We had snow this morning on Gabriola – great big flakes, but they didn’t amount to much. And then, while pondering the cold, I came across this salmonberry blossom on North Road.

When do you ever see salmonberry blossoms in March?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

I bought it on the interwebs, of course.

And oh yes we did have a multi-hour power outage today. (How long was it? 9 hours, maybe?)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

We woke to four or five inches of snow on Gabriola today, and what a pretty scene that makes.

But of course all sorts of things grind to a halt on the island when it snows. Spud postponed grocery deliveries until Saturday. The Gym at Twin Beaches closed, and I bet GIRO did, too. The shops seemed a bit emptier than one might expect.

Well, no matter. I can wait for groceries, I’m not a gym member, and I wasn’t organized enough for a GIRO run today anyway. We did get to the forest, though, and that was magical.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

If you’re determined to ride on snowy roads and trails, here’s something you might like to try: zap straps (also known as zip ties) on your tires for added traction. The Dutch Bike Company of Seattle explains all in their Seattle Snowpocalypse blog post. Pretty snazzy, hmm?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

It’s snowing heavily here, and starting to stick. I wonder if this will affect voter turnout tomorrow.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

But anyway. Raingear is all fine and good, but what about when the puddle in the middle of the forest is so deep that rainboots and gumboots aren’t enough? Why, that monster-puddle would flood your boots, and that’d do bad things to your temper. Think of crossing that puddle wee lake and you’ll wish you’d brought your coracle, or your corkacle.

If you’re serious about getting through the deeply flooded bits of Gabriola’s forest while leaving boats at home, these might be just the ticket:

They’re hip waders and chest waders.

I can’t say I’m not tempted. It rained an awful lot on Gabriola today.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

They were at the intersection of North Road and South Road today. I wanted to ask them to take me up in that bucket for a close-up tour of the power lines and a how-to demo, but they probably aren’t allowed to offer that kind of hospitality, are they?

Anyway. The next photo shows what they do up there, because I know you’ve always wondered.

The procedure seems to involve using a stick to take the whatsit and attach it to a power line.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

A windstorm with gusts up to hurricane strength is expected to slam into the entire B.C. coast Wednesday morning. [continue]

Environment Canada’s forecast for Gabriola says, in part: Wind southeast 50 km/h gusting to 80 becoming south 80 gusting to 110 in the morning. Troubling.

Is there a when Gabriola’s power will go out betting pool?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Today:

Flurries except snow at times heavy over southern sections. Risk of thundershowers late this afternoon. Local amount 15 cm over southern sections. Windy over southern sections late this afternoon. High plus 1.

Tonight:

Periods of snow ending near midnight then cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Local amount 4 cm over southern sections. Windy over southern sections. Low minus 6.

It’s beautiful. But please tell me that my spring-loving plants, all several inches high, won’t mind this a bit. I suppose I’d better go move the mini greenhouse out of the snow.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Our favourite ponds in the Gabriola forest turn to works of art on cold mornings. I love the beauty of it all, and then the hilarity: the dog dances on ice, slides on ice, leaps on ice, crunches ice, and rubs her face onto the ice.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Extra points if you get lost a bit and wind up on a longer walk than you’d planned.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

You know what they are by now, right? Right. Anyway. It’s the season. Go find some!

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

This is my favourite weather: fog. Fog in the Gabriola woods makes me incredibly happy.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

And then snow comes, and I can see where the deer have been. It’s visual coding for the smell-impaired. I think I rise somewhat in dog’s estimation when she realizes that we are following deer trails on purpose, and — at last! — I know where they are.

Either that or I have a rich fantasy life.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Snow at times heavy. Amount 5 to 10 cm. Windy. Low minus 2.

Brrr. This is all because I don’t have my snow tires on yet. Sigh.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

The most intense La Niña conditions since 1955 are brewing near the equator, raising the odds of a wild winter in the Pacific Northwest.

Meteorologists say more rain, colder temperatures and bigger snowstorms are likely. [continue]

Well, that could be fun. In 2008 we got quite a lot of snow on Gabriola. Maybe we’ll have more this year!

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

According to a 2006 article in the Comox Valley Naturalist Society website:

The width of the orange-brown band is known to predict the winter to come: if it is narrower than the black bands, it will be a severe winter. If it is broader than the black bands, the winter will be mild. Some claim that the woolly bear’s forecast is up to 80% accurate.

I was trying to figure out from Gabriolan’s photo what the prediction would be. It looks to me as if the orange band and the black bands are about the same width. Does that mean that the caterpillar can’t decide?

What do you think? What other things do you use to predict what the winter will be like?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

This is in the 707, and it’s a favourite puddle of ours because it freezes so nicely in winter. (Dog likes to slide and bounce around on frozen puddles, kind of the way the boxer dog likes to bounce on the trampoline, though of course with different results.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

It’s warm enough on Gabriola that we leave our jackets at home some days, and cold enough that we’re often sorry for it.

It’s warm enough that we head to the beach more often than we did in winter, but cold enough that we take our hats.

It’s sunny enough to make seagulls seem bright, bright white in the light. It’s cold enough to keep the snow on those mountain peaks.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

• If you’ve done all of your Things That Require Electricity (computer work, housework, whatever) you can sit around in the dark saying, Well, at least I got the laundry done/the website updated/the woodwork project finished before the power went out.
• If you haven’t done all of your Things That Require Electricity, you can wander around in the dark gnashing your teeth and saying woe, woe, woe is me! while you resolve to be more industrious in future.
• You didn’t really want those house-guests to stay for a week? Watch them flee in horror at the thought of no lights and no running water (no flushing toilets!) for an unspecified amount of time.
• If you are prepared for emergencies and power outages, you can feel smug and drink vodka by candlelight.
• If you are not prepared for emergencies and power outages, you can berate yourself in the cold while you resolve to do better next time.
• If you’ve been spending too much time in front of the TV or on the interwebs, you’ll get a smart smack upside the head, yes? And then you can go read a book… if you have any candles.
• What better time to think about how one might do without electricity for a long while?
• What better time to think about how we are all wimps these days, particularly when compared to our ancestors and to Gabriola pioneers?
• What better time to eat all the shortbread in the pantry and go to bed early?

So yeah, like that.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)