Sub-zero Alberta?

Take off to the Great White North eh. Those famous wanna-be Canucks Bob & Doug Mackenzie had the Americans convinced it was frozen up here 365.

To brave typical Alberta winter can require layering of thermal shirt and long johns, woolly socks, wind-proof or snow pants, toque, scarf or neck warmer, ski mitts, even ski mask and goggles against the wind.

It's not the Great White North for nothing and before I found Baffin -40C rated boots I remember resorting to donning multiple pairs of wool socks.

That was a couple winters ago. Currently, the dress code is still ready for shorts weather.

Penguin hosers took all the cold this year so Bob & Doug need to do a reunion tour to update on the climate.

(Exhibit A walking on ice was taken in November 2009 -- I got cabin fever that year real bad.)

Christmas Day a friend in Calgary was complaining it was green and I had no sympathy coming from Victoria BC where it's a rainy Christmas regularly. Another friend wondered if we got skipped this year for winter.

I hadn't thought twice and figured it was a Chinook wind melting the fun of the tobogganing hill.

It was perfect weather for ice fishing, nice and sunny. I even did one of my last assignments of the year out on the lake. It only snowed hard in mid-November.

Yet in the past few years, I remember not wanting to leave the house voluntarily for weeks of December or January because the windchill was so frigid. I haven't even hit cabin fever yet so far, knock on wood... cabin.

The barometer is staying balmy so I'll reminisce on the signs of winter not appearing yet.

Had to kick my car doors to unstick them after frozen twice over-night instead of nightly.
Only been scared to be driving on overly icy roads a few times.
Have only driven in one blizzard, not weekly.
My heating bill is unseasonally low and that's okay.
Haven't gotten frost-bite practically for exposing any bare skin for two minutes.
My camera lenses have only fogged up once from a long assignment outside.
I haven't made any hot cocoa or taken any with me on photo shoots.
I haven't unpacked my parka and am still only wearing a polar fleece hoodie.
Have only used my snow shovel once to clear the driveway and three times for porch.
I've gotten colder in the hockey arena than when exiting it.

It's great for now. Yet I'm scared February is going to hit with a vengeance of blizzarding in the frozen wastelands. That or we'll have late snow in May -- not entirely unheard of around here.

Supposedly it's supposed to dip down to -15C by the end of the week. For now, it's a bit confusing and I had to double-check my direction of travel as I saw two flocks of Canadian geese flying north last week.

Suits me fine when I can't go home and decide whether I should declare it pre-maturely sandal weather.

P.S. I had to go through some of my archives even just to find some frosty photos. This last one was taken in late April 2007 when it started to finally defrost. I'm hoping it won't be a repeat deep-freeze.

P.S.S. I take full responsibility for jinxing this warm-front with my observation ^_^


~~ PLR ~~

Spring: Winter's Horse of a Different Colour

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 --