Could be that February resents being short-changed in number of days; even a leap-year doesn't compensate for the unfairness of it all. So perhaps that motivated the month to refuse to leave meekly like the proverbial lamb. It left all right, but it roared like a lion, leaving us the parting gift of an all-night, all-day snowstorm. Took a while to clean up from that one. And we've had snow-stormlets since then.

 

March, which entered the following day, decided on subterfuge, instead of bellowing in, it arrived quietly and circumspectly. But this was a ruse, and not meant to last. Last night it showed its true colours; white-on-black. On an otherwise-dark night, snow began falling, and falling, and falling. By morning it was still falling. By afternoon snow continued. That's a snowstorm of goodly proportions.

 

 

Not that we've been particularly short of snow this winter. A substantial snowpack had long since assembled itself on the landscape. So what fell and is still falling is actually white-on-white. We've a mild temperature to accompany the snow, so shovelling it early this morning out of the backyard pathways was pleasant enough, the snow sitting light on our shovels. Just as well, since we've got to lift them high, given the already-established banks of snow edging the paths.

 

The thing is, when the snow is too deep Jackie and Jillie have to wade through it and if it's over their bellies, it becomes difficult and they balk at it. In the best interests of family harmony, the paths get shovelled and the puppies are happy. Certainly we're exercised, but could be that's a good thing. When I went out to the front after breakfast to shovel there, Irving shouted at me to get back in the house.

 

He's out there now, after our ravine hike through the new mounds of snow in the forest, using his snow-thrower, that large, loud, mechanical beast, to clear away the snow in a more efficient manner than our earlier efforts. What's really irksome is that the volume of snow interfered with our getting our daily newspaper delivery. 

 

We hesitated about going out for our usual ravine hike through the forest trails. With so much new snow, we reasoned, it would be pretty tough going. Our minds were cast back decades to the time when we were the only people going through the ravine. Now, since the pandemic, people have learned to recognize the jewel this community has in its midst, and it has become a popular destination for many people.

 

So where previously we broke trail for ourselves and it was a narrow one, now with the number of people coming out to enjoy the winter forest, the trails are well tamped down and wide. And that's how we found them early this afternoon, despite the amount of snow that had come down and the fact that it was still snowing.

Not all meals are necessarily planned ahead, so it's good to have some standbys to call upon occasionally. Yesterday was one of those occasions. It had been a busy day. And we felt slightly disconcerted that we weren't able to get out for a turn in the ravine with the puppies. You might say we decided on a kind of festively creative meal, a collaborative affair where we both pitch in. Even Jackie and Jillie helped, obligingly gobbling up anything that might 'accidentally' hit the floor, like a piece of bell pepper or tomato, or even a slice of pepperoni.

Today was an unusual day in that we had an appointment. I prefer to avoid all such events, but this one could no longer be put off. I made no effort myself to effect the appointment, but Irving as always took the initiative and decided it could no longer be put off. My eyesight has really been deteriorating badly. It's been happening for a while and I knew the cause, just didn't want to be bothered.

I'd had a vitrectomy a dozen years ago to repair a hole in the vitreous of my left eye, and it hadn't worked, though it does in 80% of such surgeries. It's the opposite eye that enables me to read. And that left eye underwent cataract surgery about five years ago. Now it was time for the right eye to undergo similar treatment. 

Neither of us has seen a medical practtioner for the past three years, and that suited us just fine. But this was inevitable, and had to be looked after. I was shown a photograph of my eye with the cataract; it was quite advanced. The doctor and I discussed my options. Getting the surgery done at The Ottawa Hospital as was done before would take a year. Having it done at a private clinic could be accommodated within a month.

I'd told the doctor that I wasn't impressed with the factory-like conveyor belt of patients undergoing the surgery in a patient-and-doctor-crowded operating theatre. That's universal medicare. Done at the private clinic there would be a $2K charge that OHIP wouldn't pay for. So wait a year for the factory treatment or under a month for private care. In a year with the cataract progressing, I wouldn't be doing any reading. As it is I'm experiencing huge difficulty.

An hour later when we arrived home there was a call from the clinic for my first appointment in a week's time. There's another upside to getting it done at the private clinic. The surgeon who had performed my first cataract surgery at the hospital, now operates out of this clinic, and he will be doing this surgery for me, a second time.

My eyes were blurry from the drops applied to enlarge my pupils. So I wore sunglasses when we took the puppies out to the ravine later in the day. On our way we spoke for a while with our long-time neighbour across the street. She's busy looking after her first grandchild, a beautiful little boy. Her daughter-in-law, the child's mother has just lately been diagnosed with an advanced cancer.

We shed all of that when we enter the ravine. Which was a balancing feat unto itself. Yesterday's snowfall had been voluminous and the municipal plough had built a ridge of compressed snow over the trail entrance, so it took a bit of maneuvering before we were able to access the trailhead. As soon as they're unleashed our two little imps race downhill, and immediately race back up to where Irving usually gives them their first little cookie.

Along with the snow yesterday strong winds had whipped the snow everywhere, creating whiteouts for most of the day. Which served to clear much of the snow off the forest trees but for the evergreens that tend to hold on to their snow blankets more jealously and firmly than the hardwoods. We could feel and see ourselves hiking over an elevated snowpack. Ample numbers of people had been in before us, to semi-flatten the snow on the trails, so it wasn't as difficult for us taking advantage of that, as it surely was for those entering the forest yesterday while the storm was in progress.

Being out there in the forest among the sleeping trees comforted by a smooth, billowing layer of snow is restful and mind-calming. We could, though, empathize with how an owl was feeling with an anything-but-serene-mind, being mercilessly harassed by a group of crows circling and cawing madly as the crows confronted their existential enemy. A raptor confronted by omnivores, themselves birds of prey but not in the same class.

There are all kinds of messages and nature sent us a mischievous one today, no doubt chuckling madly to herself as we faced yet another day of morning-to-evening snow. On the plus side there was little wind; on the negative side, it was cold at -8C, when Irving went out to do some minimal initial shovelling so Jackie and Jillie could get around in the backyard before breakfast.

 

We had an antidote to the glum, darkly overcast atmosphere sitting on the breakfast table, a large smiling 'Happy Face' to start the day, followed by a hot rice pudding, cooled down with lots of milk and complementary cinnamon and raisins. It hadn't stopped snowing last evening until dark descended with its usual thud, and that's when Irving went out to clean up the day's storm.

 

I had baked sesame-seed-cheese croissants to accompany a simmering pea/bean-vegetable soup, the aroma of both filling the house with the promise of a comforting break in the day once the snow clean-up was completed. To say we were surprised with yet another all-day snow event today is an understatement. That, since snow had fallen since last night's clean-up leading to another bout with the snow-thrower and shovels again after breakfast.

But that's winter here in the globe's third-coldest, snowiest world capital. I'd rather be in Ottawa than Ulan Bator or Moscow, in any event. Aside from washing the tile floors today on our regular house-cleaning day I also 'washed' the hardwood floors -- using a Swiffer product, but on my knees -- which isn't done very often. Even so, I wasn't all that much later than usual when the house-cleaning was finished and we ventured out with Jackie and Jillie for an afternoon ravine hike.

 

Surprisingly, the trails were in pretty good shape. Through the course of the day, despite the snow, enough people had gone out through the forest trails to make for a respectable and minimum-effort hike possible (other than the uphill climbs). There were few people out at the same time we were, but you never know who you may come upon.

Like the husband of a cheerful young women whose daughters are now mature adults on their own, whom we'd known before her children were born. Who back in those days when very few people used the forest trails, took his snowmobile for a spin through the trails; an area where it is forbidden to use motorized vehicles. Back then the trails were far narrower and little-used, and the forest was full of animals we seldom now see any longer.

 

They're both a lot older now, as are we, and one would hope, somewhat wiser in his choices. Back then they had a friendly, excitable dog they had named Crook, in honour of a crook in its tail. Crook was an extremely emotional dog, voicing his pleasure at seeing friends and most amenable to being stroked and spoken to.

 

Now they have a Malamute getting on in years, and a standard Poodle we'd never seen before. The Malamute was notorious for chasing down foxes at a time when there were greater numbers than we've seen in quite a while. The Poodle, still a puppy, was a delight to watch, prancing about, inviting Jackie and Jillie to tussles and run-abouts.

 

We're in the throes of another of those multiple-day winter snowstorms. Snow began late last night and went on intermittently through the night. Although in the morning the temperature sat at -7C, lazy flurries of snow turned to tiny ice pellets that could be felt pinging on our heads, while we were in the backyard. Irving had gone down directly we rose (actually I stayed in bed) to do some shovelling in the backyard to clear the walkways and deck for Jackie and Jillie.

During breakfast snow resumed, at times heavily before petering out to flurries again. When I took J&J out to the backyard after breakfast snow had turned to ice pellets and their hair got full of tiny ice balls.. It was about then that Irving decided he'd go out to complete an errand he started yesterday. That's when he went out to Canadian Tire to pick up a hot plate with a single burner. Pretty old-fashioned stuff. It wasn't meant for our kitchen, though.

 

Irving regularly orders fair trade organic unroasted coffee beans from a source in Toronto. Over the years he's had several coffee roasters to enable him to roast them at home. It gets use about once every two weeks. His latest coffee roaster gave up the ghost. So our older son who does the same told his father that he shouldn't bother getting a replacement roaster. Instead, to get a popcorn popper and it would do the roasting just as well. We ordered the popper from Crate & Barrel. And because Irving doesn't want to do the roasting in the kitchen, but downstairs, he wanted a hotplate. 

Although online Canadian Tire's inventory said they have one in stock, hurry over and get it, they were in fact out of stock. So today he went out to WalMart and a few other places, none of which had any in stock. Not even Value Village, where he also went. And while he was there he looked around at the women's winter sweaters and bought a raft of them for me. He's a born shopper. I"m not, and he promised more than once he wouldn't get any more sweaters for me. But he's incorrigible.

I his absence I was out shovelling the walkways at the front of the house.  By that time snow had stopped and in its place was light freezing rain. On his return Irving told me that none of the main arteries had been snow ploughed and driving was a little tricky. Freezing rain wasn't making it any better. We decided we'd better get Jackie and Jillie out to the ravine for their afternoon trot-about on the forest trails. 

 

First though, we went online and ordered what passes for an updated hot plate from Amazon. Much more convenient that going store-to-store to try to source one of these once-common little electrical appliances. No fuss, no running about and it will be delivered on Monday. A far better choice of acton, all things considered. 

The weather forecast warns that tomorrow's second part of this snowstorm will be a challenge. We've had about ten cm. down so far, but the total expected is between 20 and 30 cm. People are  being advised to stay off the roads. We found conditions in the ravine really good, though. By that time the temperature had risen to -3C, no discernible wind, and the freezing rain continued. It was clear that not many people had been out on the trails.

 

But the trails were in fine shape, and we had no problems negotiating them. Sound was muffled in the depth of the snow covering, everything looked pristine, and our ramble was beautifully peaceful. As in a serene and lovely landscape.Tomorrow the depth of the accumulated snow may present more of a challenge, both at home shovelling and going through the ravine. For the present, it's perfect. Not for anyone on area roads, but for the fortunate few that may find themselves in a forest.