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
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Eva Antonel
Shelley Divnich Haggert
Contributors
Alex Antonel, Taylor Busch,
Angelica Haggert, Michael Haggert,
Windsor Essex County Health Unit
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4 The HUB - March 2015
Copyright 2015
The Write Side Up Inc. &
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