The more things change, the more they stay the same

 

Here we go....hastening to tidy up our properties before winter sets in. The frost has arrived and we're  frantically  bedding down our shrubs and perennials for the long winter hibernation. The warm weather stopped abruptly, while we were all still in shorts and sandals. It suddenly hit us that this Nirvana could not go on indefinitely, in spite of global warming. And so, there was the usual rush for autumn fertilizer, leaf rakes, sand for icy sidewalks, winter tires and snow blowers at Canadian Tire, which is one of our iconic institutions, along with Tim Horton's.

 The kids are getting their skates sharpened, taping their hockey sticks and washing the hockey shirts they left stuffed into sports bags, reeking of sweat and boys locker rooms.
There is a sense of loss for all the fresh, fragrant greenery and those sweet summer nights, but at the same time, a sense of continuity and belonging that we feel at the change of the seasons. The winter landscape is dear to Canadians, except when we are shoveling it out of our driveways. There is a certain majesty to a Canadian winter, and you have to respect the power and the danger of the brutal cold....A power that generates those fierce arctic winds and white-out blizzards. I learned that lesson early in life when I nearly lost a couple of toes to frostbite, while snowshoeing. We'll  batten down our hatches, dig out our snow boots and be ready in time. We always are.

 Bring it on Canada.