Place Your Bets

I think I need to interrupt List Month for a PSA on the reality of living on the west coast of BC.  Three concerned, early morning phone calls from distant friends informing me of the threat of massive flooding and radiation poisoning have convinced me that the Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre clearly has a very surprising payroll.   And that everyone needs to calm down.


I know you've all been watching the news lately and you've been hearing some alarming and tragic things.  I am here to tell you that everything you have heard is true.  Life is a gamble here on the western edge of the Pacific Rim of Fire.  Between the mud slides, avalanches, wild fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, cougars and retired pilots, simply stepping out the door in the morning is filled with risks.  


Just think of it as the ultimate in sport wagering.  


Will it be the raging forest fires of summer which take me while I camp in the back country?  Mudslides in the interior?  The inevitable earthquake for which my 72 hour emergency kit is now, apparently, woefully inadequate? Who knows?  I can't really say I've given it much thought as I toil about my little days, despite the frantic phone calls from 'back home' asking if I've stocked up on iodine tablets and extra dog food.


But I suppose, if pressed, I'd have to say my money is on the next Buick with veteran's plates at the cross walk on 5th.