Feb. 28, 2014
The soil is water logged now as the snow melts and it starts to rain again. Every stream and every ditch is full and running There are even small waterfalls coming down out-of and off the rock cliffs. Every planter is drenched and water logged.
This is the season where the rain can lash down for days at a time. It is definitely the rainy season! These are good days for wood fires, painting, reading, writing, baking and visiting.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Well over a foot of snow on Gabriola Island
We went out for a drive today around the island. Up on the highest parts of the island, at the top of Brickyard and also up on top of Pat Burns Road, there is 1 1/2 to 2 feet of snow sitting. On Orlebar Point there is hardly any evidence of them having any snow. Most of the power has been restored now. Some of the homes on the island had been without electricity for 5 days. At the peak of the outages caused by this storm, BC Hydro said that there were 25,000 BC Hydro customers without power.
In an article in the local newspaper "Gabriola Sounder" it states that " it has been one of the driest November to January periods in at least twenty years. The period of November to January is critical for recharging Gabriola's natural storage of fresh water in the fractured rock aquifer. According to the historic rainfall for November to January rainy period, the rainfall for each of those months was the lowest, of the last 22 years. The good news is the island has received more rainfall than the average for the month of February."
It seems that this past rain and snowfall will make it a record moisture drop for February. Gariola usually gets 30-45 inches of rain per year.
In an article in the local newspaper "Gabriola Sounder" it states that " it has been one of the driest November to January periods in at least twenty years. The period of November to January is critical for recharging Gabriola's natural storage of fresh water in the fractured rock aquifer. According to the historic rainfall for November to January rainy period, the rainfall for each of those months was the lowest, of the last 22 years. The good news is the island has received more rainfall than the average for the month of February."
It seems that this past rain and snowfall will make it a record moisture drop for February. Gariola usually gets 30-45 inches of rain per year.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Power is Back On and Sun is Out
Our power came back on this afternoon. We were lucky as there are still numerous homes on the island that are without power. I guess it all depended on where the trees fell on the power lines.
All of our neighbours are telling us that we must have bought the snow with us from Alberta as they rarely get this amount on the Island. Usually, they may get a skiff that melts right away. We now have 10" of wet snow on the ground and it is plus 4 degrees. There is a beautiful sunny sky today! I am most thankful for our wood stove, a battery powered headlamp and a good book.
It looks like there may be a lot of damage to the plants in the yard because of the heavy snow and ice. Geo has been out several times to try and knock the snow off of them to try and save them. There are some new Hellebore flowers that have just come out close to the house. They don't seem to care that it is not warm out.
All of our neighbours are telling us that we must have bought the snow with us from Alberta as they rarely get this amount on the Island. Usually, they may get a skiff that melts right away. We now have 10" of wet snow on the ground and it is plus 4 degrees. There is a beautiful sunny sky today! I am most thankful for our wood stove, a battery powered headlamp and a good book.
It looks like there may be a lot of damage to the plants in the yard because of the heavy snow and ice. Geo has been out several times to try and knock the snow off of them to try and save them. There are some new Hellebore flowers that have just come out close to the house. They don't seem to care that it is not warm out.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Snowed-in On Gabriola Island
Today the road into our house on the Island looks so much like the road into our home in Bragg Creek. The difference is that the temperature here on the Island remains above 0 degrees. Friends in Calgary have emailed me telling me that it is currently -38 with a wind chill on top of that.
Our power went off at 8:00 AM and we are very lucky that we have a wood stove that puts out a lot of heat. Hopefully it won't be out that long - but they say that when the power goes out on this island it tends to take awhile to get it back on.
We light up our wood stove and put the matches and candles so that we can find them when it gets dark. We organize the battery operated radio and find the head lamp so that we can read if the power stays off. George brings in extra wood and chops more kindling, too. He fills a 5 gallon pail so that we will have water to flush down the toilets sparingly. The one thing we missed doing is putting the car out closer to the road. We just didn't think the snow would come down like it did.
Lucky for us that I had made a big pot of curried chicken and rice the night before. We put the left overs in a pan on top of the wood stove for our supper. Kinda like camping out.
Our power went off at 8:00 AM and we are very lucky that we have a wood stove that puts out a lot of heat. Hopefully it won't be out that long - but they say that when the power goes out on this island it tends to take awhile to get it back on.
We light up our wood stove and put the matches and candles so that we can find them when it gets dark. We organize the battery operated radio and find the head lamp so that we can read if the power stays off. George brings in extra wood and chops more kindling, too. He fills a 5 gallon pail so that we will have water to flush down the toilets sparingly. The one thing we missed doing is putting the car out closer to the road. We just didn't think the snow would come down like it did.
Lucky for us that I had made a big pot of curried chicken and rice the night before. We put the left overs in a pan on top of the wood stove for our supper. Kinda like camping out.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
More Snow
Am I complaining? Absolutely, snow and cold are my enemies! We seem to be in a very unbalanced weather pattern the past few days which honestly is pissing me off. Warmth and then wham, snow! Forcing me to put on my winter parka that I planned to burn when we moved here to the island and my West Coast winter rubber boots to go outside and check our plants. Our curly willow tree has toppled over because of the weight of the snow. Geo has been out several times and knocked the snow off of the plants trying to save them.
SNOW On Gabriola Island!
Snow on Gabriola Island! What the heck! Not just a skiff either!
At the same time the newly sprouted daffodils are shivering and wondering why they were so anxious to show their heads yesterday.
With all this snow it is beginning to look like Bragg Creek.
At the same time the newly sprouted daffodils are shivering and wondering why they were so anxious to show their heads yesterday.
With all this snow it is beginning to look like Bragg Creek.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Spring Pruning on Gabriola
The air has been relatively warm since we arrived back on the Island. Today we've pruned the rose bush and all the other bushes and trees that grew so large last summer. I also cut back all the ferns to about 5 inches tall and hope that they will grow all new shoots soon.
The urge to garden is great - but it is still early.
The urge to garden is great - but it is still early.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Ferry Schedules to Gabriola Island
The ferry schedules have all been changes since we were last on the island and will change again for summer travel. The B.C. government has made several cuts to the different schedules that service the islands. The BC Ferry Corp acts as the province's sea-going highway connecting islands. It is also a life-line for islanders. Some Islanders are very dependent on the ferry to take them to Nanaimo to work.
There is a timelessness here on Gabriola except when it comes to the ferry schedules when trying to get to and from the island. Ferry routes are our marine highways.
Today, the ferry line up for sailing to Nanaimo from Gabriola Island is fairly short. Summer is over and the tourists have all gone home. The ferry is on a new schedule because of cut-backs and the season.
Often we have got into discussions about the development of this island. The electrician we hired for a small job told us that he was leaving the island as he was tired of catching ferries and was ready for change. He said he would like to see a bridge built to connect the islands. He wanted change but tells us that the older folk do not. Perhaps he forgot why most people come to, or stay on this island - for a simpler, quieter, easy-going life and to be away from the rat race of the big cities. The price of change would be the tranquillity that was originally sought. So at present there is a big debate over building a bridge to connect islands to mainland.
Today, the ferry line up for sailing to Nanaimo from Gabriola Island is fairly short. Summer is over and the tourists have all gone home. The ferry is on a new schedule because of cut-backs and the season.
Often we have got into discussions about the development of this island. The electrician we hired for a small job told us that he was leaving the island as he was tired of catching ferries and was ready for change. He said he would like to see a bridge built to connect the islands. He wanted change but tells us that the older folk do not. Perhaps he forgot why most people come to, or stay on this island - for a simpler, quieter, easy-going life and to be away from the rat race of the big cities. The price of change would be the tranquillity that was originally sought. So at present there is a big debate over building a bridge to connect islands to mainland.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Across the mountains and back to the Island...
...Leaving Bragg Creek for Gabriola, Feb. 15, 2014
The trip through the mountains was treacherous from Revelstoke to Hope as the highway was a sheet of ice. Even though we had our 4x4 truck loaded down with boxes of art books for weight, we needed to have more aggressive winter tires or chains. George is a great driver but I tend to get car sick with sudden curves or up and down motions. By the time we arrived in Kamloops my guts were churned up pretty good. By the time we got to Hope my finger nails needed to be retrieved from the arm rest. We made it safe and sound but others were not so lucky as we seen at least 4 bad accidents on the way. I have sworn that I will never travel through the mountains in the winter again.
Once we arrived at Hope the weather changed... no more snow. There was light rain in Vancouver and the ferry ride to Vancouver Island was smooth.
Feb 17.2014
Coming home to Gabriola Island this time, I noticed how green and mild it is now. The evergreens, ferns and grass are all so lush and green and there is a mildness in the climate now.
Feb 18, 2014
Morning showers and mild days. We are anxious to get outdoors as it is warm and sunny. I notice that the garlic bulbs that I planted last October before we left are trying to lift their heads above the ground.
We get busy cutting back the overgrown trees in our yard. They were all pruned right down last February when we bought the property and it seems they all grew right back through-out the summer, plus some. Plants actually like to be cut back. After they are pruned they put even more energy into growing and seem to thicken out.
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