Friday, February 09, 2007

Everything I Love: Canadian Winters

When I was younger I measured temperature by a progressively colder scale of: 1) the necessity of a hat; 2) the necessity of a scarf; and 3) whether my nose hair froze. This week's cold snap was decidedly in tier three and my shivering trudge to school became perilous when my tearing eyes caused my lashes to freeze together in the -35 degree wind. I don't subscribe to the cliche that cold weather is part of the Canadian identity - watching displaced Vancouverites in an Ontario February has disabused me of this fallacy - but our winters make the high taxes and black flies worth the stay. Treacherous highways, salt stains, and post-nasal drip aside, winter presents an annual celebration of ice fishing, beaver tails, and toque collections. I may only own blue shirts and khaki pants, but I have seventeen coats and fifty-seven sweaters that protect me in five-degree increments of temperature, and a toque for every sports team and bait shop that I support. If you find yourself complaining about winter over the next couple of weeks, buy yourself a balaclava, go outside, and throw snowballs at stop signs from your snow fort.

5 comments:

Road Hammer said...

You are ill.

David said...

Very.

talk talk talk / Shireen said...

I must be ill too cause I had a blast out on the Beach a few days ago, soaking up the sun and not realising my lashes were freezing together til they started thawing in the car. Worth it for the photographs!

David said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David said...

Fantastic opportunities for different light in the winter. I just saw your photos at metroblogging and the blue water was brilliant.