Spring

Spring is springing in my little part of the Great White North. Birds are singing, the sun is shining longer, the sugar maple sap is running and there are ice breakers on the rivers. Yup, you heard me, ice breakers on the rivers. We get cold. Cold enough that our rivers freeze. Not just a little skin of ice. Huge chunks of ice that can run 2 feet thick. This time of year when it gets nice, it's currently 50F here at 6 pm, the rivers start melting. Huge chunks of ice break off and float downriver. That isn't the problem. If the ice pieces flow all nice down the river there is no problem. But, how often do things go perfectly like that?

No, things usually don't go right. The chunks float down and pile up. They catch on each other, they catch on the bridges, they catch on the islands. Then we have ice jams. Ice jams are bad. Ice jams cause floods. All the water builds up behind them and when they let go all hell breaks loose. Last year there was an ice jam that lasted several weeks. It would move downriver some, and then get stuck again. That is a really long time for any ice jam to last. Usually they only last a matter of hours to maybe a couple of days. At least that's what the ones here do.

So every year the Coast Guard sends ice breakers up the rivers. If they start breaking up the ice before it starts flowing towards the sea, then hopefully the jams won't happen. They send 3 up my local river. One of the big ones, and then 2 smaller ones once that big one can't go any further. Every year I mean to go down to the river when the breakers are there and take The Boy to see them. We know when they are coming, it's on the news so that the ice fishing shacks get cleared off. So far, in 8 winters we haven't made it. But, that's a sure sign of spring in the Great White North.

Please keep praying for those in Japan. The news we are hearing 1/2 way around the world is terrifying. I can't even think of how scary it is for the Japanese. To my Japanese reader(s), please stay safe.

On a side note. I have started a new blog on WordPress. I am going to be migrating this one there soon, at least as soon as I can figure it out. Look for the notice in the next week or two.

In the meantime, enjoy spring.