“It’s gonna be wet next week.”
“Rain?”
“Snow.”
I wince. I know it’s coming but it doesn’t mean I’m ready for it.
Absolutely nothing exciting happened last Saturday, yet I’ll look back at it with fond memories. Typical late-fall scenery, sure, with bare trees and limp leaves dotting the streets, but the ground was dry. I was able to take shortcuts across parking lots without bumping into giant snow piles and I didn’t have to watch my step to avoid slush puddles or ice patches.
It started snowing on Sunday around 4 p.m. As usual, it looked gorgeous at first in the early evening light—snow flakes dancing in the wind, Christmas decorations in the background, a fresh coat of white paint on sidewalks and roads.
I walked home in the storm because hell yeah, I’m Canadian, and also I was in denial and I thought I could get away with meeting a friend for a late afternoon coffee despite the red “public weather alert” on my phone promising snow.
It was my friend’s first Canadian snowfall and I tried to share her excitement but I’m pretty sure you can hear me say “oh fuck that shit” on the video she made when we left the coffee shop (yes, we found a place where you can sit inside!).
By the time I got home, I was leaving deep footprints in what had turned into 10 centimetres of snow. My hat was full of snow and it was filling every crease of my jacket. This is where you draw the line between “Disney movie magic” to “fuck, I hope the guy we hired to clear the driveway will remember to show up before tomorrow morning.”
It snowed again on Wednesday, followed by freezing rain and fog.
Sidewalks are snowy, curbs are slushy and roads are slippery.
Welcome to winter. I instinctively hate it and I’m reminded why every time it shows up again in our lives. “Aaawww,” say people who only deal with two centimetres of snow once a year or whose only experience of “winter” is fake snow at the mall. “Yay!” probably shouts anyone into winter sports. “Fuck,” sigh the rest of us who can’t use snow constructively.
Fun fact—snow is cold. I didn’t really think of it before, back in my previous life when I watched movies with people engaging in fun snowball fights and making snowmen. Now I know the truth. Gloves get wet, hands get cold, it’s not that fun.
I also always seem to forget there’s no such thing as “stepping out” in winter—you need a jacket, proper shoes and possibly hat, gloves and scarf every time you venture outside.
I also forget how bright it is at night when it snows—“snowglow,” because snow reflects artificial light.
I forget how exhausting it is to walk in the snow, how many steps are needed and how quickly you can lose your balance.
I’m telling you, everything looks different.
And it’s going to be like this for the next few months.
I took these pictures with my phone last night, on my way to the supermarket. See what I’m talking about?
When I first got to your nighttime photos, I thought they weren’t loading, but then I realized they were just dark! What a walk.
I was hesitating to post it because of that but I figured… that’s what I see these days, it’s for memory!
Two weeks ago, my starter kind of broke down. I had to crawl under my truck to hit it wih a hammer. By -22°. But at least it worked after that.
I would have hit random piles of snow with the hammer afterwards, just out of anger 😆
But it was in Saskatchewan. There isn’t any pile of snow, just a small layer of ice on the ground. So I hit random passing cars 🙂
Good job! Always looking for alternative solutions. You’re officially promoted.
I love it sooo much
Winter???