The Weather, of course
Was March the month where it was supposed
to start roaring like a lion and ending baahing like a lamb? Nobody told us here. The month began with lots of snow on the
ground which slowly started diminishing, only to be topped up by 2 ¾” of new
snow on March 24. Cooler temperatures
have kept that icing on the cake. March
was supposed to be a cooler and drier month than normal, but we are still
sitting on snow pack that is 124% larger than normal (or more, depending on the
expert.)
Thus we are now enjoying typical post-March
paranoia. Will the snow melt swiftly and
cause flooding? Will the snow melt
slowly and hopefully get more water left in the ground? Does this mean an early or late start to the fire
season? And for heaven’s sake, when are
we going to see spring flowers?!.....
Signs of Spring
We have had more signs of spring from the
bird world, with the following birds back:
Red-Tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Say’s Phoebe, Mountain Bluebird, and,
of course, robins. With all the snow
still on the ground on the mountain, we had to descend into Osoyoos to walk
along the waterfront. They have a lovely
park which is immaculately tended by volunteer gardeners, and there we could
finally see the first spring flowers and the fountain flowing.
Spring is at least two weeks later than usual because we normally see the first cherry blossoms at the end of this month, but they are still huddled into buds.
We continued to have roof avalanches almost
daily, because the sun is getting warmer and melting more of the snow on the roof. However, even that progress is gradual and
you can see the line of icicles marking each day’s progress.
Generally, I can guarantee it will take me
a minimum of two years to complete a quilt, but I accomplished a miracle this
month after only 4 ½ weeks of work. My
friend, Suzanne, will be undergoing somewhat complicated abdominal surgery in
the middle of April, and I wanted her to have something to please her while she
experiences the need for post-surgical naps.
She had unwittingly chosen the colours, and the result turned out to be
quite pretty.
The Game Camera Failed Again
In the middle of March, Brian had occasion
to inspect one side of the driveway near the garage, and found a set of cougar
tracks The foot pads cover an area of
about 4” by 4 ½”, but by the time you consider the fur around the pads you get
tracks that are more like 6”x6”.
Needless to say, the game camera was monitoring activity far from the
site. Another cool set of tracks for us
to admire!
Neighbourhood Excitement
Early in the last week of March, we got a
text from a neighbour warning us about some thieves in the area. In talking to her, she mentioned having a
truck come down their driveway part way, and then backing up. Then it went to a building site next
door. Our neighbours thought little of
it until 6:30 am the next day, when they saw the truck driving into the
building site and parking. Then two men
in hoodies left the truck and returned a few minutes later carrying boxes. Craig got some good pictures of the truck
including the license plate and called the RCMP. By late afternoon we got the word that the
thief had been apprehended. A SWAT team
had been deployed because the truck pictures showed evidence of a firearm. It turns out the 39 year old suspect was on
parole, and he was the son of the local ex-mayor. The lot next to the one hit was also
burgled. In each of the three cases (the
neighbour and the two lots next to them) were all displaying building permits,
and apparently are more vulnerable as a result.
Fortunately, we escaped without any trouble.
Hopefully April will provide more interesting
pictures of spring if it ever comes.
Thanks for visiting!
