And fall the snowflakes did. A few inches of sparkling fluffy stuff last night, more again in the morning and this afternoon my drive home from a meeting was with reduced visibility. Beautiful.
To remember the winter as a child is easy. Playing until your hands were cold and mitts were wet, wrists chaffed with the wet wool. Laying in the snow and feeling the cold slowly penetrate through the thick padding of your snowsuit. The crunch of snow under boot, the excitement at making a fort. Winter in Canada.
I love winter at night. The clear sky filled with sparkling stars. Breath that crystallizes as you exhale in the cold. It feels so much more still and silent with the buffer of snow. If only I could eliminate the whirr of snowmobiles! I loved working the winter nights for on-campus security when I lived in Thunder Bay. Sometimes we were lucky enough to catch northern lights cascade and swirl alongside the stars. Never have I seen skies as beautiful as those in Northwestern Ontario -- Spring Winter Summer or Fall.
Lately I have started taking my kids out to walk the dog with me in the dark. I miss the dusk time, but I do like the quiet of night, a close second. The kids bring their flashlights and chase the black dog among the shadows. A fun game for all involved. I feel like the dark is hardly something to be afraid of. I love the blanket it provides. Rich in its depth and strength.
