No Snow(birds)

Our wings are clipped this winter. No longer snowbirds, we brace ourselves for the inevitable.

The warning signs are everywhere.

A few days back, our snow removal service put these four foot high stakes in the ground around our driveway.

That can’t be a good thing. Four feet? Will we really get that much snow?

December can be a cruel month in Canada. I took the above photo just before the big snowstorm arrived in our area last night. We have a severe weather alert today because of the volume of snow that is expected to fall.

Just how cold can it get here in our part of Canada?

Well, let’s take a little trip down memory lane.

In December of 2017, before I had retired, we were colder than the North Pole. Bitterly cold. For most of the winter that year.

Never be cold again. It was on our bucket list for retirement. We did not want to experience that kind of harsh, cold weather ever again. We found it much harder to deal with as we got older. Our dream? To become snowbirds and to travel south in our motorcoach during the winter months.

We were able to do that for two years. Never in my wildest imagination did I envision a scenario where we would be grounded by government decree.

COVID overturned it all.

Our coach now sitting in storage. Our travel plans scuttled. Our snowbird wings clipped.

Winter is coming.

Snow?

I can handle the snow. It’s kind of fun to be in a winter wonderland filled with the covering of a fresh snowfall.

Cold?

I can handle some cold. Above freezing is manageable.

The bitter freezing temperatures? Where frostbite on exposed skin can happen in a matter of minutes?

Yes. I would definitely prefer to avoid that kind of weather.

And it’s coming.

Soon.