Other parts of the world on a geographical parallel with Canada are already enjoying early spring. Even on the Canadian West Coast, despite British Columbia having experienced a colder, snowier-than-usual winter, spring is scrambling to present itself.

Here in eastern Ontario, not so much. The days still spring back and forth between extreme cold and moderation, with more than ample snowfalls to remind us -- should we somehow overlook that we remain deep in winter -- that spring is yet a far way off.

Having lived at one time on both the mainland Japanese island of Honshu, and the American deep south in Georgia, I know what it's like to experience an environment that is moderate, where extreme cold and heavy snowfalls simply don't exist.

Truth to tell, that was when we were younger, and at that time we almost missed Canadian winters. And when we returned to live once again in Canada, we welcomed the winter months, because we valued the beauty of them including nature's emphasis on polarized seasons with their particular and special visual beauty, as well as the opportunity to enjoy life in a winter climate, inviting us to get out and make the most of them.

That was then. Now much older, much, much older, the cold seeps into our very bones in a way we were never aware of, when younger. Requiring greater care in dressing for it, and preparing us for less outdoor exposure, time-wise. And when spring eventually does arrive, it is welcomed with gratefulness.