10 posts tagged “winter”

We have snow, lots of snow!

It snowed most of yesterday and into the evening.  By the time I headed out to the party last night, it was cold and windy with big drifts everywhere.  I wore snow pants over my hose, under my fancy dress.  I put on a hoodie, then a long coat over that, plus scarf, toque, mitts, snow boots.  You would have never guessed I was headed to a formal shindig with all of those layers!  When I got to the condo building the party was in, I stripped down to my party clothes and put on my high heels in the elevator.  I emerged looking like a perfect lady! ;-)

The actual storm didn't hit until early Sunday morning.  It was nearly white-out conditions as I headed to the soup kitchen in the early morning.  I was late due to transit delays and had to walk for part of the way (through 40 cm snow drifts - fun!).  When I got home, I took the pup out for a romp in the park and measured almost 30 cm of snow in our little neighbourhood park.

When we got back inside, I noticed that Dusty was missing one of her Muttluks - dog boots.  Muttluks are not cheap - they're $50 a set, so I was loathe to replace it.  I rushed back outside, grumbling to myself, and retraced our steps.  Miraculously, I found the boot in the park - in the deep, deep snow.

It's been snowing all day, so I imagine there's been quite a bit of accumulation.  I haven't been outside at all.  On a snow day, I'm perfectly content to stay inside, wrapped in a down duvet drinking hot tea and reading a book.

Today's snowstorm couldn't have been better-timed.  The snow started falling just as I was returning from my early-morning shift at the soup kitchen.  And I had no place else I needed to be for the rest of the day.  By the time I walked into my apartment, fluffy flakes were drifting down outside my window. My favourite kind of weather!

As of today, I'm sort of 'on holiday'.  I say 'sort of' because I'm still teaching the odd class here and there and I'm not going anywhere (for example, out of town, or to warmer climes).  But my marathon evening classes (sometimes as many as three, back to back) are on hiatus until January.

Yay!

Ah, but the irony....  Years ago, while in yoga teacher training, I used to trudge down to the yoga studio for three hour workshops every Thursday and Friday night (this went on for a year).  We, the teacher trainees, were annoyed because these sessions put such a cramp in our busy social calendars.  Little did we know, by choosing to become yoga teachers, we were pretty much opting to give up our weekday evenings permanently.  And noontimes.  And mornings.

I don't work 60 or 80 hour weeks anymore, like I did when I was in the corporate world.  But when you have a morning class, a noon class and a few more classes in the evening, with travel in between, it sort of *feels* like a 16 hour day, even if it's technically not.

That's an extreme example.  To be honest, I haven't had that kind of schedule since my first year of teaching.  One of the great parts about being self-employed is that I control my own schedule.  I like to keep busy while reserving days off to rest and some evenings to pursue my hobbies and spend time with friends (Mondays are sacrosanct, because of hockey).  I do like to pack my classes into the same days, though, and Thursday is usually one of my busy ones, with 4 or 5 classes.

It's so nice to have this break.  It's a genuine treat to be at home, eating a normal supper and relaxing at home on a snowy Thursday evening.

Sometimes I have to be sneaky.

First, I put everything out in the hallway - the polarfleece sweater and the Muttluks dog boots, leash and treat-dispenser. The boots are hot pink, not because I like the colour, but because they were on sale half-price at the pet store two years ago. The sweater is by the ubiquitous 'Roots' brand (she's truly a Canadian dog).

When everything is ready, I call to her by saying: “Walkies!!!”

The 'canine thought balloon' over her head reads: “Walkies?  Did somebody say walkies?  Allllriiiighhht!  Walkies!”

She runs out into the hall.   Then she sees the boots and the thought balloon reads: “Uh oh.”

She usually flees halfway down the hallway. Then I have to coax her.  I remind her the we're not going out unless she has her dog boots on.  Sometimes, I need to offer dog cookies to get her attention.  Very, very, very slowly, she walks back to me, her head hanging down dejectedly.  She gives me one last pleading look, and I ask for a paw.

I put on her boots and coat, then my boots and coat, and then, finally we're ready to go.

It takes about ten minutes, start to finish.  Winter walkies are labour intensive!

The sudden burst of snowy cold weather feels like a relief to me, like I was holding my breath until those first snow flakes fell.  I had such a great winter last year, with all of the skating and hockey in my life, I think I've developed some happy associations with colder weather. 

Despite feeling a bit under the weather this morning, I had a productive day.  I think the icy temps and the bright sunshine got my engines going.

I'm done with my Christmas shopping (neener, neener, neener!!!).  Such as it is - mostly gifts for family in the States.  Today was the deadline for mailing stuff to the States via ground (rather than the more expensive air mail option) and still have it arrive in time for Christmas. This is the first time I can ever recall meeting that deadline, so I'm proud of myself!

I was able to mail everything off from a tiny postal outlet inside a drug store in the Royal Bank building on my way to class. I had some time to spare and there was no line up.  It felt like a gift.  Afterward, I went up to the lobby and sat in a comfy chair in a shaft of light and quietly drank my tea.  I love seeing how the various big office towers downtown decorate their lobbies.  This lobby was subtle and elegant.  It whispered 'Christmas' instead of screaming it.  I just soaked up the ambience.

I love walking around the city on a cold winter day, dirty slush beneath my feet, icy office towers reaching for the sky, cube-dwellers shuffling along swathed in their winter gear.  This is a great city in winter and I love winter.

Just don't remind me that I said this when February hits! ;-)

When I joked about Toronto turning into a 'big sheet of ice' a few weeks ago, I wasn't kidding - as soon as the deep freeze re-established itself, all of that slush solidified into ice.  In our neighbourhood park, you could see footprints that had frozen in place.  All in all, it's rough to walk on, albeit amusing.

And now it's melting.  Each spring, Toronto has a Big Melt in honour of spring and our Big Melt started today.

I took Dusty up to the park this afternoon and found walking conditions pretty treacherous. The walking trail we usually take was really just a wet ice sheet, no traction to speak of.  It will take a few days for the ice to melt completely. 

The dog enjoyed herself, despite the cold and wet.  Since it was a sunny and relatively warm day, I enjoyed it too.  It's been a few months since we went for a walk on our favourite route.

Of course, once all that ice melts, we'll be left with this, the bane of Toronto springtime:

Thanks to a full laptop battery, I was working away this afternoon, completely oblivious to the fact that the power is out in my building.  The super made the announcement a few minutes ago.  No water, no elevators and Hydro is "working on the problem."

So much for grocery shopping.  I'm not sure I feel like lugging bags of groceries up 15 flights of stairs.

In other news, one of my photos of yesterday's storm found its way onto a BlogTO storm montage.  Exciting!

The temperatures today are mild and all the snow that fell yesterday is now quietly melting into mounds of slush.  There are massive puddles everywhere.  Tree branches are down and yes, roads and sidewalks are icy in spots.  I'm pretty sure we don't need to call in the Army, but some schools closed today, people are being encouraged not to travel and I'm going to try to stick close to home.

Tonight: watch Toronto turn into one, giant, urban ice rink.

Welcome to March...and Greetings from the 'Yoga Class Cancellation Call Centre' ! (said in a bright, chipper voice)

I just finished making over 40 phone calls informing my yoga students that tonight's classes are canceled due to inclement weather.  It's not often that I get a snow day - or maybe 'snow night' is a more accurate term.  I received the call canceling all evening programs around three o'clock.  It wasn't my decision, but I think it's probably wise.  The roads are a mess.

Going through a phone list is probably my least favourite part of this job. Although I do enjoy chatting with my students, I'm not really a 'telephone person' and I truly detest answering machines (I left many dorky messages).  At least I got paid for making the calls.

Outside, the storm continues to rage.  There are near-white-out conditions in my neighbourhood and the main road outside my apartment building is backed up as far as I can see.  I feel sorry for the people attempting to leave the city.

The snow started coming down almost the moment I stepped inside my apartment following my morning excursion and within an hour, visiblity was almost zero.  Glad I got out and about this morning, because I certainly won't be going anywhere tonight!

The forecast calls for snow, freezing rain, freezing temperatures, then more snow.  Not a good mix. I doubt I'll be going anywhere tomorrow either...

March storm

Snowstorm photos from other Torontonians:
Maria's view
Rannie's view
Tyson's view
Jen's view
Photopia's view
Norah's view
Lex's view

Big, fluffy flakes.  Lots of them.  The kind that get caught on your eyelashes.  The kind that are easy to catch on your tongue.

 It was snow that makes you feel like you've walked into a giant, magic snow globe. 

It was kind of snow that made me glad that I woke at 5:30 this morning just so I could make it to 7 a.m. shinny. Because when I walked outside...

Pure magic.

Snow trees

Mother nature sent me a wonderful Valentine - it's a magical winter wonderland outside!

I just returned from a trip to the park with Dusty.  I bundled up, taking along my ice skates and a slim hope that Ice Guy might have left the shovel out so I could start clearing the rink.  Alas, he didn't (no skating for me today, I guess).  Dusty and I played in the snow instead.

This is the biggest snow storm we've had so far this winter and I'm delighted with it.  I'm enjoying the snow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the -0 temperatures will continue through the end of the month (it would be great if the natural rink in our park could stay frozen for a couple more weeks).  We didn't have a proper winter in December or January, but February is more than making up for it.

This winter has helped me realise that I could never be happy in a place like Vancouver, with mild temperatures and rain.  I really love winter.  As soon as I adjusted to these colder temperatures, I embraced the season with open arms.  I've been outside skating and walking and going to winter festivals and outdoor concerts.  I'll take snow over wet sleet any day.

I can't believe how much snow has already fallen!  It looks like we'll easily get the 20 cm that was forecast.  I love the cozy feeling of a 'snow day'.  It will also be fun travelling around to my classes and seeing the city blanketed with snow.  Hopefully, I won't get stranded!