Where is Spring?

This winter in Ottawa has been less than pleasant. It started out pretty good then it decided to turn into a Winnipeg winter. It has been cold, windy, and the snow keeps coming. It's breaking my spirit.

I always get mopey after Christmas. It's hard to get excited when you are always cold and the sun never shows up. This year seems to be a bit worse. I have have been skipping a lot of workouts, which makes you want to skip more workouts. It's so cold in the morning, I don't want to take the six minute walk to the gym, even through I know that going will make me feel better.

You may be thinking that it's all in my head and this winter is no worse than normal. For that I call shenanigans. Today, the Rideau Canal Skateway has been open for the most consecutive days ever. Usually it warms up a couple of times and they have to close the canal for a day or two. Not this winter. It's been open for 47 consecutive days. It won't warm up. 

There is usually a warm day when it rains and washes a bunch of snow away. Not this winter. the snow is piling up. It looks like Winnipeg with all the accumulated snow.

Today, it felt a bit like spring. It was sunny and warmer than it's been for a while. It cheered me up quite a bit. I felt like living a bit more instead of just existing day to day. I think spring is coming but it can't get here soon enough. 

When spring arrives life gets better. Everyone wakes up out of the drudgery of winter. Food starts to taste better. Colour returns to the landscape. You can smell more than diesel fuel when you are outside. People don't feel the need to watch the sidewalk when they walk, and you aren't dressed in fourteen layers.

I like spring. I like spring a lot. It is the start of the three livable seasons and everyone seems to be a bit happier. Who doesn't want their life to be a bit happier?

The Shortest Day of the Year

Today is the first day of winter so in the northern hemisphere we have the least amount of daylight. As a person who loves a bright sunny day this is not my favourite day of the year. Thankfully the holidays make you so busy that you don't really notice how little the sun is up. The hard part is getting through the first part of January. At least we have turned the corner and there will be more daylight everyday for the next year.

It has snowed a lot in Ottawa this year and it's stayed cold enough that it is sticking around. There will not be a lot of sunlight to warm things up and melt the snow so its best to find ways to enjoy it.

Snow can make for beautiful photos, especially in the sunshine.

Snow means you can ski, or toboggan, or build a snowman.

Snow can be mesmerizing, especially the big fluffy flakes when the sun is low in the sky.

I will admit that winter is my least favourite season but there are still some really cool things about it. The way things are going we may have a very long season on the Rideau Canal, which I must admit is a great place to go on a winter day.

The climb out of the cold darkness of winter to the re-birth of spring is exciting and unpredictable. It takes two steps forward and three back. It's always something to talk about and on the first day that really feels like spring, it's a moment everyone will enjoy every year.

Today is the shortest day of the year but that only means that good things are coming our way, and as long as there are good things coming, we have a great reason to get up and seize the day.