Cold and Snow Are Four Letter Words

 
Lucy had become mentally sore four winter storms ago. Word was the schools and municipal offices were closed once again. Flights were being canceled in parts of Atlantic Canada as a powerful spring blizzard headed toward the region. Strong winds and a massive Spring storm threatened to bring heavy snow. People living on the East Coast had been advised to start moving away from there since it would soon be inhospitable thanks to man-made climate change.

Lucy turned on the radio and significant snow from the storm they named Maleficent was predicted for all four provinces. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were expected to see the biggest accumulation with up to 40 to 50 centimeters predicted for the two provinces. She thought it amusing how the weather nuts had been naming winter storms to pretend they are worse than they have ever been. Just a way to generate traffic to their weather sites she asked herself, or was this really the storm of the year?

Environment Canada forecaster Tracey Talbot warned that any residents along the coastline should stay away from the water and prepare for potentially damaging storm surges. Were the storms really worse than years before? When Lucy was a child she wore pants under her skirt, stood at the bus stop for an extra hour, and went to school. Was this years weather on a 50 year cycle, or were we all at the beginning of a new ice age.

Did Lucy believe in climate change? Absolutely, because a vast majority of scientists, who live for truth, facts, and proven hypothesis, have all come to the conclusion that we are destroying our planet. All winter it had been record amounts of snow and ice and she predicted record breaking heat for the rest of the year. Could we ever find the brain power to fix it?

All day the storm raged just as they had predicted and P.E.I's premier signed a state of emergency. In a press release, Robert Ghiz said the state of emergency was declared to allow a fully coordinated provinces response to challenges they were now facing. Environment Canada predicted the storm might not stop for another 7 days. The population of the island was now advised to evacuate.

Evacuate? To where?

The train pulled into the station covered in heavy snow and crowds pushed and shoved to gain one of the coveted seats. Lucy realized it was not going to go far. As it edged along the coastline the engine  seemed to beg for mercy. It was now the highest of tides and as the moonlight seemed to direct the train directly into the path of the oncoming sea she remembered the words of her grandmother Lucy Maud Montgomery.

 
"Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."

As they plowed into the 20 foot wave she smiled as she viewed the world with her kaleidoscope eyes. The wall of snow was now blowing upwards. If her theories were correct the streets would be clear soon and it would be summer in mere hours. One could only hope.