Last week as I checked the weather forecast online, I experienced a moment of excitement when I saw the possibility of the first snowfall of the season.
Late in the week, reports were calling for five to 10 centimetres of snow for Sunday, then it changed to just one centimetre, and by the time we woke up on Sunday morning, there was only a little bit of frost to be seen.
I think a lot of people were probably relieved that we appeared to be one of the few places in the province that didn’t get a fresh coating of snow. And although the first snowfall is always a little scary, with people (most having lived in Alberta their entire lives) having to remember how to drive in winter conditions, I just love the thought of a nice, snuggly snow day at home.
I really couldn’t imagine living somewhere without such distinct seasons, granted, going from +12 degrees Celsius on Saturday to a high of -4 degrees on Sunday is a bit drastic. It’s funny how we always seem to want what we can’t have, and that is especially true for weather.
After a solid six or seven months of winter, I’m sure I will be yearning for warm sunny days, but for now, I’m really anxious for some snow. I always buy my sons’ Halloween costumes a size too big so they can fit some extra layers underneath, and I remember many Halloweens growing up where we would return home after trick or treating with frozen fingers and ears – it was just part of the experience.
There are certainly a lot of people out there who are happy the Sunday snowstorm missed us, but I am pretty confident there are other people out there looking forward to winter.
My husband and I have very different preferences for seasons and weather that we deem perfect. While I love +30 summer days, and equally love snowy blizzards, he is more of a spring and fall type guy. That might have something to do with the fact that he works outside mostly, and working in a blizzard or heat wave isn’t too fun, especially since I mostly get to spend my days working in a nice warm, or air-conditioned, office.
Another thing I love about the cooler months is the shorter days. Although that too might sound a bit strange, I really do not enjoy trying to convince a six-year-old that although the sun is still out, he really does have to go to bed. In the winter, there are rarely any bedtime arguments – it’s somewhat relieving.
Going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark can be a bit depressing, and I’m thankful I have a nice big window in my office.
For the next few weeks (possibly a couple months, although I really doubt it will be that long), I will be looking forward to the first real snowfall of the season.
Hopefully it lands on a day where I don’t have to leave the house and can spend it relaxing inside. And if it happens to be this week, or this Thursday in particular, it won’t even be that disappointing. I love Halloween, but skipping out on some of the chaos and not having my three-year-old repeatedly tell me he hates his costume and wants to be Sully instead of Mike really won’t hurt my feelings too much.
