People asked if I was prepared for the long cold New Brunswick winters and I thought, yes I am. Overall we have fared well. I think we were prepared and we have even enjoyed the winter. It is now late February, well, past the middle of the month and downhill to March now. We have had lots of snow and they say there is more on the way, but mixed with freezing rain this time. None of it has bothered me so far, although I wish my truck could say the same!
To answer the "people", yes I was prepared for snow, but yes this is different. During my winters in Calgary and Kamloops we had snow and it seemed to hit by early November and never melted again until spring. We plugged our trucks in, got wind burnt and frost bite on our ears. The cold was colder and longer. In Kamloops I knew for sure that smoking was an addiction not a casual habit, as my co workers stood outside for ten minutes, three times per day, freezing their ass'ets' off. Calgary is where I discovered wearing long dangling earrings during the windy winter was NOT recommended, unless of course you liked frozen earrings.
In New Brunswick we have received more snow than I have ever seen, I am sure. Even during the winter of 1996 or 2007 we never saw this kind of snow. Of course BC snow is heavier, wetter and slushier during the melt. This snow is kind of fun! Light, easy to shovel and to quote a new friend "Light as chicken feathers". So not really a big deal. Except for the 6 foot drifts surrounding my house. Today was warm, probably hit about 5 or 6 Celsius and huge clumps of snow and ice fell off the roof. We had to be cautious as we walked outside doorways to make sure that we were not impaled by giant icicles. (Someone might think it was one of Len's murder mysteries but the weapon had melted!)
So, back to my title... The locals tell me this was a harsher winter than they have seen for awhile. More snow and more often. Is this El Nina? Are we going through a climate change? We know the ice bergs are melting in the Arctic and land is disappearing as the water covers the shores. We know that villages are having to move as the perma frost is no longer frozen. Whole islands of the world are completely sinking and no longer on maps. We know it is colder where it shouldn't be and warmer where it should be cold. The ocean life is dying and the creatures on land are losing their habitats. Global warming? Lost ozone? What is it?
My theory is, (please keep in mind I am not a scientist and barely passed math or science in high school - although, I did excel in typing and sewing)... My theory is... all of the above. Based on what I see and hear about the world now and what I read about history and dinosaurs and the ice age, I think the world does go through climate changes every so often. Perhaps it is a cleansing. El Nina and El Nino are the colder and warmer winter weather fronts than are normally expected in the area.
Global warming, yes, we have destroyed this planet. Since the industrial revolution began in the 18th century and reached it's peak in the 19th century, mankind has been rushing to bigger and better and corporate powers have grabbed all they could as fast as they could. The poor were used and abused, working conditions were atrocious and whole families worked to struggle to survive, while the richer became richer. Farmland was thrown over for coal mines and logging. Machines were created that spit out poisons even back then.Since the end of World War 2 the major countries have rushed to get the most product out, bigger cars, faster jets, who can reach the moon first and now the great quest for oil.
Oh wait, was that the industrial revolution or is this still happening today? Here we are, struggling to keep up with each other, have the latest, stay in style, drive as far as we can to get the cheapest products and to what aim? I read in the news how the world is in a food crisis like none ever seen before. I watch as my own country closes down on agricultural lands for more pipelines and to sell our water. I drove across Canada this summer and saw fields but little farmed land. This was in part to the weather and in part to the economy but also due to big business shutting down small farmers. Are food is poisoned with pesticides, the seeds are genetically modified and don't reproduce, who exactly is this supposed to help? People no longer know how to truly take care of themselves, grow food, preserve it, cook with the basics, make clothes, keep warm or teach their children how to survive should anything happen.
We all know the Mayans say the world will end in 2012. The Christians say the Second Coming is on the horizon. Some people believe that an intergalactic force is coming and we must be prepared. Whatever it is, something is happening. The world is changing. We must find a way to change with it. Make our land and lives matter. Stop our selfishness and think more about how to fix what we can, do our part to make the world better... Good idea in case you are one of the survivors.
I can't say I am changing enough, but I am trying. I need to do more. I need to become as self sufficient as I can, but why? Either the world is ending as we know it and a few people will remain who need to be able to re inhabit the planet OR the Second Coming is happening and we need to show thankfulness for what we have been given OR the world continues to disintegrate at an ever increasing pace and except for the few who know how to do ANYTHING other than work in an office, sit on a computer or sell merchandise and SOMEONE has to grow food, make clothes and keep us going! Should this all happen, being rich and having a nice house won't really matter, unless there is a bunker underneath stored with heritage seeds and food storage.
I do have to say that it excites me to see more and more people getting their message out there. More websites and magazines we can access to learn "how to". I have friends that are getting it and buying what they can organic and choosing not to use mass produced products like face creams, that last forever and what could it be doing to them and their body? I am learning how to make organic cosmetics/creams at home, how to make my own biodegradable laundry detergent for a fraction of the cost and that will not harm my land that wants to stay pure.
I read on a friends Facebook status recently "I'm proposing that we call organic gardening just GARDENING, because that's what it is. It's not it's own new thing, it's how it's supposed to be done. And any other kind of gardening should now be called "CHEMICAL GARDENING" because that's what it is. Ok? Ok." Makes sense to me! 20 years ago we never even thought much about this because so many people were still raising natural food (at least home in gardens) but with the GMO's changing our food and seeds we don't have much choice but to consciously decide to be organic and have to search for where to get what we need.
Please decide what you can do to change. We all need to. It won't change anything immediately and may not do enough to create a change, but we HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!
I guess I have joined the radicals......
Signed a granola grandma in New Brunswick
