour will likely continue their hobby of going to garage sales on weekends. If we can hold out for that long then the price shouldn't be too bad. As it is, I'm not complaining. Given the damage in most other parts of the city and the province, it isn't that big a deal. It is just creepy knowing that someone would steal it. I had hidden it up against the house under my flowering cherry tree and it was almost impossible to see. It means someone was likely intending on looking in the basement window, when they decided to steal the lawn mower instead. The weird thing was that the neighbour I ride home with mentioned Thursday night that I should go with her to the police auction if I needed to replace or get a bicycle for my youngest. I didn't know until my youngest told me today that the bicycle we had had also been stolen. I asked him if he wanted me to try and replace it, but he declined saying he liked working out at the gym better than cycling. I'm actually quite pleased with that because the drivers in thsi community are just too dangerous even when one is a pedestrian.
Today the big issue was water rationing and keeping people away from the rivers' edges. The water treatment facilities are having a difficult time processing the water because of the silt and sediment in it from upstream. Some people are still watering their lawns today - after 14 straight days of rain. Obviously not locals or they'd know that one had to force all their plants to develop deep roots by underwatering because of our climate. When it gets dry anything with shallow roots will simply wither and blow away. I think there's a parable in there somewhere but it isn't my place to preach.
Any way I want to go see what the news anchors are saying about the commute to work tomorrow morning. Hip waders, snorkels or flotation devices? Will the bridges be open or should we build a raft? Don't know. Talk with you tomorrow dear diary.
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