Bad Day for Labour
Thankfully, I don't think I'm anywhere close to being in labour...yet. Despite drinking my red raspberry leaf tea religiously and eating fresh pineapple and cleaning and bouncing on my exercise ball and doing all sorts of other "recommended" things, the best I can hope for is that I've finally, officially, "dropped." Even that I'm not entirely certain of, only that I am feeling some increasing pressure lower into my nether regions.
But today, I count it as a blessing that I'm not in labour. You see, it is snowing outside. Not a light dusting, but actual snowing, the kind that leaves inch(es) of fluffy white moisture on sidewalks and roads and rooftops. It snowed yesterday as well, but only in the suburbs; the concrete jungles of downtown (and its proximity to the water) tend to shelter our area from much of the white stuff. Until today, that is. As I look out the window of our 11th floor home, I can see a fairly aggressive amount of snowflakes falling diagonally (there must be a breeze out there too) onto the streets. At times, the window is actually white from all of the snowfall, but mostly it's a steady stream of the white stuff that doesn't seem to want to let up.
If I was in Alberta, this wouldn't be an issue. Labour schmabour. I'm sure as we speak there are dozens of Albertan mamas en route to their local hospitals, ready to deliver. Alberta is not BC, however. In Alberta, most of the population owns snow tires and has driven in snow since the age of 14. Most Albertans know what "defensive driving" means when there is black ice on the roads and a nasty dump of white all over the city (and suburbs, and countryside). Heck, some Albertans even own "nice" cars for summer and trucks/SUV's/mini-vans for the purpose of getting around in the winter. And for most Albertans, life is "business as usual" when it snows; otherwise, the province would be shut down for half a year.
In BC (specifically Van), by contrast, only a subset of the city's driving population owns winter tires or chains, and most have never navigated the roads during or after a snowfall in their entire lives. Many are ill-prepared for black ice (which is more prevalent in BC than AB owing to our warmer temperatures) and defensive driving is an unheard of concept here, judging by the number of foolish drivers I've seen careening through the streets during a major snowfall. Our city drivers, with their fancy schmancy import vehicles, dare not traverse the terrain when they see snow coming down, for fear of damaging their precious cars; the "careful" ones tend to move along at a nice steady 15 km/hour. And schools close. Businesses shut down for the day. People hole up at home. That's what makes a snow day an issue here, and the reason why I'm glad I'm not in labour at this very moment.
Let's hope the snow lets up, or the temperatures rise such that everything melts away. Otherwise, my community group might not be very well attended tonight, and our large veggie/fruit trays and other snacks will go wasted. And let's hope it doesn't snow tomorrow, in case that turns out to be "the day." ;)
But today, I count it as a blessing that I'm not in labour. You see, it is snowing outside. Not a light dusting, but actual snowing, the kind that leaves inch(es) of fluffy white moisture on sidewalks and roads and rooftops. It snowed yesterday as well, but only in the suburbs; the concrete jungles of downtown (and its proximity to the water) tend to shelter our area from much of the white stuff. Until today, that is. As I look out the window of our 11th floor home, I can see a fairly aggressive amount of snowflakes falling diagonally (there must be a breeze out there too) onto the streets. At times, the window is actually white from all of the snowfall, but mostly it's a steady stream of the white stuff that doesn't seem to want to let up.
If I was in Alberta, this wouldn't be an issue. Labour schmabour. I'm sure as we speak there are dozens of Albertan mamas en route to their local hospitals, ready to deliver. Alberta is not BC, however. In Alberta, most of the population owns snow tires and has driven in snow since the age of 14. Most Albertans know what "defensive driving" means when there is black ice on the roads and a nasty dump of white all over the city (and suburbs, and countryside). Heck, some Albertans even own "nice" cars for summer and trucks/SUV's/mini-vans for the purpose of getting around in the winter. And for most Albertans, life is "business as usual" when it snows; otherwise, the province would be shut down for half a year.
In BC (specifically Van), by contrast, only a subset of the city's driving population owns winter tires or chains, and most have never navigated the roads during or after a snowfall in their entire lives. Many are ill-prepared for black ice (which is more prevalent in BC than AB owing to our warmer temperatures) and defensive driving is an unheard of concept here, judging by the number of foolish drivers I've seen careening through the streets during a major snowfall. Our city drivers, with their fancy schmancy import vehicles, dare not traverse the terrain when they see snow coming down, for fear of damaging their precious cars; the "careful" ones tend to move along at a nice steady 15 km/hour. And schools close. Businesses shut down for the day. People hole up at home. That's what makes a snow day an issue here, and the reason why I'm glad I'm not in labour at this very moment.
Let's hope the snow lets up, or the temperatures rise such that everything melts away. Otherwise, my community group might not be very well attended tonight, and our large veggie/fruit trays and other snacks will go wasted. And let's hope it doesn't snow tomorrow, in case that turns out to be "the day." ;)
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