The Ice Storm of 2013

Somebody should be selling "I survived the Ice Storm of 2013" shirts -- just about everyone I know would buy one, because just about everyone I know has suffered from the storm and has lived to tell the tale. Some have suffered a little, some a lot. The captain and I were without power for about 55 hours or so, from 2 a.m. early Sunday morning until about 9 a.m. Tuesday morning (Christmas Eve). Not fun at any time to be without power in sub-zero temperatures, but particularly hard when one is sick, as I have been (and still am). I didn't get many "icy" photographs; I was too ill to venture outside so had to settle for a few quickie shots out my living room window.

The captain's older sister didn't get her power back until 9 p.m. Christmas Day, and his brother lives in an area of east Toronto known as The Guild, or Guildwood, which has been one of the last areas to have power restored. As of now, we are not sure if they have their power back or not. Yesterday, they did not.

It has been most frustrating listening to our idiot mayor show up at press conferences and photo ops, all the while lying to everyone. He and his cronies have been talking for days now about how the power restoration was down to "one offs", while everyone here in Scarborough knew the entire Guild area was without power. That is NOT a "one off", Mr. Mayor!

I also question their claim that the city and hydro were immediately on top of this. You see, our neighbour's boyfriend works for Toronto Hydro and he wasn't called in until Monday morning, a good 30 hours or more after the power went out! Personally, I think there have been cost-cutting measures and a reluctance to rack up employee overtime that took precedence over getting the power up and running. The priority has never been service to the tax payers, all the talk from this administration has only been about saving a buck or two.

But enough on that. This is the season to be jolly, after all. The captain and I both send along our merriest of Christmas greetings to one and all, and a particularly big shout-out to all our friends and family who weathered the storm that will live long in all our memory. 2013 is certainly going out with a bang!