Thursday, April 1, 2010

Climate Change Concerns: Will this be London’s warmest year on record?

When I broke my cousin’s 100-yard dash record in Grade 9 I was one happy kid.

At a high school reunion, however, about 40 years later (2005), he let the wind out of my sails.

We were looking at the wall plaques and race records in a high school hallway, found the one that listed our athletic achievements, and he said, “Your record time isn’t listed. Looks like I’m still ahead.”

A typo? Field day results from 1964 still on Mr. Ayres’ (PE teacher's) desk?

Who knows? But I’ll live. (My Gr. 8 record for the sack race still stands and will never be broken. Modern kids don’t do sack races. Ask them what it is and they'll say, "S'at?").

A modern day record I read about yesterday deserves a thought or two.

“For the first time since Environment Canada has been keeping records, March in London was snow-free.” (Mar. 31 issue of the Free Press)

On March 8, I wrote that it smelled like spring, and I wanted to go motorcycling, and though there was still snow on the ground I predicted it would be gone soon. It was - too soon, I guess.


["Ollie shovels the last of the snow in march": photo GAH]

Though we usually have snow fall in March (10 days is typical) I bet gardeners will be happy - until they turn the sod over.

“Without the snow there is less moisture in the ground...” said the short newspaper article.

My neighbour has garlic already coming up (planted last fall) and has already planted spring potatoes leading me to think I should get busy too.

But while I’m turning over sod I’ll be thinking, “Will this be Deforest City’s warmest year on record?”

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