Spoiler alert – if you are reading Shimmy or it is on your list of things to do, you may want to skip the first paragraph.

Chapter 9 “Did Someone Say Snow?” came as a result of an intense snowstorm that blanketed the island for days.  The heavy snow took out most of the power before, during and for some, after Christmas when my boys were young.   My characters in Shimmy loved it and managed to make the most of getting unplugged from the grid.   The year I wrote the book, we got lucky and at the stroke of midnight, BC Hydro and Santa managed to get the gigawatts flowing again.

Fast forward to 2021, this year has had more weather anomalies than any other on record.  Summer heat waves that literally brought the islanders to their knees, flooding that crippled most of the province and despite how pretty the fat snowflakes are, the sheer amount of it this season, had a few of my friends cooking Christmas dinner on their camper stove while they waited for the power to come back on.   Older island homes like mine weren’t built for this kind of cold, so my frozen pipes at present are annoying, but by nightfall they may be a serious issue.

Everywhere I turn people are lining up to help each other.   This supportive spirit is year-round but especially during the holiday season.  I am very grateful for this generosity.  Neighbors, first responders, hydro workers, electricians, plumbers, anyone who can solve someone else’s problem are stepping forward and helping.  

It is quite literally my day job to sound the alarm bell on climate change and the devastating effects it is having on our planet.  While we all do our part to slow the impact of climate change, it is a great feeling to know we can lean on each other.