Bills 19, Dolphins 0

I went to two Solstice parties on Saturday night with my friend and neighbour Jennifer. We arrived back at Lawrence subway station about 1am and, as we slipped and slid our way along the 300 metres from the station to her house, ice laden branches were creaking and crackling and some were coming down around us. So as we walked under the large trees, we kept our hands on our heads like hostages shuffling along the street under gunpoint. We made it safely and then I made my way back to my building. There were no signs of power issues when I went to sleep.

But I awoke to a darkened building. Around 8am, I made my way down the 11 flights of stairs with my headlamp to survey the situation and see if I could find coffee and something to eat. Power was on north of Lawrence and the Tim Horton's was much busier than usual for a Sunday morning. From there, I called my uncle Ray who lives about 1km away at Avenue Road and Lawrence. His power was also out and the temperature has fallen to just over 15 degrees inside. He's in poor health and was unable to get out to his small, ice-laden pile of firewood beside the house. So, I went over, found a hatchet and some wood for kindling in the basement and went out to chip as much of the ice off the wood as I could. I got the fire going in the woodstove, split and cleaned up the rest of pile and brought it inside. We boiled water on the stove and made coffee. I got his car started and, after a few minutes, was able to clear the thick layer of ice from the windows and wipers so the car was ready to drive. A neighbour and I cleared a large branch from the end of his driveway. The house started to warm up and he sent me on my way. It looked to me like there was going to be enough firewood to get him through the night and perhaps until mid-day today.

I ended up having to bring my computer, in a couple of different sessions, to the Starbucks north of Lawrence to meet my Monday morning work deadlines. I ended up climbing the 11 flights of stairs in the building 5 times before the day was done. I was just about to go to sleep when the power was restored at about 9.15pm last night. But, from my window, I could still see a large swath of darkness through the part of Lawrence Park east of Yonge Street. It was still in darkness at 6am today and I suspect that my uncle is going to need more firewood. When business hours commence, arranging a firewood delivery for him will be my first priority. I have a feeling that I won't be the only one.

Yesterday's Bills game was, ironically, "blacked out" on local television. I caught bits of it on the car radio but followed the game mostly on Twitter. The defence was obviously dominant and Bills fans were able to close out the home season with the team's 6th win of the year. If they can win in New England next week, the Bills will finish the season with a winning record within the AFC East which would be something to build on going into next year.

Merry Christmas everyone.