It's Cold Out There!

"But when I was a kid growing up in Canada..."

You think this is a cold day?? Today in my home town it is -18F with a windchill of -41F! There were many days that we walked to school at -40F. I have seen the thermometer displaying -67F.

The severe cold of winter holds many great memories.

When I was in high school there was a group of us who would do a two-day out and back snowmobile trip on New Years Day. One year it was -40F the day we started. Every 10 miles we would stop and wait for the group to catch up, and have a cup of hot tea from the stainless steel thermos packed in our bags. On less severe days, one could expect to warm up a bit during the break. Not that day.

Some of the most incredible displays of Northern Lights were visible during the cold winter months. They might be shimmering ribbons of green, a dome of exploding colors or perhaps a cosmic game of tag. Sometimes there are no words.

This morning before the sun, each breath visible and the crunching of my footsteps as I delivered hot coffee to the coffee gazebo brought a rush of familiarity. My mind wandered to walks through the still woods and pine trees standing tall under the weight of freshly fallen snow, or of walking to school in the early dawn with a column of smoke rising from each house straight into the haze.