The return of winter and snjór

This winter has been much warmer than normal here in Ontario. The biggest ski area had to close for a while; this was the first time it had to do so. Iceland has had a similarly warm winter although they had a big snow(I)/snjór early on and had another one a few days ago. This also sparked a lot of debate about climate change which sparked slimy political pandering. Well they all stopped talking when we got a forecast of snow and temperatures closer to normal. Suddenly the snow became the big news story and everyone was worried about the impending doom of their Monday commute thanks to the constant reminder by the media. So much negative talk before anything happened. Folks, this isn’t a big deal so deal with it.

But I was excited about the snowy forecast. I love the snow and even the cold weather. Not that I want these conditions year round but I’m comforted when during a Canadian winter I require a coat, gloves, and a snow brush. This is what is supposed to happen. This is Canada/Iceland, eh/hei? Handy Canuck tip is to keep a broken hockey stick next to your brush, it makes it easier to poke the packed snow from in and around the wheels which then stops that out of balance wobble. Keeping a stick and a puck in the car is a good tip all year. You never know when you’ll need them, or when a hockey game will break out.

Like a kid I kept checking the skies for the long missed beauty of snow flakes. Well, the “big snow” turned out to be more ice than snow and the whole thing was a lot less than forecast. It was cold enough but that only made for an icy sidewalk and a whole lot of scraping noises coming from every neighbourhood. Hint to you urbanites, with the defroster on you can pour a bit of warm (not hot..) water on your car and you’ll not have to scrape nearly as much. Next, if you’re going to complain about every spot of ice you encountered and feel the need to blame someone for it then perhaps you should cocoon yourself in the house until the city, state, dad, and nature finish making the environ perfect for you.