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Storms and power outages

Day 3 of our 19 day stay…  OK, apparently we should be asking ahead of time where all the emergency supplies are, in case the power goes out.  And I should have asked when I saw the upcoming weather forecast – which they were calling an Atmospheric River, bringing a series of heavy storms with lots of wind and rain (complete with the possibility of mud slides, especially in areas where the land had a “burn scar” from the wildfires.)  LESSONS LEARNED.

The first step was to help my husband get out of the power recliner where he was having a nap when the lights went out.  Yep, that was graceful!

We were staying in a cute little townhouse.  But that means there are only windows on the front and back, and there is not a lot of natural light that comes in on a rainy day.  I was able to find many many decorative candles, so that was a bonus.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find a lighter to save my life!  And since it was rainy and I had the misfortune of getting a head cold, I really didn’t want to have to go outside to try to find a place that was actually open and had lighters – assuming that traffic lights would be out as well as possible store closures, even though we were carrying emergency cash.

On the bonus side – we were in the city, so things like running water still functioned.  Flush toilets are a miracle invention – no power needed!  We also found where the controls were for the gas fireplace, if it gets too cool inside.  And we had brought two backup battery chargers for our cell phones.

The homeowner did leave contact info for their friend who also lives in the same complex, which was fabulous.  Liz drove over and delivered 2 BBQ lighters to us within a few minutes of us sending her an SOS.  She also let us know that the outage was from a tree falling over the line, so the outage wasn’t expected to last too long.

And what do we do when it is time for a meal and we have no power?  We order delivery!  Without internet, I was able to get a decent cell phone signal as long as I was upstairs sitting in the bathtub.  (City people are terribly spoiled to have so many resources available to them.)  We could have eaten what is in the fridge that didn't need cooking, which meant salad with PB&J sandwiches.  Quite the combo.  Ummmm…  not unless it’s an emergency…

Getting the deals

After we did our first hike, we were both really sore and my calves were screaming!  I went with my first instinct – I used some of the cat toys to rub on my calves.  Calli had both golf balls and a couple softer foam balls the size of a tennis ball.  That helped a lot.  But better yet – I found a massage intern booking appointments locally just a couple of days later, and she was fantastic!  When you get a massage student or intern, the massage can be just as good as an RMT, but you don’t get a receipt to claim on your health insurance, as they aren’t registered yet.  But they are a whole lot cheaper.  We booked again for the next weekend, knowing we were going out hiking again! 

Another thing is to use the Too Good To Go app to get surprise bags for random items – meals, desserts, etc.  We even used it in England! 

Flashfood also works for Loblaws owned grocery stores, so only within Canada.  FoodHero works for Sobey's grocery stores.  All of these apps let you buy foods at a deep discount.

Also make sure you ask some locals where to get the best produce for the best prices, etc.  Farmers markets or local suppliers are great to know about!  (ps the Okanagan apples and pears and grapes were fantastic!)

And of course, now it is so easy to search online for whatever type of food you are looking for, and search through businesses according to reviews, etc.  And that is how I ended up at a tiny little shop (Vegas Donuts) buying a half a dozen fancy schmancy treats Saturday morning. 

Adjustments for things we take for granted – even while still in Canada

It’s the little things – stuff the pet parents don’t think to tell you and you don’t think to ask…  like how their recycling works!  We just knew that you couldn’t put anything out at the curb until 7am on the day of pick up.  OK, makes sense – more wild animals there.  But then we see in the garage that their blue box is kind of tiny.  They have a green bin for compostables like we do.  But then there is a heavy yellow bag – which thankfully had printing on the side saying it was for paper and cardboard.  But then they had a bigger red bin too!  Apparently that is for soft plastics.  Like potato chip bags!  Ziplocks and bread bags and plastic grocery bags, etc etc.  Hmmm…  So why is there a giant clear bag over at the side half filled with water bottles and drink cans?  I had to look it up!  In this area there is a deposit on drink containers!  So people can save the empties up separately, and drop them off at a bottle depot and get their deposits back.  Wow – so complicated. 

 

What else was different?  They don’t have people panhandling all over the place here.  In 2 weeks I think I only saw one person who might have been collecting handouts, although I did see one when we were downtown Vancouver (along with quite a few people that might have been homeless but weren’t panhandling.)  At home – in the GTA – there were panhandlers at the road entrances to big box malls, Costco stores, off ramps from the 401, all appearing suddenly at the same time (maybe 6 years ago?).  I suspect they are actually “employees” all working for an organizer who takes a large portion of the cut.  I watched the panhandlers do a shift change at Costco in Oshawa – where the new guy came in and relieved the panhandler who had been working the intersection all day – and the day shift guy grabbed his stuff and left for the day.  Dude.  Panhandling doesn’t work like that.  It reminded me about the news article where the lady was trying to give some cash to a pregnant panhandler, but missed her at the usual spot where she panhandled.  So she looked around and spotted her crossing the parking lot farther down.  The lady followed her, still intending to give her some cash, when she saw her climb into a very expensive sedan with someone and drive off!  She went to the press, and there was a big investigative article on it.

OK, what else is different?  There aren’t a whole lot of restaurant franchises out this way – we see many more independent restaurants.  That is kind of cool, since we much prefer to find the hidden gems when we travel places.  Of course yes, there are still quite a number of Timmies here. It is still Canada, after all!

Just a footnote - I know we have travelled out of country a lot recently, when I look at prices in local stores and start thinking they are actually a bargain, even when I would likely pay less at home.  Bacon only $6?  Yes, grab that!