The roads were dry, the sidewalks clean, the lawns showing brown. Then we got a big dump of snow the other day, and more today.
Curses.
At least I have a Mexico-themed party to go to tonight.
So I got myself an early start.
Weather
Winter Wonders
Sure, it looks pretty.
You’ll get no argument from me.
But the night before, driving down the Trans-Canada Highway in fog dense enough that I couldn’t see the lights of Brandon from one kilometer away, I wasn’t thinking of the beauty of hoarfrost. I was thinking, praying really, “Just let us get home.”
Also: The rugelach (or Jewish Pastry) turned out just fine.
It’s winter, once again
Whee!
Stormy
We had a big ol’ storm roll through last night. Severe thunderstorm warning from Environment Canada, unending flickerings to the west and north, the whole shebang. I wish I’d taken my camera with me when I went to pick Kathleen up from work; the lightning show peaked while I was waiting in the parking lot, reading Wizard and Glass (which is another story), and I have to say, it was amazing. 10:30 at night, and there were moments when the world lit up like it was daytime. Once we were headed home, there was a moment, as we approached the lights for our left turn, that the row of pines that stand across 18th Street from the floodplain Corral Centre were backlit by what looked suspiciously like a strobe light. The lightning was intense, consistent, regular, and plentiful.
Once we got home, I grabbed the camera, hoping to be able to capture some cool images, but the lightshow had faded in favour of a brief but torrential downpour. According to the weather channel, we got about 20mm of rain last night, but it only rained for maybe half an hour.
I tried anyway to get some shots of the lightning, but it seems our little camera wasn’t up to the task. It’s great for snapshots, but I don’t think it’s meant for low light shooting. Oh well.…
It must be spring
I got a stone in my sandal tonight, and there’s a sign of spring right there–I can wear sandals. I can wear sandals at 9 o’clock at night, and shorts and a t‑shirt, and not wish I’d put on more clothes before I left the house.
There were some gorgeous sunset colours in the sky tonight, like it had been painted in candy-floss hues, and there’s a smell of burning leaves that speaks at once of spring and autumn. There are buds on the trees, there’s green in the lawn, and there’s barbecued burger in my belly. There’s mud in my driveway, dandelions in the grass, and geese in the Ducks Unlimited ponds (photos later). I rode my bike for an hour today and remembered again why I prefer cycling over running. Must get out and do more of it. Especially now that spring is here.
It’s my favourite of all the seasons, and not just because my birthday falls on its first day.
And now, I’m off to write for a bit.
In like a lion
…eventually.
They’ve been calling for heavy snowfall all day. Warning about it since last night. It finally started at about ten to one this afternoon, just as I was getting ready to go back to work.
I snapped this shot from my office, through the window, looking out on the parking lot and the entrance to the Music Building. At one point there was enough snow in the air that I could barely make out those trees (not the big pine on the right, the naked ones about a hundred feet out).
My parents, who had been planning to stop in at my place on their way to visit my sister in Calgary, have decided not to come. I think that’s wise.