December 03, 2007

This Country's Got Problems

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Scary problems.

Except for where I am. That yellow patch dead-center in the weather warnings map before you essentially represents me, sitting at my desk, considering the absolute hose job missus nature delivered today ... across the nation, to all the non-Manitobans who do nothing in gratitude but whine and plonk their cars in the ditch.

I'm a snow junkie. I'm no fan of temperature extremes, but I want my snow. Metres and metres of it. I love walking in it, I love shoveling it. If it falls in one fell swoop I get the day off. It's clean, it nicely obscures the dog poop – it's nature's white space. And it arrives best with a bang, like last year the day before Halloween, or as any Winnipegger worth his kubasa remembers, in November 1986 – me, swan-diving off the porch railing – and April 1997, when I walked alone down an abandoned, standstill Broadway like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man.

Environment Canada – supplier of the map above – has predicted a nasty winter for much of the country. So long as it includes a big-ass dosage of snow, I may be able to withstand the nastiness. I've got a shovel and new mitts from MEC. Bring the snow to someone who appreciates it.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nature's white space. I like that. I love snow, just not when I am supposed to move this week. And not when it gets covered in rain that eventually freezes to a big popsicle. Oh well. I'll have to remind myself of nature's white space next time I crank about snow.

de-lineation said...

It's nice to read about someone else who loves snow as much as I do. I'm tired of hearing people say... oh, but will you love it in January... YES!

Anonymous said...

So are you getting your fill of snow today? It's dumping pretty good here in the Wheat City, and I imagine it's probably started by now in the city, too.

Jeope said...

Yes! See, all it took was a stern talking-to.

patricia zapata said...

I love snow and I miss it so! How sad is it that my husband and kids have never seen snow? At least not more than the 2mm (yes, I know I typed mm - sad I tell you!) that fell here last year as a fluke. I will correct this situation some day!

Allan Lorde said...

I'm totally with you on the snow thing. This is the first winter in several years that feels "normal". This is definitely what a Winnipeg winter feels like.
We thrive in conditions that many people just can't hack. There's definitely some pride in that.

lew! said...

i hear you Jeope!
I love the snow as well. We got one nice dose, followed by lame freezing rain. So nothing looks so nice anymore. But at least we are not getting as much freezing rain as those South of us! Sheesh!

I hope we also get a good dose of snow this year with decently low temperatures, but nothing crazy.