What a difference a day makes...

This week started out as a typical week in the early springtime of the eastern part of the western world.  Cold and windy but nice enough to go for a walk/run.  But the weather network and the radio people were all freaking out about the coming storm.  One thing I have learned since moving here is to believe these people about the big storms...ie - hurricanes, nor'easters, drought, etc.  So the kid packed up all of her stuff, left masses amounts of food for the cats, filled her bathtubs, and moved out to my place.  After all, Nova Scotia is the land of the power outages.  We went for a nice enjoyable (slightly chilly) walk in the afternoon, talked about the wonderousness of sunny weather and the fact that apparently we were in for a big one on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday the weather was even nicer...iffin you can believe it.  Sunnier, warmer, and less windy.  No snow was to be found anywhere.  It was bee-YOU-tea-full.  Wednesday dawned cloudy but relatively benign.  I had a few doubts about the storm as it had been predicted to start the night before.  Still no snow on the ground.  Then the wind started to pick up...

By the time five o'clock rolled around we had a four foot snowdrift in our back yard.  You could not see across the driveway.  That is when a little one decided that she wanted to go outside to play.  After about a half hour of showing her what it looked like outside (horizontal snow) and opening the door (keeping a shoulder against it so it wouldn't get blown against the wall and create major damage) she still wanted to go out.  So we packed her up and headed out the door with her.  (Not we...her grandfather did) They tried to walk across the driveway but couldn't see because the small ice pellets were stinging their eyes, so she opted to try to "play" by sitting on a tree branch close to the ground and hang on so she wouldn't get blown across the yard.  That is when she turned to her Papa and said.  "Papa I think I made a bad decision.  Can we go back in the house now."  Sometimes you just have to experience things in order to really understand the ramifications.  Ah youth. 

The storm continued to rage into the night and the next morning the neighbour's cottage had a ten foot wind drift behind it.  But the temperatures warmed up and by the next day...we were back to no snow.  Today the weather network had these words...I shit you not.  "Rain this morning with the possibility of turning into rain this afternoon."  And yes, it is raining.  And craptastic out there.  March came in like a lion and seems to be heading out like a tyrannosaurus rex.  Perhaps if I make a sacrifice to the weather gods they will take pity on us in April.  (In other words let up on the fucking April showers will you!)

Rock Solid

Well it looks like the world decided to slow back down and turn into a place that doesn't want to spin me off.  Yippee!  It has been almost 16 hours since my last tiny dizzy spell, so it looks like I may be over my inner ear thing.  You have NO idea how wonderful it is.  I have a hard enough time concentrating these days without having to endure spinny, dizzy, puky, barfy times. 

The very strange thing about this episode came in the way of me finding out that pretty much everyone I've talked to about it in the last week either has, or knows someone who has, Benign Positional Vertigo, a condition I didn't know about until last month when I read a book where one of the main characters helps someone out with this problem.  At the time I didn't think much about it because a) I actually didn't know if it was true or not, c) it wasn't a major story plot, and b) my world hadn't started spinning yet. 

If you've ever read this blog you know that I live in the sticks.  Like deep in the sticks.  I have one neighbour then you have to go about three kilometers before you run into another neighbour, so not exactly in the middle of the Manhattan if you know what I mean.  Anyway a day or two after I got my sea legs back I went for a walk and ran into the neighbour from three kilometers away.  Normally I run into her about three or four times in a winter, we both walk every day, but typically not at the same time.  Anyway it turns out that her husband has had BPV for over 20 years.  Then I find out that a relative (the littlest bro) just found out he has it.  Then I went to my writering class and the guy who sat down next to me says he has it.

WTF?

So what is this?  Is it the universe trying to tell me something?  Like - when you read a novel you should take better care to believe shit written there.  Or - guess what...the world has shit going on around you all the time and you are just an oblivious dork.  Pay Attention! 

I do want to say that I am very, very, very glad that the world has stopped spinning.  I am grateful that I don't have to put up with that for 20 years.  And I would be very happy if it never happened again.  Now I have to make some tea...yes you heard me - tea.  And sit down and do some editing on my story and enjoy what the rest of the day will bring.  I guess I did name the Old Shoes and Tea Society well...seeing as I on occasion can enjoy a cuppa.