There was a time when the universal weather complaint out of the United States was that bad weather was assailing them, influenced by weather that came out of Canada, the great white frigid north. More latterly we understand that much of the inclement weather being experienced by Canada often emanates not from our own northern climes, but influences of weather streams coming out of the United States.

Take, for example, the latest winter weather alert received for southern and eastern Ontario. Without doubt it will have arrived here after wreaking havoc in the midwestern U.S. Here, in our region, this day dawned fairly bright after two previous days of solid sunshine and accompanying wildly cold temperatures exacerbated by wind. However, Environment Canada alerted yesterday afternoon to expect a 30 to 40 cm dump of snow beginning Tuesday and continuing on into Wednesday when it will finally wear itself out or go on elsewhere to wreak havoc.

Toronto first, likely to have five to ten centimetres in an area that panics any time that much snow eventuates, but Toronto has also had unseasonably cold days. Even Vancouver, at the opposite end of this country, has had a spate of very cold days, unusual when spring should start arriving there and indeed cherry blossoms had begun to bud. It's in our region, however, where the cold, the wind and the snow will really accumulate. Snow was supposed to start at noon, but here it is, after four and the first tentative wisps of snow have just begun to descend.

It's been cold, very cold, given an icy wind and the damp atmosphere accompanying it. When we took Jackie and Jillie out to the ravine for an earlier-than-usual afternoon hike through the forest trails the temperature had risen finally to -12C with a bitter wind. The house driveways and the street itself all deep in an ice covering that's a challenge to trod upon, just about as slippery as it can get. Once we made it into the ravine and onto the forest trails the footing was much improved; even so, never without cleats strapped securely over boots.

Too cold to stop and talk with anyone, in fact, when we came across an old acquaintance with his dog. Nova, the white German Shepherd, had left his human, hearing us elsewhere along the trail when Jillie barked, sensing his presence nearby, dashing off as puppies will, risking the displeasure assured to result, that he preferred to say hello to them, temporarily abandoning Rob. That always puts Rob in a cranky mood anyway, so the cold and the wind came in handy for the purpose of cutting conversation short. And as punishment Nova was put on leash.

Jackie and Jillie continue to be fixated on all the 'goodies' that the wind continues to bring down off the forest trees. All manner of irresistible treats that we in our ignorance would regard as inedible and unattractive to begin with. A wide assortment of twigs, dessicated foliage, dead needles, dried-out partial branches half devoid of bark and rotting, all calling out to those two little dogs 'come chew me, I'm you're woodland treat'!

When we circled back through the trails toward the creek once again and crossed the last bridge that would take us up the last hill to the street above, my husband noticed something unusual in the creek. The creek itself is now completely frozen over again of course. But there on the surface of the frozen creek was a duck. Ducks aren't usually seen there. In the early spring we sometimes see ducks returning from migration down south for the winter. They will stay over, sometimes a pair of them, for a few days before leaving again; a temporary rest on their return journey. But in winter? never!

So this was either a confused duck wintering over in Ottawa, having left the Ottawa River where it would remain open in places as a result of the turbulence emanating from the filtration plant on the river, or, heaven forbid, it had sustained a wound and was stranded. It was obviously looking for open water. Without which it wouldn't find food, or rest, or relief from the elements, and that damn storm was closing in.

When we returned home I emailed the Parks and Recreation division of the municipality, hoping there would be some response, but that was a faint hope. I contacted the Wild Bird Centre that takes in homeless, stranded or wounded wild birds, sending them a photograph and a description of where the duck could be located, and hope for the best.