Vancouver has had more rain and more heat than usual this year. Our younger son called on Sunday to chat; he'd had an energetic hike on Mount Seymour, and was busy in the house, putting together screens for his house windows. The weather, this year, seems fiercer and a major topic of conversation everywhere. On Monday night our older son called from Toronto at around eleven in the evening to say he'd just got in. The city was flooded, he told us, and electricity was off everywhere. He was waiting for his wife's arrival back home from downtown, and the subway wasn't running; he'd been able to get home thanks to the deployment of a shuttle bus.

Toronto is still mopping up after its torrential downpour, a rain event that exceeded the amount of rain dropped on the city back in 1954 by Hurricane Hazel, when we were the age of our teen granddaughter. Since then the city had long ago put in place storm run-off and sewer systems meant to control against the recurrence of such an event but no man-made construction is ever guarantee against nature's utmost.

"It is really, probably the most intense, wettest moment in Toronto's history. No infrastructure could handle this ... you just have to accept the fact that you're going to be flooded", advised senior climatologist with Environment Canada, David Philips. Two separate storm cells moved over the city at the same time, then sat malevolently for hours over the city. "It's almost like Toronto was a target with a bull's eye", he said.

Dark, rainy morning, occasional squalls, cozy interior.

Environment Canada has issued a warning for southern and northeastern Ontario about thunderstorms. They began passing through our area last night, continued into the night and this morning. The heat and humidity has been slightly relieved with the air-cleansing effect of the rain, and a gentle breeze that took the place of the wind that had blown shut our bedroom window, has provided some relief.

To the extent that, wandering our garden this morning in a break in the rain, we felt comfortable enough not to want to return to the inner confines of our house, however pleasant that is, but to remain outside, wandering about the gardens, enjoying the quiet and serenity of the beauty to be found there.