This month is named after Mars, the Roman god of war, an apt choice for a month in which we experience repeated skirmishes between winter and spring. So far this year, winter seems to be winning. We know that spring will eventually vanquish winter, but we are now in the fifth month of winter and … Continue reading March
winter
Weather complaints
Image by Nobis from Pixabay Have you noticed how apocalyptic weather reports have become? "Unprecedented Siberian cold blankets the prairies!" "High risk of frostbite and hypothermia." Those of us who are native to the prairies love to complain about our weather extremes. I used to tell people that when I was a boy we had days every winter … Continue reading Weather complaints
White winter morning
This morning our world looks somewhat like this. Oh well, at least the days are getting longer. Not so you'd notice it yet, though. Image by Pixaline from Pixabay It is -32° C outside, there is a fresh layer of pure white snow on the ground, 15cm of it. I have cleared the steps and walkways, plugged the … Continue reading White winter morning
Shelley didn’t live in Saskatchewan
Image by Richard Duijnstee from Pixabay If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? That line comes from Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This morning, here in Saskatchewan, spring seems far away. It'll be five months until this snow is gone.
Winter grumbles
It was -36° when I got up this morning, wind chill -47°. Those numbers are on the Celsius scale, but the Fahrenheit numbers don't look any better: -33° and -52° wind chill. This is the depth of winter, the whole week is supposed to be like this. There can be advantages to days like this. … Continue reading Winter grumbles
Why wait for spring – Do it now!
I first posted this five years ago. Readers enjoyed it, and nothing much has changed. So here it is again. A few days ago my wife and I got to talking about a catchy advertising jingle of fifty years ago that was heard incessantly at this time of year. My wife even remembered all the … Continue reading Why wait for spring – Do it now!
Too close for comfort
The days are getting short, the nights cold. These are the days when folks used to gather around the Quebec heater to visit. Stoves like the one in the picture below were found in most Saskatchewan farm homes, and in most stores. Most wood stoves still come from Quebec, for the same reason that most … Continue reading Too close for comfort
Our cats in winter
It is cold here, many mornings the wind chill has been -40° or worse. School has been cancelled numerous times as school buses do not go out when it gets that cold. Monday the temperature got up to -18° (that's 0° Fahrenheit) and it felt positively mild! Our two cats don't like this weather any … Continue reading Our cats in winter
Ten beautiful things about winter in Saskatchewan
1. Sparkling landscapes. The timing is unpredictable, but every once in a while every tree, bush and weed is turned into a dazzling crystalline structure by hoar frost. 2. The purity of the snow. All that is ugly is buried under a white blanket. 3. The absence of flies, ants and beetles. They will return … Continue reading Ten beautiful things about winter in Saskatchewan
Winter – month five
Snow is such beautiful stuff, so sparkly bright and clean, a symbol of purity. We just got another 30 cm of it over the weekend to mark the beginning of month 5 of winter. Perhaps you can tell that my enthusiasm is somewhat less than it would have been when I was a seven year … Continue reading Winter – month five
Flatlander Faith 