I can dimly recall one December about fifty years ago when snow was absent from December's landscape in Ottawa. Although it's still much too early to make comparisons, this December might be moving up to challenge that one so long ago. It's  highly unusual and in some ways it's also inconvenient. Cold weather, albeit not colder than 0C often combined with wind and rain can make for some fairly uncomfortable weather conditions.

Yesterday we had no opportunity to get out to the woods with Jackie and Jillie, our day was completely compromised by unrelenting heavy rain. Today the temperature rose in the afternoon to almost 5C, when it's most often -5C at this time of year. But rain set in early in the day though we planned initially to get out when we finished breakfast, then discovered the rain had beat us to it.

 

Good thing we have Irving's stained glass windows all over the house to brighten the day and make it more colourful despite the dark enveloping both the exterior and the interior of the house. In fact, exterior darkness seems to make the stained glass glow, the colours more penetrating. Just in fact  how it is in the forest when it rains and the volume of light is down, somehow colours appear more vibrant.

 

By afternoon we had resigned ourselves to no walk for Jackie and Jillie today. And then, at half-past three, suddenly the rain paused and in the distant sky we could see something approaching lighter bands of colour beyond the uniform steel-gray of the sky. So we hurriedly prepared for a hike, after all, putting rainjackets on Jackie and Jillie.

 

The creek at the bottom of the ravine had widened considerably with the rain run-off. The water was turbulent with the thrust of its own weight thundering and swooshing along the clay floor of the streambed. The trails were soft, at that temperature, and muddy. There was a slight wind that accounted for thick drops of rain plopping on our heads as we travelled under the forest canopy. 

We came across a few others out with their dogs, all of whom grinned broadly at the opportunity afforded them to get out of the house and into this natural treasure the community shares. On our return, Jackie and Jillie, divested of their  boots and jackets ran amok through the house, anticipating their salad treats, and I was happy to oblige.