Snow Culture

It's snowing today, a soft gentle fall of thick fluffy flakes.  Occasionally when the wind picks up a little, it becomes more of a driving snow, on the verge of stinging sleet.

Have you ever stopped to think about the many words and phrases we have in our Canadian culture to refer to the chief feature of winter, snow?  And just think of all the related descriptors: sleet, slush, pellets, flakes, snowbanks, windrows, snow slide, blizzard, white out, snow ball, snow man, snow plow ... the list seems endless.

Then there are all the products related to the white flakes that boosts our economy in the winter months.  Blankets, parkas, mittens, toboggans, sleds, snow shoes, snow shovels, snow tires, earmuffs, snow blowers .... another apparently endless list.  And the arts get in on the act as well with photography, painting, writing, and music describing or relating to snow.  It seems everyone, even people in snowless regions, know the words to White Christmas and Jingle Bells.

And consider all the words, products, and arts related to the season of snow: winter, cold snap, frosty, icicle, ice skates, ice scrapers, snow mobiles, frostbite, mittens, scarves, snow boots, skis, wood stoves, and hot chocolate, to name just a few.  We Canadians "get" all of these.  We understand terms like cabin fever and snowbound.  We know what weatherstripping is for and why chains are an essential part of long distance truckers' gear.

All this is on my mind today because tomorrow my Australian future son-in-law arrives at Winnipeg airport.  He has visited here for a few weeks once before, in the fall.  His experience of very cold doesn't go further than night time temps of -5 Celsius.  He has never stepped on an icy sidewalk or road, climbed a snow bank, shovelled a sidewalk, or felt near frostbite on ears, fingers, or toes.

 

He thinks, and I really hope it lasts for him, that snow is magical and beautiful.  I fear that, once he lives here permanently, he might become a little disenchanted with the white stuff and all it brings with it after he's experienced shovelling two feet of snow with no place to put it, digging a car out after it slid into a snowbank, or postponing our plans because of blizzards, or hazardous ice conditions.

We're well rounded people, we Canadians, and especially we Manitobans, with our summer and winter weather extremes.  Hank is well versed in dealing with very hot conditions but he has an education awaiting him ... starting the minute he steps out of the Winnipeg airport!

Catching Up

Such a lot of catching up to do. it's been nearly a year since I've posted anything.  It's been a tough year in a lot of ways.  Increasing pain, medication issues, increasing depression (probably as a result of the previous two factors), family stresses, and several major dental issues have all done their part to render me either jumping out of my skin with anxiety or lethargic and sluggish.

What disturbed me most about this whole situation was the loss of my ideas, my creativity, and my writing energy.  Last summer (a season when I tend to feel my best) I spent a few afternoons working on my novel in progress but really had to force myself to sit down and do it.  Ive been meeting my deadlines for my newspaper columns but sometimes just barely.  Finally it dawnwd me: I was losing myself!

Well, something had to be done.  Fortunately, I read an article describing harmful side effects of the medication I was taking and it was disturbing enough to make me take action.  "No more of this stuff, please," I asked of my doctor, who understood my concerns and prescribed something different.  And, because most things don't go smoothly for me, there were serious side effect issues with that medication and it took several weeks to wean off it and begin a trial of something new.

And guess what?  That one seems to be working (shh, don't jinx it)!  My pain is decreasing and my head feels clearer.  I still tire easily and sleep poorly but I feel I have my brain back.  And its not all mush, as I feared.  My online word games and my recent efforts to join a regular cribbage night have kept it in fairly good shape.

The other saving graces have been time with grandchildren and social interactions with friends here on our country mile or at church.

Many thanks to one of my faithful readers who gently but insistently prodded and reminded me about how much I used to enjoy blogging and how much she used to enjoy reading it.  She kept me thinking about it, even when I was at my lowest.

Since it's still January, I'll make a start on a New year's resolution (technically, it's never too late for those) and resolve to write more, especially posting here and making progress on the novel.  First draft -- here we come!