And the Lion roared

Two days ago the grass was bare. The only snow reminding us of winter were patches hiding in the shadows where the sun couldn’t reach them. That all changed. We had another snowfall Sunday night. Nothing huge but the grass was covered with a blanket of snow yesterday morning. That’s Mother Nature telling us that she is the boss and does what she wants. March came in like a lamb but leaves us roaring like a lion, albeit a small lion but still a lion. They predicted more bad weather for tomorrow.

We didn’t drive away until late, but listening to the road reports in the morning, there were plenty of idiots out on the road again. Don’t they ever learn? Don’t they know that you have to adjust your speed according to road conditions? How can you feel sorry for them when they end up in the ditch or, worse, have an accident? The sad thing is they always involve other, more careful drivers, in their mishaps.

When we left to go to Winnipeg for a little bit of shopping at 11 AM yesterday, the streets were clear. Unfortunately, they were still wet and dirty, which didn’t make me happy. The 4 bucks I spent last week washing the car was wasted. Why is there always some jerk who has to pass me and splash my clean car when I’m already driving a little bit past the speed limit to prevent exactly that from happening? But no, there is always some idiot who needs to prove that his car is faster than mine.

Yesterday it was clear again to me why I hate going downtown Winnipeg to do shopping. I paid $10.00 parking for 3 ½ hours in The Bay parking lot. That’s more than $3.00 an hour. Why do we bother going downtown when there are shopping centers at the outskirts of the city with huge parking lots where you can park for free all day? And I don't care much for the beggars and bums on the streets. Winnipeg downtown needs a huge makeover. Free parking for one thing. Of course, the smart and wise people at City Hall decided to raise the price of metered parking on the streets in the downtown area. That’s no way to entice people to come there. The way to attract shoppers and other clients is to offer them an incentive, like lower prices and free parking. Maybe put a limit on the parking time, but still FREE.

I noticed many empty slots where small stores used to be on the ‘bridge’ that crosses Portage Ave and even in Portage Place. I can only guess at the reasons. Perhaps they can’t afford the high rent they have to pay and the high price of business licenses the city imposes on them. Maybe the people who hang out in Portage Place and downtown are not the type of people who can afford to pay the prices of merchandise in these stores.  I’m not making any accusations here, neither am I judgmental or biased. It’s just an observation. Like I said, I don’t want to be judgmental, but I hate going to the washrooms in Portage Place. I’m surprised some of those guys don’t strip and wash their whole body. Combing their hair might help to improve their appearance just a little bit. Just saying.

I remember forty, fifty years ago, downtown used to be the hub of the city, with Eatons and the Bay crowded with shoppers. Now Eatons is gone, The Bay is just a shadow of what it used to be. The shoppers have disappeared and the few times I go there I feel like I’m in a foreign country. Maybe some people call it a blend of different cultures, but I can’t get that feeling. I’m in Canada; I want to see Canadians. I don’t care about their color of skin, or even religion, but I care about the way they dress and the language they speak in public. I make no apologies, because many Canadians feel that way. Our politicians bent over backwards to please foreigners but, apparently, don’t care about the feelings of Canadians, the very people who put them into the high paying positions they hold.

Anyway, those are my thought for today.

On Sunday, I still managed to pick a couple of pails full of pussywillow branches. It's getting more difficult every year. I'm getting older and the trees taller. My wife will do her magic with them and replace the old ones from last year for Easter. Easter is early again this year. Pussywillows brighten up the season and give you that feeling of Spring.