Saturday, December 28, 2013

My 2013 Winter Wonderland

This winter's freezing rain made it a memorable year. It proved that not only can Toronto and its surrounding area reach record high temperatures, but also record disastrous cold conditions within months. We had freezing rain starting around the evening of Friday, December 20, and it continued to rain once in awhile until Christmas. The result of days of freezing rain--ice. Ice everywhere!

It was dangerous to get out of the house a few days ago, because many of the trees were frozen to the point where they were breaking apart. Pieces upon pieces of trees falling on the streets and sidewalks, taking some of the power-lines with them. Areas with trees that disconnected power-lines left many homes without electricity this holiday season, along with the sad yet beautiful scene of torn and broken trees covered in inch thick ice.

Aside from broken trees and families having no energy for hours or days, there were a few other events brought on by Southern Ontario's icy conditions. I heard from friends and family that salt and firewood were sold out in stores, and right when they came back in stock, their prices rose. Would you be surprised if I told you that gas prices also rose during the freezing rain days?

I couldn't open my mailbox...

My neighborhood was one of the lucky few that still had electricity. My other family members were not as lucky: some of them still don't have power yet. One of my cousins and his family stayed over for a few days because they needed electricity to power machines that help them sleep. Another distant cousin visited a few times to charge his generator.

I found this holiday season enjoyable because I got to spend more time with family members I rarely meet, but I get the feeling that I enjoyed it because I had electricity.

If I had to summarize this winter season, it would be with: "what a way to end the year."

I hope everyone else in Toronto is doing well!
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