Oh Summer Traffic, Why Did You Stay Away?

I live about a hour away from my work. During the school year, particularly in the winter, it often takes at least a hour and a half to get to work in the morning and just more than a hour to get back home again.

While I like the commute less than I used to, I tolerated it because of what I call the summer traffic break when my 50-minute commute is 50 minutes with no stopping from the time I get on the highway to the time I pull into my workplace.

But the summer traffic season has only three weeks left (Labour Day is Sept. 5) and I have yet to see smooth sailing.

I have been stuck in traffic every morning. At night, if I have had to work late, I have been stuck in it as well.

My stress level never lessened and my wonderful summer traffic has been non-existent.

I think the time of summer traffic and easy commuting is no more.

And that makes me sad.

Ancient Tree

On a happy note, we discovered this ancient tree on a walk we took yesterday afternoon.

My camera’s battery died as we made this discovery so the pictures just don’t do it justice.

But the tree, likely an ancient pine, is huge. There is no bark left and the tree itself has tattoos – lines were the ants and other bugs ate it.

The stories this tree has to tell would be amazing.

Thursday Thoughts

Yugh traffic
Traffic has been crazy these last few weeks.

Around the time college and university students were saying farewell to another school year, traffic was fantastic – I barely touched the brake the whole way down the highway.

Then a few weeks ago, traffic became worse then it has been since my return to the daily commute. It stops and rarely picks up again.

The great news is there is only one month until the summer travel season.

Great weather
Southern Ontario weather has been fantastic recently – hot and sunny. I spoke to someone from Greenpeace in Vancouver, British Columbia, and she said the west coast city’s weather has been horrific – rain, rain and then rain again.

But rain, I suppose, is better than snow, which is what relatives in Calgary woke up to last week. Hee, hee.

Saving the world
I am feeling the need to do more for the world, which of course can only help us as individuals. I am in the process of doing interviews for a couple of stories, which I am really proud of.

I don’t often link my personal blog to my work site, but I do think I will make an exception for these two stories, which I hope offers people ways they can also help this world.

Homeless pets
I think I want to start volunteering with my son. I think we are going to play with the cats and walk the dogs at our local animal shelter.

SickKids Hospital
I also really want to do something for the Hospital for Sick Children. Longtime blog readers will know this downtown Toronto facility, which is world-renowned, literally saved my son’s life when he was one month old.

I read a lot of blogs written by Americans and it always breaks my heart, and makes me so thankful to be Canadian, to read about sick children and their families, who, instead of only having to be concerned about getting the best treatment for their loved ones, have to worry about raising money to pay for treatment.

Everyone at SickKids do so much, not only for Canadian children, but children around the world.

Ideas anyone?