Water Everywhere

This has been an interesting winter. First we got buckets of snow and minus temperatures that I haven't seen in a few years.  The ice on the river was really thick. Often the river stays open and has thin ice but not this year. 

The mild spell that followed broke up some of the ice on the river. Since the river runs for about a 100 miles north of us, that is a lot of ice. We had ice jams coming out our ears. This is what it looked like here. 

The ice was almost up to the bridge. It continued to be jammed but some broke up above us and made the build up even worse.

Then it started to flood. It got so bad that 5,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes. Water filled the basements and was about 4 feet up the 1st floors. 

The Canadian Coast Guard blasted the mouth of the river and the water started moving. We have 3 bridges to get across the river and 2 of them had to be closed, as well as the pedestrian bridge. 

This is what the farmer's field looked like near the 3rd bridge. 

The photo below is of the river. It goes from the bank to the trees in the background. Beyond is another field owned by the farmer. 

The last time I saw anything like this was in 1974. The City has no estimate on the damage as yet. They kept the bridges closed but we did see that the main one has opened. They had to be inspected to see if they were structurally safe, so that one is good. 

Many people were in shelters and living with relatives or friends. They are allowed to go back to their homes now, but the homes will take a lot of restoration. 

Many people will be feeling the effects of the flood for months. Time will tell if they will get help from either the government or insurance. Very sad. 

A Horrible Week

It's not been any fun around here lately. Mom is 90 and she called last Tuesday night and told me she had a pain in her head. This, she said, had been going on for a couple weeks and it was worse. 

Hubby and I took her up to the hospital because she didn't want the expense of an ambulance. It took about three hours for her to be looked at. The nurse wanted her to take Tylenol and she refused. So, we sat and sat and sat. Finally at 2 AM, I told her she Had to take the Tylenol. She was not happy about it. Immediately after she went to the washroom and spit them into the toilet. 

The only thing that happened while we were there was that they took blood tests about 1 AM and it took them until 5 AM to come back. Even though I told them right off that she had a UTI, they never did take a urine sample. I was furious. 

If you refuse treatment, this hospital just let's you sit until you do what they say. Mom has been a handful ever since. No help from the siblings, I'm afraid. 

Canadian Black History Month

Each year in February, Canada celebrates Black History Month. This is when we pay tribute to Black Canadians who have made a difference in the lives of those who live here.

Today, I'd like to pay tribute to Thornton and Lucie Blackburn. The couple fled Kentucky on July 3, 1831 and took a steam ship up the Ohio River. They left Louisville and traveled to Cincinnati where they boarded a stagecoach to Detroit. Two years later, they were recaptured by their owner, which started the Blackburn riots of 1833. The Black community helped the Blackburns cross the border into Canada. 

Michigan's governor sent two extradition requests that were refused by Lieutenant Governor John Colbourne. The couple then moved to Toronto.  There, they built a house on the corner of Eastern Avenue and Sackville Street. They lived there for approximately 50 years and the house became a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Thornton became a waiter at Osgoode Hall and noticed that the City had little transportation. He instructed a horse drawn conveyance to be built that would act as a cab and transport four passengers. The taxi was built in Paul Bishop's workshop, which still stands at Adelaide and Sherbourne.  The taxi was the first ever for Toronto and was named The City. It was red and gold, the same colours the TTC use today. 

Thornton died in 1890. He left Lucie a small fortune he had saved from the business.

In 1985, archaeologists found clues as to Toronto's part as a terminal for the Underground Railroad. This is the only dig of its kind ever conducted in Canada.

Thorton and Lucie Blackburn were named  "Persons of National Historic Significance," by the Department of Canadian Heritage in 1999.

The River Has an Ice Jam

This is just off the bridge. The ice was almost up to the bottom of the bridge. We have 3 bridges over the river in our city and all of them looked the same.

This is just off River Road. I have never seen the water and ice so high since they put in the dykes about 20 years ago. This year it's really bad.

This is also along River Road. It was coming up the bank of the river and wasn't that far away. Gilkison Street was closed because the water and ice were covering it. That lasted about a week.

It melted some and we had water everywhere and then it got cold and we all needed ice skates. Last night we got about 6 inches of snow, so hubby and the neighbor were out at 7am cleaning everyone's sidewalks. Hubby does ours, the lady's next door. She is 89 and the middle aged couple next door who both work.

This is certainly an old fashioned winter. Here are some farmer's fields that are going to wreck havoc on spring planting.

This is the fruit and vegetable market's property and they grow every kind of vegetable imaginable. They also have apples, honey, strawberries etc. I hope their crops aren't ruined.

This is a farmer's field close to the small village of Lynden, Ontario. Those fence posts are just off the road. It always seems to flood in that spot.

Well that's all the news for now.

Update on the move of my daughter's family. Things are slowly getting put away. Brandon and Jordan both seem to like it and I am proud to say that Brandon did well with it.

Talk to you soon. Have a great week.