A power day

Winter is definitely here. The rains of November have given way to an approaching high pressure system that is sucking the cold, clear air from the Interior down over Vancouver. The break from the almost constant rain is a treat but the temperatures and sinking faster than the US dollar. By mid-week the temperatures are expected to be below freezing all day and as low as -7C at night; quite unusual this early in the winter.

The bright weather has everyone in fine spirits. It always gives me a boost of energy. I rose fairly early and rummaged through the garbage bins to find a dry cardboard box to make a parcel for my Christmas gifts to send to my mother and siblings in Toronto. My first choice was perfect but once I had it sealed and labeled it was too heavy for my compromised muscles to carry it two blocks to the post office. Fortunately, Fred had arranged to meet me for breakfast and he carried it for me. That was a huge weight, so to speak, off my mind, but I still had a couple more gifts to shop for, then wrap and then send off in a smaller parcel.

Christmas means nothing to me, or at least not the bogus “Christmas story” we’ve been force fed all our lives. I really don’t care if I never received anything but I do enjoy shopping for gifts others and sending them off. Giving is a sacred act for me, and after I have sent off my gifts I feel contented and nourished.

Then it was time to shop for myself. Jeremy, who I haven’t seen in months, came by in his Vitara and took me to Mountain Equipment Co-op. He shopped for an undercoat for his wife Cathy while I bought myself a long, warm and waterproof winter coat and stretch-on cleats for ice and snow. The way winter has started the odds are that we’ll have some nasty weather.

Jeremy was kind enough to drive me up to Kona afterwards to buy a few stained glass supplies. Mostly I needed solder and zinc U-channel to make frames for larger windows. I picked up a couple choice pieces of glass while I was at it: another $118 bill.

Then he brought me Christmas tree shopping. We headed back to Kitsilano, the fierce light of the afternoon sun glaring off his windshield. High above downtown, looking north from 33rd Ave, the blue mountains were capped with snow. The Lions are almost completely white. I've heard that Whistler has had record snowfalls but here next to the sea the snow line is still at 1000m. But by next week everything could be white. We usually get our biggest snowfalls when warmer air slides in over the dense freezing air as it retreats, especially if the front stalls over the city.

Jeremy wasted no time picking out a 2-metre tall Fraser fir. The regular price would have been $100, but it was on sale for $70. Our condo doesn’t allow real trees but I don’t have the space or inclination to have one anyway, not to mention the money. He strapped it to the roof of his car and drove me home. For a moment he entertained the notion of taking me back to his place so I could see his son Adam, who is a year and a half old now, but I reminded him that there are no railings on his stairs and I can't make it into his house. My limitations are always a bummer, but it’s also a fact of life. Hopefully I’ll get to see them again before they move to Colorado sometime next year.