Ides 8: Operation Snowplow
On January 4th, 1999, Toronto’s snow-clogged streets were invaded by armoured military vehicles carrying 400 troops. In truth, though, the troops were welcome and the real invaders were a near-infinite number of complex-shaped ice crystals, making up the meter-plus of snow that fell on our city that month. Mayor Mel, determined to make it so that “senior citizens could go around the corner to get milk,” enlisted the military to battle snowdrifts and liberate bus shelters. The rest of the country laughed, and we cringed a bit (not the only time during Mel’s tenure), but the fact is he got the job done and the 35 emergencies called-in that day were taken care of.
Just in case we have to face another invasion this winter, we’ve brewed this lightly-spiced Winter Warmer to make watching those billions of falling snowflakes a little more pleasant.