Dec. 29: Ice storm

Tell you what, friends and neighbours, we were preparing for a major ice storm last night. We filled the bathtub with water in case we needed it to flush. I had my power bank fully charged and was mentally preparing myself to throw out everything in the fridge and freezer.

But it wound up being for naught. Our friends at the weather network told us we were in for a doozy - something that had the potential to knock out power grids and turn this stretch of Ontario into a massive skating rink.

That didn't happen. We escaped the worst in this corner of Ontario. Looking out the window, I see a coat of ice on my car but that can surely be removed with a few minutes work. Even now, the temperature hovers around zero and the normal mid-afternoon traffic can be heard on the highway below the window where I am typing this.

We might have dodged a bullet. The CBC headline reads that "a mix of freezing rain, ice pellets, sleet, strong winds underway as power outages spread" and that "Flights cancelled as freezing rain, blizzard conditions wallop Eastern Canada."

Some people on my feed are opining that the warning was much ado about nothing. We are safe and we are warm and yes the roads are a little slick but soon it will be business as usual.

And so, on this third last day of 2025, I am content. Last night's preparations were a minor inconvenience - I was happy to do them in order to make some of the people I care about feel more secure. The washing machine is going, the sun will soon be setting, and dinner will be served.

This year's ice storm wound up being a yawnfest.