Power Flowers is a florist located in downtown Toronto that designs flower arrangements and bouquets for different events and occasions. The Power Flowers web site (http://www.power-flowers.com/) presents different attractive designs for you to select and order. In addition to focusing on flower arrangement design and quality, Power Flowers also places great emphasis on flower delivery within the Greater Toronto area. Since the beginning of operations over five years ago, Power Flowers has delivered many flower arrangements and bouquets to different locations. While most of these deliveries have been completed normally, a few of them are more notable for one reason or another. This is the third of a series of articles that illustrates how inclement weather conditions can make a simple delivery more challenging.
Each year, Valentine's Day represents the busiest time for Power Flowers. Its location in downtown Toronto is close to many office buildings and workplaces. When Valentine's Day falls on a weekday, it is an opportunity to create a great impression by having a flower arrangement or bouquet delivered to their hard-working significant other at work. With Valentine's Day being in mid-February, wintry weather conditions in Southern Ontario can make flower delivery more difficult on this busiest day of the year. If it was my choice, I would move Valentine's Day to a date in spring or summer. About a week before Valentine's Day, I usually keep an eye on The Weather Network to see if the weather forecast for February 14 is going to be favourable. A few years ago, with Valentine's Day about a week away, The Weather Network was predicting that the weather on Valentine's Day would not be too bad. However, as Valentine's Day got closer, the meteorologists on the television changed their predictions for the worse. Eventually, they were forecasting a storm where different systems would conspire to dump about 40 centimetres of snow and produce -25C wind chills on the big day in the Toronto area. Trouble was on the horizon.
Given the impending inclement weather, some customers decided to play it safe by ordering delivery for the day before Valentine's Day. This was a good move by many as an article appeared in the Toronto Star the following weekend describing the disappointment of many that did not receive their Valentine's Day flower arrangement or bouquet on the special day. The storm started brewing in the afternoon on February 13 and the temperatures were well below zero on this day. Power Flowers received an order to deliver a small gerbera plant on Valentine's Day Eve. I placed the gerbera plant in the car and started the trek to the delivery location. This delivery was to a residence outside the downtown core and with the roads covered in snow and drivers being extra cautious to avoid a fender-bender, it was going to be a long haul. By the time I arrived in the neighbourhood, it was already dark. Through the darkness, I was able to locate the residence but unable to park outside the door. The door to the residence was not at street level. In this part of the neighbourhood, the doors were at the end of a number of steps. While the stair climb was not as long as that taken by the final torch bearer at the Olympic Games, on this day it looked just as challenging. I managed to find a spot to stop on a side road and with the temperatures dipping below -25C at this time of day, I was relatively confident of not getting a parking ticket or being towed. I grabbed the gerbera plant and scampered as quickly as I could to the bottom of the stairs. My fingers were being ravaged by the cold as I started my ascent to the recipient's door. I pressed the door bell once - no answer. I pressed the door bell a second time - no answer. I managed to locate my cell phone and call the recipient's number - no answer. Even though the plant was meticulously wrapped to protect it against the elements, it could not defend itself against the frigid temperatures, but in the darkness, I did not see the unfortunate transformation it took. I descended down the stairs and shuffled as quickly as I could back to the car. After getting inside the car, I noticed that the gerbera changed from its original colour of orange to black due to the brutal temperatures. In this case, it was fortunate that the recipient was not home as I would have handed her a black gerbera, and I am sure that would not have gone over well. I made the return journey back to Power Flowers and pointed rather innocently to the black gerbera when I arrived at the flower shop blaming it all on the harsh weather. Fortunately, Power Flowers had other gerbera plants in stock. On the following day, Valentine's Day, I made the repeat trip and successfully delivered the gerbera to the recipient who happened to be at home this time around. This time, the colour of the gerbera remained orange as I carefully shielded it from the cold.
