HEY! WHOA! WAIT!

Weather? What Weather?

It is spring, right? We arrived at the vernally equinox more than a week ago, right? 

So, who didn't get the memo?

We have had snow for three days in a row! Three days in a row, I tell you. Or maybe four. I think it's four. Whatever.

Street view

Back yard

It's enough to make a Bear go "GGGGggRRRRrRrrrRrr!" 

More Cold

What makes this even worse is that Bear has a cold. Stuffy head, sore throat, sneezing and sniffling, hard to breathe. And pains in my chest. 

Most of that I would normally ignore — even the chest pains. But not this time. So we hiked over to our medical clinic last night. 

Good news: no pneumonia (so it is not a repeat of last fall's experience). And my heart is good. The chest pains come from the costochondritis which visits me from time to time. 

"Treat the symptoms and rest." Right. We can deal with all that stuff. An exercise in patience.

Cold Weather Fun

Dana has a wonderful video over on her blog The Daily Dose. I'm not going to spoil it by telling you the story; you should slip over to Dana's and read/see it yourself.

Life in Ukraine

My friend in the Ukraine sees dark days ahead. Because Ukraine is so dependent on Russia for natural gas to energize the Ukrainian economy, it seems likely Ukraine will be absorbed into Russian President Putin's "Euroasian Empire." In one way or another. Oligarchy and corruption will, once again, be the order of the day. Not so different from Canada and the US.

Some things never change. 

And that's about that.

The world is getting brighter! If I were feeling better, I would go outside and play. But I'm not — either feeling well or interested in going outside. Perfect day for tea and a book to read. Inside. And an afternoon nap.

I hope you don't get bogged down in the cold and flu season. It is so "No fun!"  Not for anyone. (Unless you're a masochist.)

Blessings and Bear hugs!

  Today's Weather Report
It is overcast at -15°C (5F) — though it feels more like -27C (-17F). The sun is trying to break through. There is some potential.

IN WHICH BEAR SHOWS HOW HARD IT IS TO BE AN URBAN BEAR

If I knew who's picture this, I'd give credit.

Any questions? Right, then. You do understand.

Blessings and Bear hugs!

Today's Weather Report
Dark, cloudy, -6C (21F), feels like -17C (1°F). We got a bit of snow today. I need to find a cave and crawl in for a few days.

IN WHICH BEAR COULD NOT PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY

Regular readers here know that Bear is eclectic. Meaning he gathers up all kinds of ideas from here and there, some of which are rated as "peculiar." (Bear is also eccentric, but that's another story.)

Here is a story about modern farmers. Not the majority by any means, but an "interesting" group nonetheless. The information comes from Slate.com. I know it looks "hippie," but there is way more to the story than that. Read away!

Now, think about this: there is ample evidence to indicate that, if we are to avoid world food scarcity, this is the way we are going to do it. Back yard gardens, roof top gardens, community gardens on vacant plots of land in city (even city parks). If you're old enough, you may remember WW2 "Victory Gardens." 

I've researched this enough, as a journalist, to know this is "right on the money."

If you are already doing this, you're my hero! If you are not, think about it, please. My body hurts way too much to be able to get into this kind of activity in a significant way. But I'm building a compost heap, to encourage me to do a little something. Just in case.

(I realize that this might seem a bit strange, blogging when I said I was cutting back on my "information input." But your Bear is an award-winning writer and broadcaster — "hard core" newsman — and old habits die hard. If I get the scent of something that might make an interesting story, I'm going to tell you about it. And Bears have extremely good noses!)

Blessings and Bear hugs!

Today's Weather Report

Last night we had snow. Not much, but enough that people had to scrape the windows of their cars and trucks this morning. At noon, the temperature is 1°C (about 34F), under a bright, sunny sky (with only a few clouds). And the snow has melted off the sidewalks.

IN WHICH BEAR RETURNS WITH AN ANONYMOUS THOUGHT

Computer Central Connection

As some of you know, Bear's computer had to go to hospital for brain surgery. (Translation: it needed a new hard drive.) Fortunately, the matter was covered under warranty. That's similar (in some ways) to Canadian medicare; brain surgery at no cost. (Not entirely no cost; the cost of medical care is in what Bear pays in taxes, which are pretty low). 

Following the surgery has come the rehabilitation. Slowly, Bear has been able to get things re-installed. The biggest problem was getting access to his blogs — which has proved to be a real challenge. (Google can be such a pain!)

Fortunately, after considerable effort and frustration, Bear can blog again! Hence this note. 

Anonymous Thinking

Many of the best thoughts in the English language have come from someone named "Anonymous." Anon. (as this individual is called by friends) has come up with everything from intriguing poetry to zinging one-liners. For example:

"My desire to stay well-informed has overwhelmed my desire to stay sane."  ~ Anon. 

That is Bear's problem. Too much information — most of it bad — leading to too little sanity (mostly depression). 

Bear has undertaken several steps in an attempt to regain his sanity (if that were possible).

1. He has buried his Facebook account. It is still there somewhere. Bear has not "unfriended" anyone; he has not left any of you by cancelling the account. It's just that he's temporarily shut things down. ("Temporarily" has an elastic meaning — it can stretch out quite a bit.)

2. Bear will not be visiting you as often as in the past at your blog. He hasn't gone away angry; he hasn't gone away at all, actually. It's just that he is rebuilding portions of his life and moving in other directions. It's not that he loves you any less. It's just that Bear is trying new things. So, he will be visiting you, but not as regularly. 

Spring Thaw

The weather is turning slowly warmer. Which means a slow melt, and no flooding. It means we stay dry in the city, and the water sinks into the land, to provide a good start for this year's crop. 

It also means getting ready for spring work — particularly raking all the twigs and small branches that the wind brought down over the winter. They are scattered hither and yon, all over the front, side, and back yards. This will be a challenge.

In a couple of weeks, my Dog Therapy team will return. Bear is looking forward to that!

But, unlike most of North America, we did not "spring forward" an hour last weekend. The farmers claim time change is too hard to the milk cows. Whatever!

Blessings and Bear hugs to all of you!


Today's Weather Report
Currently 0°C (32F) on the way to 5°C (41F). Sky is overcast, but the sun is trying very hard to break through the clouds. 

IT'S MELTING! IT'S MELTING!

Yes, it's melting in the land of the Bear. Temperature at about 5°C (or 41F). Blue sky out there!

Deck is almost snow-free

Path through the yard is drying out

Water off the deck roof is slowly coming

Water coming off the high roof is a problem!

Street is almost clear

Big puddle; get your rain boots and come on over!
What do you mean, you don't like to splash around in big puddles?

So, what excitement is happening in your world this weekend?

Blessings and Bear hugs, friends!

  Today's Weather Report

Clear, bright blue sky (though there are supposed to be some clouds, somewhere). Temperature of 1C (34F), supposed to rise to 3C (37F), but we've already passed that. If this keeps up, we might get spring in a couple of weeks. Or else some flooding (Boo! Hiss!).