Well, the calendar tells us it is Spring, but yesterday’s snow storm tries to convince us it is still Winter. Last week, before Spring officially started, the weather was slightly above average – 4 degrees Celsius – and all the snow had melted. I was wearing shoes, but not naive enough to put away my boots. This week, although the average is 6, the high will not venture above freezing for the next 4 days, even though it will be nice and sunny.
It seems this Winter has been long and cold. However, the meteorologists tell us the snowfall was below average, although higher than the past couple of years. They also tell us the temperatures were pretty much seasonal. They attribute this “feeling” to the lack of a January thaw. Well, we did have a one-day thaw and then back to extreme temperatures again. It’s those continuous cold days without a break that wear on the mind. Apparently, the below-seasonal temperatures are supposed to continue until late Spring.
March 21st to June 20th. Spring. Those of us who live here can all recall snowstorms in April, and I think most of us can recall 30 degree Celsius temperatures in early June. Around here, that also means humidity in the 90 percent range. Spring in Canada is not for the faint of heart!
Just in my lifetime, there have been recorded instances of snow somewhere among the provinces in every month of the year. I don’t think we’ve had snow in Southern Ontario in July, but I could be wrong on that. Then there are the Territories to consider. With a short growing season and 24-hour days in the summer, that’s almost a whole other country.
Canada is a beautiful country with so many different regions, from desert to rainforest. We have world-class cities and portions of dense population, and then many, many areas of wide open space with no other person to be seen. We share with the US the unique features known as the Great Lakes, and the Rocky Mountains. In travelling by train in late 2009 with foreign travellers, by the time we came to Manitoba, they were pretty sick of all the trees that cover Northern Ontario. From what I have seen of Canada, I love the scenery. But at times like this, in Spring, I really wish we lived in a warmer location.
Our neighbours around the corner came to Canada from Saudi Arabia to provide a better life for their children. They were originally from northern Pakistan near the Afghani border, and after his work-term in Saudi Arabia came to an end, they knew they could not return home because of the fighting. They came to Canada instead – but they came in early January! Wow! To go from 40 degrees to -25 in one plane ride must have been brutal. She said they froze the first winter, and it was a particularly cold winter that year. But they got it out of the way, and she said every winter since then has been much easier to handle. I guess if you get the worst of it out of the way right off the top, then the rest seems easy. And, although their life is tough right now with illness and lack of work, they don’t regret moving here. Their sons are safe and receiving an education they could not have had in Pakistan. Taking that into consideration, it seems I’m whining.
Until next time, stay warm, and enjoy the beauty of the world God has given us…
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