Mother nature has snapped and lost it.

We have major flooding everywhere, roads washed out and generally crappy weather.  It is still snowing off and on all day after yesterdays terrible downpour. 

Mink Lake is washed out in three places, Papineau Lake Rd is washed out on both ends.  Hwy 62 was closed all day yesterday (almost 24 hours) with a washout north of Birds Creek and Hybla Road is closed at 62 from flooding.  And that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Thereare many, many more places.

Lake levels are higher than they have been in over 25 years.  The York River is rising 4 cms every hour today.  The parking lot at the LCBO and Legion in Bancroft is closed off because the water has risen over the break wall.

I have never seen anything like it.  Every little pond and stream is bursting over the edges.  The water at the dam in Whitney is running over top of the structure and it has taken out the bridge on the rail bed just outside of Whitney.  The little hotel in Whitney is completly flodded out.  Mckenzie Lake had the culvert flooded out at the hydro sub-station closing that road also.

So if you have waterfront property you have a much smaller front yard now. 

I guess it goes without saying that I have had to cancel the ATV mud run for next weekend.  There is still way too much snow in the bush, the water holes are far too deep and all those bikes on the snowmobile trail would really do some damage to it.  The secondary trails are not travelable.  There is too much ice and snow.  The guys went out for a little ride today just to check and were not able to get very far. 

Also with the temperatures at zero and colder it would not be fun.  I wouldn't go out in that and mark the trail and I wouldn't expect anyone else to.  It takes three people two days to mark the trail and if I was one of them I would be one whiney, unhappy camper when I got home. 

On a possitive note there are multipule fund raisers this weekend for a young man that was badly burned in a grease fire.  The Moose FM had a radioathon on Friday and raised $30,000.00 in five hours.  Pretty good for a small community with a high unemployment rate. Vance Motors raised $1,000.00 in one day cleaning cars.  A dance is being held tonight and a bingo, silent auction, bake sale Sunday.  Austin Chapleau was cooking dinner for his younger siblings when the grease started on fire.  He slipped with the flaming grease and suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 50 % of his body.  He has had five surgeries so far in three weeks.  He is only 15 years old.  This really is a great place to live.

Let's hope that the weather smartens up and we finally get some spring.  I am getting tired of winter.

As ever the optimist I wonder if this cold spring will mean less black flies or will they just hang on until August because they will be getting a late start. Something to ponder over a glass of wine I think.

That's it for now.  Back next week with better news I hope.

Cheers
Nancy