Winter

I hate winter. My muscles hate winter. They fail me when they get too cold and I fall. That is one good reason I live in Vancouver, but not the actual reason why I moved here. I did that before I knew I had a problem with my muscles.

Vancouver usually only has 6 weeks of winter, instead of 6 months or more like most of Canada. So it should be easier to handle it, right? Wrongo. Our situation has made us all wooses. We can't even deal with snow flurries let alone a full blown storm. When it hits freezing we think we're going to die. Most of the winter months in other parts of Canada we love to brag about our prolonged autumns and spring flowers while everyone else is still digging out, but when we get hit with the white stuff it's everyone else's turn to make fun of us and our inability to deal it. The worst of it is that no one has any sympathy for us when it happens.

I am the biggest woos of all. Ice and snow depress me, given that I fall at the slightest slip and can't get up again. I dread each winter and celebrate the first flowers with extra enthusiasm. I worship Global Warming. Bring it on.

Friday's weather's forecast said "snow", the first of the season. The city went into emergency preparedness, as though a tornado was approaching. But I knew it was a false alarm as the high was 4C and nothing would settle. I checked the weather before I left home. It was still wet and windy, a crappy day, but no snow and it was already above 3C so I headed out in my running shoes, as usual. It was a miserable walk but I made it unscathed. All day my co-workers were anxiously awaiting for an announcement from management that we could all go home early in anticipation of snow stopping the buses and trains, but I guessed it right. The flurries came and left without leaving anything behind. The walk home was quite pleasant compared to the trip to work.

But the real danger is yet to come. The rain ended last night and it was supposed to stay mostly clear over the weekend. Then the temperatures were going down to -9C!(!!) Sunday and Monday nights and remaining below freezing all day. My legs can't handle -9C. The last time I tried it in January 2005 I fell and that cracked my femur, which led eventually to a full-blown broken femur months later. So today I swallowed my pride and bought two pairs of womens' stockings at the drug store. No one would see me wearing them under my pants and besides, they will be very useful compliments to my drag next weekend when myself and other Faeries gather on the Sunshine Coast to celebrate the Solstice like good Pagans should.

So I felt prepared for the cold and since I thought it would stay dry until Wednesday I had nothing to fear. The spent the evening watching an old Jane Fonda and George Siegal film after having spent the afternoon making three stained glass sun-catchers for the Gifts For Seniors box on Monday. Then, fifteen minutes ago I looked outside and caught my breath. It's snowing! It's already a couple inches deep and it already -3.6 and falling. This stuff won't melt for several days, as the forecast says when it warms up again the snow will start again. The real danger is HERE!! (help!) :o(

And here I thought if the snow could only hold off to Christmas I could survive this winter.