I think we can all agree that winter in this country is WAY too long. In my last post it’s possible I gave the impression that I was a big fan of the season, but that’s stretching it. I love certain things about it, that’s true. I’m not a skier or a skater, or even a snow-shoer, so I don’t appreciate winter from that angle; but walking along a firmly packed snowy path or sidewalk is very pleasant on a day like today. The sun is shining (BIG plus), the temperature is not as blisteringly cold as it could be (-15C) and I’m dressed for the weather.
These days…wait, who am I kidding? Every day, the weather is the first topic of conversation in Montreal. Gleaning from the many weather-related conversations I’ve been having with my friends lately, there are some who land on the side of resenting the continuous deep freeze we’ve been suffering under for two months, saying it’s wearing us all down; others find it better to have continually frozen temperatures so that the roads and sidewalks aren’t sloppy from a thaw only to freeze solid the next day and become treacherous. I see both sides of this important question, but I tend to land in the first camp. If we don’t get the occasional respite from these ridiculous temperatures, we all get worn down, nobody wants to go outside, and it’s just a slog. However, -4 would be an adequately warm day for me in January or February. I don’t need above zero temps to feel liberated. I just need to be able to go outside without having to bundle up like I’m heading to the North Pole.
Friends of mine who are from even colder spots in Canada (just stab a pin in a northwesterly direction on a map and you’ll probably find one), say that when the temperatures get past -20C (and don’t give me your “dry cold” vs “humid cold” arguments), nobody really goes out unless it’s to get in their cars and drive somewhere. So, there’s a reason to be thankful I live in Montreal, where -20C is a significantly cold day and even the coldest days this winter haven’t been much worse than that, so walking to the metro or the store has not been generally impossible.
If it appears that I’m obsessed with the weather, it’s because I am. It affects everything in my life; what I will want to do today, what I will have to wear today, whether my dog will want to go more than a half a block, whether I’ll be able to get CAA to come rescue me in a timely fashion. Everything! Also, hey, I’m a gardener and you can’t garden in this weather, as much I’d like to. I’m itching to see the earth under all that snow! I can’t wait to see the snow drops blooming as the snow melts around them.
Here’s to the sun prevailing over the winter, eventually. March is almost upon us; in like a lion, out like a lamb!
Indulge me a little: here’s my favourite singer (my daughter, Erica Lee Martin) with “Danny Boy”. It’s almost St. Patty’s day!
I love to hear from you!