Will Vancouver run out of yogurt?

A couple of days ago we saw on the news a tragedy of major proportions: a tractor-trailer truck loaded with (gasp!) yogurt overturned in a ditch outside Vancouver. The snow we never have, but for some reason have a overwhelmingly huge amount of this year, is to blame. The driver wasn't hurt, and no other vehicle got damaged, but the loss of yogurt to Vancouverites is a frightful thought for many people.

Will there be panic in the stores as people search empty shelves for the milky delight?

If people hear a rumour of a store that has a stock of yogurt, will the store be overrun with hungry granola munchers who need the silky liquid to mix with the grains to create a complete meal?

Will people just stop getting up in the morning because their breakfast food is just not there for them? Will they skip the morning yoga classes? Will the sushi bars have to extend hours so "last call" is pushed back for people to drown their yogurt-losses in sushi?

The answer is of course not.

In Vancouver we have developed a huge network of sources of yogurt. When one source of supply is interrupted another one can be used to cover the deficit. This is something we take very seriously here.

Silly.

What can you buy for 50 cents?

Interestingly, there is no easy key stroke to get the cent symbol anymore. Maybe that was just on typewriters.

So you're probably saying there is nothing you can buy for 50 cents... but there is something very valuable that provides for many minutes of enjoyment. It's bird seed!

We went to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary on Tuesday. It was a frigid -6 degrees celsius (yes, in Vancouver that's too damned cold and no one is used to it) and there was snow on the ground (which also doesn't usually happen in or around Vancouver) but it was sunny and it's a great time of the year to take photos of birds. So we braved the cold to take some photos. Because it is winter and it's very hard for birds to find food under the snow, we opted to get a couple of bags of bird seed at the entrance gate. It was 50 cents a bag!

When we got the bird seed the woman at the entrance said the birds would be happy to see us because very few people had been there in this weather. The mix of seed was good for the birds right now, so they could use the food and we were sure it was all good for them. Typically we don't get bird seed because it's not a great idea to make wild birds dependent on humans. Unfortunately, that's why the birds are at the sanctuary, so they already are dependent.

We saw many little sparrows and chickadees, the ubiquitous mallards, coots, and pintails, and 3 sandhill cranes! The sandhill cranes were almost as tall as me! They are graceful grey birds that introduced themselves by walking on water - the frozen water in one of the ponds. After a great photo shoot they flew off and we followed them. They were near some handy benches, so we got the bird seed out and had a wonderful time feeding the cranes (and some ducks too). The cranes have long thin beaks and very good aim to collect the bird seeds on the ground. So we took even more pictures.

It was good for the birds, and good for us too. So that's what 50 cents will buy.

What is that white stuff?

Yes, it's snow. Yes, we're in Canada, so we should know all about this. But we're in Vancouver!

When we moved to Vancouver 10 years ago it was fascinating to watch the snow removal efforts of people here. They actually moved the snow into the middle of the streets! That way it melted faster. It was guaranteed to rain soon after the snow had finished landing, and it would all be gone in a matter of a couple of hours.

Yesterday it started snowing in the afternoon and it kept accumulating. The snow is still here now, the next evening, and will likely be here for a few more days. This is just not right.

Of course there are compensations, we live at the top of a rather steep hill, and our windows face the right direction for viewing this hill. The entertainment value of watching people attempt to drive up the hill lasts for quite a while. Just some clues for the clueless:

1 - When driving in new snow, use the busy, most travelled street, not the back alley! The best surface you can get is the travelled street.
2 - Slow and steady works. Spinning your tires in a blind effort to go as fast as your tires will spin wastes gas, makes ice under your tires, and will not get you anywhere quickly. Those cars that are going slowly are actually...going somewhere, unlike those with spinning wheels.
3 - Park the car on the side of the road if you're going to give up on it and walk away from it. Abandoned cars in the middle of the road are only good for bumper-car games.
4 - Stay home when it snows if you can. It's the smart thing to do, and you don't want to die of stupidity.