Jul 01, 2021
A different July 1st
This is the first year that I have not worn red. I did however still put out all of our Canadian flags. Our local Canada parade was cancelled last year because of Covid. It was a go for this year but was cancelled because of the heat just two days ago. Yes we are still in the midst of our over the top heat wave. We did get up to 41C/106F today and have cooled down to a lovely 36F/97F at 8PM.
By now you likely have heard about the town of Lytton, the one that kept breaking record after record of high temperatures. Yesterday the town topped out at 49.5C/121F, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. By 6PM they were ordered to evacuate. Today the town is 90% gone. You can read about that devastation here. It has been mentioned that a passing train might have ignited the spark that caused this fire. Today they are discussing halting trains in BC for the moment because of the extreme dryness.
I have lived here in BC since 1980 and have never seen anything like this. We moved here to Kelowna in 2003 because it rained too much month after month in Vancouver. This past June we have had no precipitation worth mentioning. So when this heat dome arrived the province was already dry. Now we are breaking weather records almost daily and the heat wave is causing rising fire danger. We already have low water levels due to a dry spring. So much is being affected.
Things such as our garden crops. Personally our peas are dying as it is too hot for them to keep producing. We have to cover our tomatoes with umbrellas to keep the foliage from becoming burnt and dying. It is cherry season here in the Okanagan. Pickers come in annually from Eastern Canada but this season we are short because of Covid/travel. Because of this tinder dry heat the only way the cherries can be picked is during the middle of the night. The pickers are wearing head lamps. The fruit is ready and ripened to perfection because of the heat but they need to be picked rapido. There is no way they can pick in the heat of the day. Meanwhile other crops are affected such as apples which have become sunburned. Getting irrigation to the orchards has become a challenge because of the high demand for water. A logistical concern for each individual grower.
It looks like honey production is going to be affected. You might want to buy an extra container sooner than later.
Not far from us in Vernon there is a Great Blue Heron sanctuary. I cried when I read this, the young newly hatched herons are perishing because of the heat. Thankfully some neighbours have come to together to save them. Still 12 did die yesterday. You can read about that here.
At this very moment we have 101 active fires of which 77 are new in the past two days. We were planning to leave next Thursday but there is huge fire burning near 100 Mile House which is near where we were going to visit. That plan is on hold for a few days. The fire is called the Deka fire.
We can see these smoke plums from the Big White fire right from our home. This photo was taken from downtown Kelowna. I never thought to take a photo.
The Sparks Lake fire is near Kamloops. 163 homes near the Deka Lake/ 100 Mile House fire were evacuated today with more on evacuation alert.
All the news bulletins today are about fires. What is not mentioned is a new fire near Castlegar. It won’t be long before we are living in smoke again.
So sad to read about all of these heat related events. Yet there is even greater sorrow with regard to the daily news coming forth re the Residential Schools. I was not aware that this was happening in my youth. How could I have not known? Did my parents even know or were they just not talking about it? I will never know. This is a link to a what I think is a well written factual article explaining the circumstances re the Residential Schools and what happened. Many of you both Canadian, American and those abroad ( thinking of you Fawzy ) might not understand the reason that is causing a good deal of news here in Canada. This article might help condense the situation in an easily read article.
Certainly not the best of July 1st that I have experienced.
Taken from our yard last week.
I am still very proud to be a Canadian.
<< Older Posts Home Newer Posts >>
Sorry about the heat& fires; definitely society has to accelerate action to ameliorate climate change ,like now!Your comments about the lost children & residential schools hit a chord; I think too many of us were unaware of these appalling situations & the PM is correct,we all have to step up.I also am proud to be Canadian- enjoy the blog,Colin’s pics & of course the evolution of the pups.All the best
My heart aches for our Canadian neighbors. Both of our countries have committed horrible wrongs in our past. Here’s hoping and praying that our futures will be filled with mire love and tolerance.
That is horrible! So sad to see all that go up in smoke. Stay safe!
Thinking of you both… and the kids.
Stay safe!
I wanted to read that article but the link said I have to sign in to Facebook to do so and I don’t have a Facebook account. I do know something about the history of the residential schools, though, and it’s hard to think people once thought they were a good idea. There is a good film about the situation as it was in Australia: The Rabbit Proof Fence. Anyone wanting to know more about the thinking behind the schools may want to watch it.
We did not know.
My mother, who was a teacher and very well read and knowledgeable, did not know. We simply did not know.
So sad, it breaks my heart.
No we simply did not know.