Fireworks, Ice Storms And Some Awesomely Cool Photos To Turn Your Crank

We had fireworks here Monday night. A sight to behold. Beautiful, in fact.

Now, before your dirty little birds' minds go totally into the gutter, let me explain. Mr. Handsome and I were innocently sitting on the couch, watching a show about pregnant people in peril (what else?!), when suddenly a very bright and shiny blue light flashed before our eyes on the street in front of us, and seemed to move across, toward the main street.


I was sure it was yet another plow coming to push snow and ice in front of our laneway once again, forcing us to push Dee out the door into the cold to shovel (he has to do something to earn his keep). Mr. Handsome, on the other hand, was positive it was an alien. Of course it was.


The flashing blue light continued happening on and off for the next 29 minutes, with either myself or Mr. Handsome running to the window to check it out everytime it would appear. But, alas, we could not for the life of us figure out what the hell it was. There was no plow on the road. Nay, not even a noise could be heard. I was starting to think that maybe Mr. Handsome was correct in his assertion that this was, indeed, an alien, and that we were about to be sucked up into the guts of a cool blue spaceship and meet some freaky beings who would stick hot pokers under our eyelids and feed us galactical ice cream or something.


And then, Mr. Handsome exclaimed, "Holy crap! Look at those fireworks! And the flames!"


Which, of course, got me jumping over to the window in nano-seconds because where there are flames, there are firefighters. Need I say more?


Well, there were no firefighters, but what there was was some awesome and electrifying entertainment, thanks to some power lines and some tree branches that finally gave up the ghost, due to the ice storm that blew through here the other day. Apparently, our fair city got the worst of the storm, a full 13 hours of blustery cold ice raining down on our trees, bushes and little furry animals. Yes, everything was indeed beautiful, but the havoc it wreaked. Not like the ice storm of 1998, but bad enough, with thousands of people going without power for days. I remember the ice storm of 1998 very well, because I was then VERY pregnant with Dee, and had decided that, if I went into labour and we couldn't make it to the hospital because of all the downed trees and power lines in the city, I would keep my legs crossed tightly and just pretend I was having very bad indigestion. The power of the mind is awesome, guys.


Anyway, soon enough, a hydro man dressed in an orange jumpsuit came by and apparently fixed the fireworks, because they soon stopped, much to my chagrin because I'm always up for some excitement. It's been kind of boring around here, with me being sick as a horse's hemorrhoid. And as I sit here writing this, my mind wanders and I wonder if that orange-suited hydro worker was not actually a person who had just broken out of prison and was on the run, and only pretending to be a hydro worker, because that orange suit sure looked a lot like jail garb, if you ask me. But then, I guess working at midnight in minus-30-degree weather is pretty much akin to being in jail, isn't it.


And now, as I promised you in my last post, some amazing, titillating photos from our super duper holiday in Florida! Now, as you view these photos, just remember that I have yet to figure the whole Photoshop thing out, which obviously means I am VERY blonde and totally inept in every way imaginable. Also, please remember that I got sick halfway through this vacation, so please don't get all jealous and envious and roll your eyes as you see beautiful palm trees, sunshine, and people frolicking in outdoor pools, because remember, I was very, very, very sick, and did not enjoy myself anywhere near as much as I could have. Okay, thanks.

Some very cool clouds on our way to Orlando. They were like furrows in the ground, but, of course, they weren't in the ground, they were in the air, which made them only that much cooler.

A shot inside the airplane, in which I show off the fact that I had more legroom than even a giraffe needs. I was beyond happy, and amazed that these airline people actually trusted me to be responsible enough to deal with an exit door.

The official Christmas tree at the entrance to Animal Kingdom on our first day at Disney World.

Dee about to be eaten by a triceratops. I miss him.

Dee and I taking a wee spin. Fun times.

This is a bat. A very cool, very tired bat. I want to be this bat when I grow up.

Flowers in December.

This is a Baobab tree that, in itself, is amazing. It's also called an Upside Down Tree, because its branches look like roots. What I thought was even better were the crows sitting amongst its branches. Sort of Edgar Allan Poe-like, if you follow my drift.

A smiling antelope-like animal that isn't an antelope, but close enough. He was a friendly chap.

More photos tomorrow, folks!