The Frost is on the Pumpkin

and the car, and the grass, and here to stay! If you are wondering what that sound is, it's me kicking the cat. Now for everyone about to call the SPCA, we do not have cat, nor do we want one, and if there is one in the neighbourhood, I do refrain from kicking it. (I just think about it.) The point is, I don't really like winter.

I used to love winter. I revelled in the beauty of individual snowflakes, the way Christmas lights look peeking out through the snow-covered branches, I even liked shovelling snow on clear crisp winter nights.

Travelling and kids cured me of that.

In my part of the world winter arrives in October/November and finally gives up the ghost sometime towards the end of March, early April. I thought this was the way things worked everywhere. Not so much.

For three years we lived on the West Coast and I discovered that grass can stay green all year long. Daffodils bloom in February and you can sit on the beach in a sweater in December. Yeah, this beats shovelling snow anyday.

Then, we moved to Texas. I have never liked winter since, because in Texas they don't have it. Now those of you from Texas may protest and tell me of icy bridges and howling winds, but really, it ices about 8-10 times a winter, rarely if ever drops more than 2 degrees below freezing and when I was there it snowed. Once. In the two years I was there.

When it started to snow my grade 5 students hit the ceiling and all work and focus ceased. I found this to be rather frustrating so at one point I made the comment "come on, it's not like you've never seen snow before." A passing teacher popped her head in to inform me, that no, they would have never seen this much snow in their lives. It was barely an inch of the stuff.

I began to believe that this was indeed the promised land, a place where it snowed an inch every ten years! Who needs winter? Then of course the following summer we moved back.

Back to toques, scarves , mitts, boots, block heaters, windchill warnings, sticky snowshovels, slushy streets. (sigh)

So, the frost is on the pumpkin, I still live in the north and I think I am off to find a cat.