Winterizing
I heard our dog, Koda, hop off the end of our bed around 3:15am and make his way downstairs.
About once a week he decides it’s in his best interest to explore the backyard in the middle of the night. Typically the baby gate bars him from getting that far, but we had forgotten to close it that night.
I flipped on the back porch light with my eyes half open, and saw big fluffy flakes coming down. Winter was here.
“It’s time to winterize!” was the subject line of an email from our landlord last month. She listed out the various ways we had to prepare the house for winter. Yet beyond cutting down the shrubbery and putting away the hose, there’s been a shift in the local energy that’s been fascinating to observe as a newbie up here.
A few weeks ago, neighbors started to set-up what look to be mini camping tents over bushes and plants, those that I’m assuming they don’t want to be crushed by snow. Some got creative with boards, creating tiny plant houses. The good majority of houses have strung up their Christmas lights, to a point where I urged Andrew to start hanging ours this weekend. There’s no such thing as ‘too early’ up here, Canadian Thanksgiving was last month, and so Christmas is up next. I’ll happily jump on that decorating wagon.
We have been told, a few times now, that we must install winter tires on our cars. We both drive SUVs, and both grew up in climates with plenty of snow where that wasn’t a thing, so naturally we were confused. Yet we skeptically ordered the tires and obliged, as you’re not allowed to cross into the province of Quebec without them.
My 8-minute daycare drop-off route tours me past two schools, and it’s been amusing to watch the transition of kids dressed in hoodies and jeans, to parkas and ski masks. Our mail man is still delivering the mail in shorts, a move I fully respect. After getting home from walking the dogs a few nights ago, I promptly ordered myself another pair of fleece leggings. I foresee our winter gear lineup expanding this winter.
Last on our winter-prep list is to rent cross-country skis for the season; a sport neither of us have ever tried. Yet we were told that the running trails behind our house will quickly switch over to skiing trails, so we figured we should give it a shot. It’ll force us out of hibernation once in a while.
People love to bitch about winter. I mean truly, who likes being cold? I get it… but I’m hellbent on embracing it. I give myself pep talks over my morning cup of coffee, and root for snow when I see it in the forecast. And while there’s a good chance I’ll be uttering curse words to myself when I can’t feel my toes in March, I’m going to give my first Canadian winter my best shot.
