While staring out my frost covered living room window at the streets of the second coldest place in the world (as recorded a few weeks back anyway), I began to truly appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of Calgary, Canada. There is nothing like living in Paradise for a year to make one appreciate what she has here at home. The giant snowblower/plower that passed our house the other day actually made my boys and I laugh outloud, then run outdoors to take some pics and gawk in amazement at what Canadians are capable of. The snow was being blown into the back of a dump truck, with both the blower/plow and dump truck moving at a uniform pace. There was a line-up of empty dump trucks behind the one being filled, ready to take its place in this incredible snow removal proceedure.
This winter my three kids and I went skating on a river, yes, just like in the Joni Mitchell song! We managed about 2 kilometres before the kids colapsed in a heap on the ice, no longer able to support their wobbly legs. It was only their second time on the ice, so unfamiliar was the sensation they wore out quicker than I had expected. So I pilled them onto the benches we had brought for balance, and I pushed them back to where out boots and hot chocolate were stashed.
Tobaganning is another activity which has consummed our days since the 
snow started falling over a month ago. There is a small hill outside my daughter’s school and I am constantly amazed and encouraged by the sheer number of parents and kids who use this slope after the last bell of the day goes. Kids pile onto the few tobagans that are actually at the hill and everyone laughs and laughs, because there is nothing quite like speeding down a hill, so close to the ground, with no brakes and virtually no control, especially when there is a whole schwack of kids pilled on top of you. When the sun sets at 4:30, we all head home to gulp down some ho cho before dinner, our cheeks rosy.
I know these sound like predictable Canadian activities, but I am trying to convey the beauty and joy of them. In past winters I have worried when the first snow comes; “Ok, so now what?” I wonder to myself, “How am I going to keep three kids happy for the next 6 months until spring starts to peek?” This year, it has seemed so obvious, my instinct calls out; “Get outside and enjoy that cold!” The snow doesn’t last forever, and most countries don’t get any.
There is some adventure in going outside in Canada during the winter, even if you only venture as far as your front yard. After an hour of rolling snow balls, your mouth begins to freeze up so you can no longer speak clearly, and perhaps this even makes you drool a bit without realizing it out of the corner of your mouth. Your finger tips also start to go numb, but this gives some satisfaction as just getting outside in this kind of weather can give one a little boost.
A few months ago the Greyhound bus dropped me off at what they called the “Invermere Highway Junction” at 10:25pm. It was dark, -20 degrees celsius, and lightly snowing. There was absolutely no wind, so the flakes were following their natural courses, fluttering down, shifting side to side until laying in perfectly random yet uniform places, leaving a gorgeous shimmering blanket over the landscape. Ihad on my long underwear, my regular clothes, my fleece coat, my down vest and my down jacket, as well as a toque, some mitts and big boots, so was not bothered by the cold. Instead, I was stunned by how lucky I was at that moment to be witnessing such beauty, in such a calm, dark space.