Well, it's about half-way through a Canadian winter. We've had it relatively easy this year although we have had a bit of snow. It took a while to get here - many were asking for snow for Christmas, there wasn't any - but it's here now and is taking it's mid-winter dirty look on.
Every year in Ottawa, at least once, we get freezing rain. Then it's too hard to walk as the outdoors is one big skating rink. This year they had a piece on the news. A man skating on the road to work because of the freezing rain made it impossible to get his car on the road. So many accidents this year, too. So unfortunate.
The light hours of the day are getting later. It's now light until about 5:30 PM. That makes me feel good because I like when it's light. I go out every day and although right now I have a cold, it's usually a time I like. Sometimes I find myself wishing that I had chosen to become a shepherd because then I would be outdoors all the time. Plus I'd be around animals. I'd have a dog.
We live in an apartment so I don't think a dog would do well here. It would take it too long to get outside for bathroom purposes, for instance. I would only want a dog if we had a property it could live on and roam around on.
On other days, I do think a cat might be nice. They're loving and interesting animals. But they do have a habit of scratching up furniture and such. And sitting on the very place you're trying to work on and things like that. So right now, we have an animal-free apartment. It's not something I would have predicted when I was a girl. I always planned to have at least two dogs. I wanted a Scottish Terrier and a West Highland White Terrier. I thought having black and white would be cool. Of course it didn't work out that way.
I like to listen to the birds in the early morning and watch the squirrels go about their business. They're interesting animals to observe. Over a decade ago, I used to watch them in an amateur way. I made little experiments to determine the size of their territories and such but I didn't keep it up after I got arthritis.
So I guess I'm hoping for an early spring. I would love to go out without my boots and coat and walk down along the river. Which meanders somewhat like this post. It's just some thoughts about the time of year and such. I'm looking forward to everything.
Hi Madeliene,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your ramblings. Since I live in Florida, we won't be getting snow, but we will have a freeze for the next two nights. I covered my special plants before it got cold this afternoon. The plants and insects have been confused this year. The flowering trees have already bloomed and we aren't even over winter yet. We've had monarch butterflies all winter--the first time I have ever seen that. I fear the ones just coming out of their chrysalises won't know whether to fly North or South. If you see any, tell them to come back down here.