winter's here

This week Ottawa received it's first significant snow of the season. I didn't mind ... it helps put me in more of a Christmas spirit. I love how mother nature forces me to stay fit too ... shovelling snow can be a great way to burn off a few calories, and it's nice to have an opportunity to work out more of my upper body for a change.

I'm glad I was born and raised in the Canadian prairies ... the winters there have prepared me for pretty much anything as far as extreme cold.


I remember playing hockey as a lad in Saskatoon ... early mornings at the outdoor rink in the cold Saskatchewan winters. My dad had the heat cranked in the car afterwards ... there were some pretty frosty hockey practices.


I bought another snow shovel today at Canadian Tire. We now have about 5 shovels in the garage, if I'm not mistaken. The big scoop, the little one in Janice's trunk, the metal scoop, the smaller one thats for digging and the newer plastic one now, for pushing snow.

I don't mind winter so much. I have learned over the years how to drive properly with the Canadian winter road conditions. I know what wind chill is, how to dress in layers and leave as little skin as possible exposed in extreme weather. I know what black ice, a block heater, lock de- icer is. (Don't laugh - there are many, many people in the world who have never heard these terms.)

Everything just takes more time and patience in winter ... what with the extra clothes and adjusting to stopping distances on roads.

This will be my first full winter in Ottawa, and I hope mother nature will be kind ; )