Whatever the Weather

I don’t have a lot of memories from my early days in Saskatchewan. We left when I was seven. I remember I had several friends from my street and we often played on the big manmade “hill” at the end of the block.

I also remember the winters when I went off to kindergarten and grades one and two. I honestly never remember there being “snow days” where all schools were closed. No matter the weather, my older sister had the job of making sure I got to kindergarten on the way to her school. For grades one and two I walked with friends.

For those winter days, I was bundled in a parka, snow pants, boots, mittens, hat, and the six-by-one-foot scarf that my Mom knit for me. My sister had one as well; however, with her being 8 years older, it fit a little better LOL!

Then we moved to British Columbia. That first winter I remember one morning when Mom woke us up to get ready for school and a few minutes later said we could stay up or go back to bed as school was canceled due to snow. We had never had this happen before and figured there must be several feet of it on the ground. My sister and I looked out the window and started laughing so hard…there was barely inches of white stuff on the ground and we didn’t have to go to school!

The snow on the coast is different to what we knew on the prairies. It is very wet and can turn into rain without a moment’s notice. Some winters go by without a single flake coming down, though 2017 saw some at the beginning and end of the year.

For grade 12 and three years of university, I went back to Saskatchewan. My new friends teased me about the cold winters, but they didn’t realize I had already lived them a few years earlier. I was much better in the colder, dryer snow. In fact, I liked it! And I still had my 6-foot scarf!

Our new Mexican rescue pup, Miley, hated the cold from the moment she arrived. However, She took to the snow with total glee! It is all gone now but she loved running around in it by herself (see video below) or with some of the few dog friends she has made at the park so far.

A few years ago we took a cruise to Alaska. We went in September, just before the ships, and some of the tourist towns were shutting down for the winter. The ships actually don’t stop running, they transition to warmer climates. What I noticed was that the air was even dryer there than the prairies. It seems that the colder the weather the dryer the humidity. (Note: this is not fact, just my personal logic). While we didn’t come across snow, when we sailed into glacier areas it was actually quite mild…though I wouldn’t want to test out the waters!

However, I will take the many days of rain, “wet” Christmases instead of white, and liquid sunshine summers we have here on the Canadian west coast. After all, we have views of mountains, are so close to rivers and the ocean, are a short drive into farming country to get some of the best produce there is!

Lydia!