The Hub March 2015 | Page 4

CONNECTING On a chilly Sunday in February, I woke up to every homeowner’s nightmare – the furnace had given up the ghost sometime in the night. After a busy day of speaking with technicians, gathering up space heaters and putting extra blankets on the bed, we settled in to the coldest two weeks of the year. Just our luck that the furnace breakdown coincided with a run of record-breaking February lows. As I write, the furnace installation has been scheduled, the outdoor temps have climbed to the negative single digits and my heart has been warmed by the outpouring of kind offers of everything from places to stay to extra space heaters. In spite of these offers from friends, relatives and acquaintances, we stuck it out at home, preferring to keep an eye on the pipes. We’ve managed by confining ourselves to the living room and snuggling under blankets, but it was wonderful to know there are so many in our lives who are thinking of us. I think that’s one of the things about Windsor-Essex I like best; people here generally have good hearts and willing hands, not hesitating to offer what they can in a time of crisis or concern. We’ve got a reputation in our community for being generous with our time, our money and our support. It’s inspiring to think that a major metropolitan area can hang onto tthat quality so often found only in small towns – a willingness to take care of each other. So far, March is coming in like a lion; there’s still a lot of snow on the ground, and the mercury hasn’t quite crept above freezing yet. Hopefully, this means it will go out like a lamb – I’m looking forward to robins, and tulips and those other signs that spring is on its way. Until then, it’s the though of this wonderful, caring community I call home – and a shiny new furnace – that’s keeping me warm. I feel rather naive when I read my Connecting column from March 2014. At the time we were just emerging from an unprecedented winter. Everyone, everywhere was bemoaning the extreme conditions of the previous several months. The fact that we are a hearty lot to have survived the winter from Hell, considering we live in the banana belt of Canada, was on everyone's mind and tongue. We fell just short of gloating to have sailed rather unscathed through a winter we were unlikely to see again unless we moved to Nunavut. Well here we are again. Whether due to global warming or Mother Nature's idea of a practical joke, we find ourselves in a strange Groundhog Day scenario. If you're like me, you're starting to think that an investment in thermal underwear and that previously debated snow blower might now be a necessity. But, here's the thing. Despite, having to endure unrelenting cold temperatures and snow piling up higher than our boot tops, we're still here to tell the story. We were not happy, but stand up to the challenge we did. Not only did we survive, we refused to put our lives on hold. We went to work and school, we shopped, ran our usual errands and even continued to enjoy outdoor activities. And, at The Hub, we continued to work on bringing you the best magazine possible. This month you'll read about Free Little Libraries, e- Waste and Energy Healing as well as all the upcoming events during the month of March. It may not be time to pack those boots away yet, but it is time to embrace a new month and a new season. Can I get an Alleluia? . Eva Shelley Managing Editors Please direct advertising or subscription inquiries to [email protected] Eva Antonel Shelley Divnich Haggert Contributors Alex Antonel, Taylor Busch, Angelica Haggert, Michael Haggert, Windsor Essex County Health Unit Connect With Us! [email protected] facebook.com/thehubwindsoressex @TheHubWE 4 The HUB - March 2015 Copyright 2015 The Write Side Up Inc. & Audacity Design Group Inc. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the written permission of the publishers. The Hub is published 11 times a year by The Write Side Up Inc. & Audacity Design Group Inc. Articles and advertisements in The Hub do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine. We do not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of any product, service or information being advertised. We do not knowingly present any product, idea or statement which is fraudulent or misleading in nature.