CANADA | WINTER | PHOTOGRAPHY
The Sudden Arrival of a Winter Wonderland
It’s hard to believe that it is already here
I dropped Chris off at the Edmonton airport the other day. It felt strange, for sure. We have rarely been apart these past 6 years of full-time travel, and sending him off on his own adventure was a very odd feeling. He flew to the next province over to help his Aunt clear some stuff from her yard before the snow started to fly here in Canada. When we booked the flight last week, we had no idea just how close that was to happening.
A few days ago, we heard the prediction that 10–15 cm (approx 4–6 inches) of snow was going to fall on this area of Canada on Monday. But, we also know that the weatherman is often not accurate. However, this time he was certainly on the mark.
I stuck this ruler in the snow that is just outside the door on the back deck. For the first snow of the season, it is a lot. We don’t usually see this much all at once, especially at the beginning. It is only mid-October for goodness sakes! But, I digress; I do remember the odd Halloween as a kid where we would be trudging through the snow whilst trick-or-treating. It was then that we would have to consider if our Halloween costume would fit over top of our snow pants, or not.
Yesterday, as it fell, I had a bit of a doom-and-gloom outlook on the world. The property where I am staying is quite remote, and I considered that I may be trapped here for a few days. That part doesn’t really bother me much, but I had also seen some bad media come across my feed, and my mind started a bit of a fear spiral. To combat that, I did some writing about it, which I see has just been published.
While writing about things does help, there is no better therapy than simply stepping out the door to take in the majesty of nature. So, first thing this morning, I did just that.
A first snowfall is a somewhat exciting event, and while I know it brings temperatures that I don’t really like, I can’t deny the spectacular beauty that arrives with it.
So, I thought I would share my current reality with you all, so you, too, can relish in the beauty of it………warmly and from the comfort of wherever it is that you reside in the world.
The first thing I noticed when I looked out was how many animal tracks were on the ground. There were numerous paths in every direction, and it looked like the animals had a literal party out there while I slept. I couldn’t help but follow one of these paths down to another part of the property.
Once down by this pond, I noticed a large cluster of footprints and also some spots where there was no snow on the ground. I wonder if this is where the three deer that I saw bouncing in the yard yesterday slept.
I then looped over to the woodshed and enjoyed the photo opportunity of the snow on the cow head that is attached to it.
My friend also has many things to decorate her yard. They, too, were all covered in snow. I hope the birdhouses have solid roofs and insulation!
I was thrilled to see that the birds are still coming around to the bird feeders as well. So far this morning, I have seen woodpeckers, chickadees, ravens, magpies and many bluejays.
As mentioned previously, I’m not a fan of cold temperatures. But I also know that they are just a part of life in Canada in the winter. There are a few different reasons why we have decided to stick around for a bit, so I guess we just have to suck it up and toughen up to prepare ourselves for what is to come.
Plus, I need to buy some gloves because my fingers were freezing after this!
UPDATE: I found the perpetrators of many of the tracks around the yard. This lovely deer family:)
Thank you to Dennett and Louise Peacock for publishing my article. To read more of my writing in Weeds & Wildflowers:
If you like my writing and want to read more, follow me and sign up here to get my articles by email. We would also be happy if you considered leaving me a tip by using the link to Patreon or Ko-Fi below:)
We have been nomadic since 2017! Join our journey by hitting these links:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn| Patreon| YouTube | Medium | Twitter | Ko-Fi | Unsplash
