Spring came three weeks ago in with a lion's roar of a near-blizzard status snow-storm. Six inches dump of white later, I made a snow-angel of protest.
Driving to work in the morning, I fishtailed like a rally car driver in the slush, trying not to ricochet off the parked cars -- just for fun.
Trying to celebrate the beginning of spring, I went out for iced lemonade with a friend at the Second Cup coffee shop. We had to sit inside as the patio chairs were covered in snow.
So was the path around the pond near UofC when I tried to go for a nice spring walk. Not remembering I'd need snow-shoes, I decided against wading in snow-drifts around a pond full of snow and devoid of ducklings.
So I waited a week like most people in Canada if they don't like current weather reports. Temperatures jumped north of freezing point; melting icebergs in prairie rivers heralded flood warnings; spring was in the air.
Rabbits metamorphosed from white to brown, girls dug skirts out of closets, guys looked forward to working on cars outside, children jumped in puddles, people's smiles defrosted.
Weather up here isn't just an inconvenience for city politicians to squabble about whether to melt more money with snow-removal. Economic delays for everything from spring sales, outdoor festivals to house construction, shingle and landscaping businesses.
Now as I look out my window, I'm frustrated as inconvenienced molting rabbits as another generous sprinkling of icing sugar settles on my fence and shrubbery. Crocuses that popped up during round one of false spring are still frozen alongside the house.
Last night after a few hours of choir practice I attempted to make a snow-man, on top of my car. My friend looked at me like I was crazy for trying to make a snow-man in spring-time. Or maybe it was because I thought four inches was enough snow piled on top of the car for a miniature snow-man.
Frosty would have an icicle's chance in my rainy sun-soaked hometown of Victoria, BC. Four false Calgary springs later I still ask myself why I'm not finding rainbows and daffodils popping up as Japanese cherry blooms drifting down streets in early March. Tourism Victoria probably started annual daffodil counts to gently poke fun of the rest of Canada buried in Antarctic precipitation.
As I complained, my mom pointed out if there's a foot of snow on my lawn I don't need to worry about mowing it. Thanks mom.
Used to eagerly go for knee-pads and roller-blades in my closet to cruise downtown along the waterfront in April. Now less eagerly I debate whether to regain normal gas-mileage by jettisoning sandbags from my trunk along with the snow-shovel and parka.
It's a little known fact, at least in the city, that a horse of a different colour refers to the horse's hair may change colour as they age. However if registration papers say otherwise, a dishonest owner may be trying to sell a different horse.
Another little known fact that in Canada there are only two seasons. It's not CFL football and hockey seasons; not prorogued Parliament coalitions (more on that tomorrow) and election seasons; nor BBQ and Boxing Day sale seasons.
If in Victoria BC there is short sweaty 125% humidity summer and always raining autumn. In the rest of Canada there is a short dry summer with drenching cold rain as bookends transitions to white-out winter.
So if thinking of buying a horse, be suspicious of colour change, as everything might not be as it seems. If booking a flight from Victoria or anywhere else tropical to Calgary in May, be suspicious and pick up a clearance rack parka, as the spring-time might not be as it seems.
-- PLR --
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