• Peggy’s Cove, Wildfires & Rain

    Hours Categories Journaling
    Comments 1 Comment

    As of today, the wildfire at Long Lake is 8,234 hectares and still growing. We got hit last weekend with an offshore hurricane. While we have had much, much worse hurricane-wise, this one was far enough offshore that we did not get any rain, but we got enough wind to double the size of the wildfire. Since then, we have had very little rain. We’ve had a little here in Halifax, but not enough in the Annapolis Valley where the fire is. There have now been houses lost as well, about 20 they are saying. I feel so bad for the people that have lost their houses. One couple is due to have their first baby in September.

    Since we are off this weekend, we decided to try and get out. At 4 p.m. yesterday, they lifted the ban on going into the woods in 7 of the 18 counties in Nova Scotia. Just the very top 7, which includes Halifax, so we can technically go into the woods now, including the nature paths and parks that were off limits. We’ve decided, though, that we are not going to yet. Just because they lifted it doesn’t mean it’s fully safe. Someone else might still start a fire that we might get caught up in if we go into the woods. So we have decided to stay out a while longer. It sucks because we like to hike. We so desperately need more rain.

    Instead, today we decided to go to Peggy’s Cove. I unfortunately did not get one picture, though, because we never made it past the washrooms and info center at the entrance to the village due to an incident. We parked to use the washroom before continuing farther into the village. When we got out of our car, we noticed a van in front of us and to the right was only partially in the spot, and there was another car in the lane in front of it. Everyone was in their cars, so we didn’t think much of it. We used the washroom and came back. On the way back, we saw the van try and pull forward and back into the spot better, as they were partially hanging out of the spot.

    The car pulled forward and started honking at them and going at the side of the car like he was going to hit it. Inside the van was a woman, her mother or mother-in-law (I assume), and her 4 young kids. Inside the car was a young couple in their early 20s. He got out of the car and started swearing at the mom in another language. She got out and started walking towards us and said, “He’s harassing me, and I have my 4 young kids in the car, and I don’t know what to do.” So Edward, who is a large guy, moved towards her to protect her as the guy who got out of the car headed right for her and me. He got between them and asked the guy what was going on.

    The guy told us she took his spot, and she told us she didn’t mean to but didn’t realize he was going for the spot, as he was going against the arrows the wrong way and she couldn’t see him coming around the corner. Once she pulled in, he blocked her and would not let her get back out, and he started harassing her. So another guy who was walking up and I both told him to move on and find another spot. The other guy even said, “We are leaving, leave her alone and take ours.” So he agreed grudgingly, got in his car, and followed him over a few spots. He proceeded to try and take the spot while the other guy was still trying to get out of it. In the meantime, a third car took the spot.

    We all kind of laughed because, well, karma. But he got really mad, got out of his car, and came at me and the woman with the kids again. I yelled at him to stay where he was and put myself between her and him. My husband came around me and got between me and him and told him to get in his car and leave. At this point, my husband was really mad and told him to just get back in his car and leave. He could have made two of him, so he’s pretty intimidating. In the meantime, my husband told me to go to our car and see if he would get back in his and take my spot so that he would leave her alone, and he started walking with her towards the bathrooms because he was scared to walk away from her or the kids.

    The guy did get in his car and then proceeded to block me. I rolled down my window and yelled at him again to get the hell out of my way. If he wanted my spot, he had to let me out. So he backed up a bit, and I forced him farther. At that point, I was willing to hit him with my car if it kept me and her safe. So he backed off. I went around and picked up my husband, as someone else took over from my husband and walked with the woman, her mom, and the kids towards the info center so they could let someone know what was going on. We followed her to ensure she got inside there and that he and his girlfriend went another way, and then we left.

    At that point, I was just mad and said I didn’t want to go that way and risk running into him again, so we decided to go back to Halifax. Instead of heading into the village, we went shopping for some things we needed. It was our anniversary a few days ago, 9 years, and we had planned a day, but by that point it felt ruined. To salvage it, we went out for supper. Overall, the day was okay. I just wish we had gotten into Peggy’s Cove as planned.

  • My Beautiful Province Is On Fire, Again

    Hours Categories Day-To-Day
    Comments 2 Comments

    On Tuesday a wildfire broke out not too far from where we live, less then 3km “as the crow flies”. The fire, in the Bayer’s Lake Business Park and shopping district at Susie’s Lake, Nova Scotia (NS) was just a little too close to home for comfort. I was at a nearby building for work, which was higher up and with a better vantage point of the fire so I was keeping my husband updated as he was a bit closer to the fire at our buildings. We were close enough that we had ash falling on us and thick smoke. To say it was unnerving is an understatement. I think we both felt on edge right into the night. Luckily they attacked the fire with Department of Natural Resources (DNR) helicopters from NS and water bombers from New Brunswick (NB). Today it is mostly under control and only about 15 hectares. The later said it was cause by human activity in the woods near the park. Here are a few pictures not long after it started. I’ve been too busy to get any more.

    A day or so later we became aware of another fire in Annapolis County where my parents live. It’s not too close to them that they are in danger, however it is close enough that they have gotten a lot of smoke from it. The fire, near West Dalhousie at Long Lake is close to Bridgetown, NS which is about 17km “as the crow flies” from my parents. It is currently at about 1100 hectares. It was 400 hectares Friday and grew to 800 yesterday and then 1100 overnight last night. The fire was caused by a lightning strike. It is currently threatening more then 100 homes with more evacuations expected this evening.

    They have been fighting this fire with DNR helicopters as well as ground firefighting crews. The same water bombers that fought the Susie’s Lake fire early this week are currently fighting this one, along with additional water bombers from the North West Territories today (about 4000km away!). Yesterday, one of the helicopters from NS crashed into a shallow part of a lake, and I believe it’s still there. It took an hour and a half for nearby firefighters and crew to get to and rescue the pilot. Who is now in the hospital but expected to make a full recovery, thankfully. To say that we are grateful to these firefighters and pilots, again, is an understatement!

    This is all the result of weeks of hot weather, extreme heat waves and draught. We are currently under voluntary water conservation measures due to the draught. The weather has been hot and humid all summer. To the point where the woods were so dry that even before the fires started we have been under mandatory fire bans and then a mandatory ban from even entering the woods and forests. A complete blanket ban. No entering at all. Even in the city. No hiking, fishing, ATV’s or entering the woods at all without a permit. Not even paths in the city in wooded areas. This has not gone over well with some people who say its a violation of our rights. But it is so needed! I have no issue with it at all and think it should remain in place until this is over. We are still so dry, in fact all of the Atlantic provinces are. There are fires in NB and Newfoundland as well. There has been fire bans and even New Brunswick implemented a similar forest and woods ban as we have here in NS.

    This is not the first time this has happened. There is fires every few years. But we don’t usually have multiple large fires like they do out west. In 2023 we had a rather bad one, it was 969 hectares and burned down 151 houses just outside the city. I only found out the number of houses in researching this. I had no idea it was that high. I do know there was many pets and wildlife lost but no human deaths as a direct cause of the fire in 2023. Considering the one outside Bridgetown is 1100 hectares and still growing is scary when you think of the loss of homes from the 2023 fire, however the area of this current fire is not nearly as populated as it is rural and not urban. That was the issue with the 2023 fire, it was urban and in a very populated area on the outskirts of the city.

    So, on top of all of this, hurricane season is just starting here. The first hurricane of the season in the Atlantic, named Erin, rapidly grew to a Category 5 yesterday, over the last few hours it’s been downgraded to a Category 3 and is currently tracking to come quite close to the southern tip of the province. As with many hurricanes that have threatened us in the past, this track can change and completely miss us, or it can come even closer or even hit us directly. We have had a few that have hit us since 2000. You can find a list here. The three that I remember being affected by the most where Juan in 2003 which did major damage to the city, Dorian in 2019 which toppled a crane onto a residential apartment building and caused a lot of damage in and near the city and Fiona in 2022 which affected the Digby area where we were living at the time causing a lot of damage there to trees. We were camping when that one happened. Oops.

    I guess the biggest question I have is what will the effect of the winds and rain be on the fire(s). I am not sure if the Susie’s Lake one is even completely out, but it might be by then. As for the one near Bridgetown, I do wonder what kind of effect the hurricane if it hits or comes close will have on the fire if it is still burning. I guess that depends on how much rain, and how much wind. As you usually get the wind first I assume it could make it worse, but will there be enough rain to put it out or make a huge difference? I asked Google and it’s AI answer is:

    A hurricane can significantly alter the conditions of a forest fire, potentially increasing its intensity, spread, and duration. While the heavy rainfall associated with hurricanes can suppress some fires, the strong winds can create dangerous conditions, and the storm can leave behind large amounts of downed and dead trees that act as fuel, making subsequent fires more likely and severe. 

    I have no idea how accurate that is, so we’ll see.

  • What I Hope To Achieve Through Journaling

    Hours Categories Journaling
    Comments 2 Comments

    Welcome to my blog. Journaling is something I’ve been doing ever since I was a child. I started out writing in a small journal that someone gave me, though I can’t quite remember why — maybe a birthday or Christmas? Either way, I’ve kept a journal ever since. Nothing fancy, just writing, since I’ve never been very artistic. Years later, I started blogging. This would have been in the early 2000s, when blogging was more personal. I’m hoping to use this blog to recapture that feeling for myself.

    As I mentioned above, I started out journaling in a small notebook I was given as a gift years ago. I remember filling that journal up and then going out to buy a new one. I think that’s where my lifelong love of journals, paper, pens, and handwriting started. Later, I moved on to blogging in the early 2000s. I taught myself how to create websites before WordPress was even a thing. I started on Geocities, then progressed to Greymatter, and eventually WordPress.

    For almost as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled in some way with depression and anxiety. I’ve always had a hard time knowing who I am and where I belong, not so much within my family, but more within the world. I hope that through journaling I can learn more about myself and show myself some compassion and understanding. This is something I’ve found helpful in the past, and I’m really looking forward to it again.

    In writing things down, I’m hoping to see what helps and what doesn’t, essentially teaching myself some coping mechanisms when things aren’t feeling so good. I have a habit of looking at things critically and through a negative lens. I need to change this and start looking on the bright side, finding the silver linings in things that are hard or challenging.

    For me, it’s not about fixing everything right away. It’s more about staying grounded when things feel out of control. I’ve tried a few coping mechanisms in the past, such as deep breathing (which really works for me), positive affirmations, and creating small rituals. So, as I explore — and in some cases re-explore — these strategies and whatever else I discover, I think this will be a good way of tracking my progress.

    I’ve never been much of a creative person (at least not visually). I don’t have much talent when it comes to design, and I like to keep things simple. Because of that, drawing and artistic-style journaling has never worked for me. Believe me, I tried! I really wanted it to work. But I found that I’m too much of a perfectionist and would end up tearing out pages.

    For that same reason, I eventually gave up physical journals, and I think that’s why I turned to blogging. Digital just works better for me. It feels more forgiving — no pages to rip out, no messy handwriting to get frustrated with. I can always go back and revise without feeling like I’ve “ruined” something.

    I’m hoping to learn as I go and see where this journey takes me. The truth is, I don’t have it all figured out and that’s kind of the point! I’m learning how to slow down, be kinder to myself, and make choices that reflect the kind of life I actually want. I don’t really have any idea what direction this blog will go. And that’s okay. It’s time I just got out there and started blogging again.