A WINTER DAY

My Street in the Snow

We had some snow over the past couple of days here on the Coast. In some parts of the Lower Mainland it was really snowed in and a fair amount fell here in the city yesterday as well. Of course, by today it's all turned slushy. A shame. Because I love the snow, always have, ever since I was a child.

I was born on the Prairies so snow was a big part of my early childhood. Later we moved to Ontario where the winters are also long and cold. I remember walking to school along the road with the snow banks piled higher than my head, and taking a short-cut across the river on the ice. When we moved to the Coast in 1947 I was afraid there wouldn't be any snow. In fact, my mother made me give away my skis.
But much to my delight, there usually was a bit of snow in winter time. And on rare occasions it even got cold enough skate on Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, and go sleigh-riding on the hills.

For several years in the '60's I lived up north again, in Edmonton, and there it was very cold in winter. I recall on winter when, with the wind chill, it was 90 below F. for a solid week. Everything stopped. Schools were closed, mail delivery suspended, and everyone stayed indoors bundled up. We even got certificates to commemorate the excessive cold snap.

So here on the mild west Coast where when it does snow it doesn't usually stay around for too long, and it never gets that excessively cold, I can't understand why people complain. Of course, funny thing about the Coast, people complain in summer too. When it's rainy too late in the season, they complain. When it warms up they complain it's too hot. When it rains again, they complain about that and when it snows, it's a major disaster. After all, it IS winter. And it's no surprise when it snows here as it always has at some point during December to February.

It was fun yesterday to see kids out on sleds. It reminded me of when I was a child. We always had lots of fun in the snow building forts and having snow-ball fights. In Edmonton it got cold enough to flood the back yards and have your own skating rink. So, I'm glad it snowed. And I wish it would stay longer, and not get all slushy and soggy like it always does here. Winter is fun. Especially when the sun shines and the sky is blue and all that white stuff sparkles!

A Snowy day in the Park