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Last week we had a heatwave sweep across parts of western Canada with temperatures here in Tumbler Ridge nearing 40 degrees celsius on some days. For those of you in the States, that’s 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately for some in other communities, they hit much higher temps than that. Lytton, BC hit a record 49.5 degrees which is equal to121!
And then the forest fires started… You may have heard about Lytton (again) since the entire community burned to the ground within minutes of the fire starting. As I write this, there are four wildfires burning near Tumbler Ridge. While a couple have been labelled out of control, we are not on evacuation order, but we are on alert. I’ve got my go-bag packed, my vehicle full of gas, and a couple of boxes of photos and other irreplaceable memorabilia ready to go. If we get the call, I’m ready. Like the Switchfoot song says, as long I’ve got you by my side, let the rest burn.
Some of you from southern locales may think, “104 isn’t that bad. We deal with that all the time!” I suppose it’s kind of like the smugness I feel when I hear ‘southerners’ complaining about the cold when it’s hardly below freezing, or panicking when they get an inch of snow. I’m a tough Canadian who thrives in sub-zero!
We shouldn’t really make those comparisons.
My house is well insulated for the cold. I have a forced-air furnace plus a wood stove if needed. I own several warm winter coats plus a myriad of boots, mitts, scarves… And our municipality budgets for snow removal. On the other hand, homes in the south of our continent may not be well insulated or have triple-pane windows. They might not even have a furnace. And snow removal? What’s that?!
The same goes for this type of heatwave. While air conditioning might be a given in many parts of the world, we don’t have it in our home. The few really hot days we normally get each summer makes it unnecessary. Another factor is the length of days. While the sun goes down at a regular time the further south you go, there is no respite from its rays the further north you go. Fortunately for us, it does get dark around 11 pm for a few hours where we live, but when we lived in the Yukon and NWT, it was daylight 24/7. This means there is little chance for the air to cool off in the evenings. The sun just keeps on shining, and so the heat lingers.
The real irony to this situation is the fact that most people have been retreating to their basements – if they are lucky enough to have one. We wait all the long winter for summer so that we can live outside more, only to have to retreat because of the heat! A friend of mine reminded me of the fact that she just started leaving her potted flowers outside on the first of June since she didn’t want to risk the evening frost! Now, one month later, they’re burning to death!
Lucky for me, I do have a basement, so I’ve retreated there in the afternoons to do my usual writing and marketing tasks. I also did a bit of sewing (normally a winter activity!) and my daughter has come over with her little son to hang out. By the time this is posted, the temperatures will have gone back to something normal – still hot enough to feel like summer, but not so hot as to feel like you’re melting.
As far as writing goes, I am super happy to almost have the Winter edition of DIVINE APPOINTMENTS ready for publication. It is scheduled to come out at the end of July – another irony since that seems to be the topic of the day!
Yes, WINTER is releasing in JULY!
How have you been spending your summer so far?
A couple of sewing projects I finished during the heatwave (already shared on Social Media.)
