It’s the first week of February and the middle of winter –
and what a winter it is. Anyone who
loves crunching snow and cold would love it here. We’ve had enough snow that it’s getting hard
to find a place to put it when we’re shoveling the driveway. And I understand it’s not over yet – reports from
Environment Canada suggest there’s much more of the white stuff headed our way in
the near future.
Strangely, I’m not turning this into a complaint about the
winter. As much as I dislike cold weather
and snow and ice (anywhere except in my drink), I’m actually finding some
enjoyment in the winter precisely because it is so cold. The cold brings the light, fluffy snow that
turns into the dry, crunching-underfoot snow I remember from my childhood. You don’t get that when the temperatures
hover nearer the freezing mark.
Ah, childhood memories of winter. I do find it a bit odd to be looking back
fondly on winters in Manitoba – I don’t recall actually liking them as a
child. My mother would send us outside to play and I know I hated being out in the cold. But there had to have been something that
brings warm memories now … was it the snow forts we used to build? The paths we’d shovel out to make a
maze? The group of kids we’d be playing
with? I have no idea – it’s all jumbled
into that single memory of the sound of crunching snow that makes me feel good now…something that
makes me smile.
These happy feelings about winter are today’s feelings. Tomorrow … who knows – we’re supposed to get
some more snow – enough to cover the ice on the roads and sidewalks and make it
treacherous again for driving and walking.
I’d better enjoy this while I
can.
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