Ok, it's so cold right now that there's ice or something forming on my Yahoo! weather widget. Seriously though - it's supposed to depict blowing snow but I think the iciness of it is telling. In our part of Canada, the weather's been so warm this year that as of January 14 there was new grass coming up in people's lawns - enough so you could see the green. Pretty weird since, well, it is January and it is Canada (albeit close to the 49th parallel). Anyway, winter finally decided to show up on Jan 15th with a snowstorm (not too much snow) but the cold that followed is downright rude. As you can see from the widget it's -14°C (7°F) but the windchill makes it feel like -23°C (-9 °F) out. Tomorrow morning is expected to be -19°C (-2°F) with a windchill to -31°C (-24°F). They call this weather system a Siberian Express. Ewwww. Not fun after the balmy +7s or so we've been used to.

And we come to my guilty little secret now - so if this is climate change, where winter in Canada doesn't really kick in until mid-January, well - I kind of don't mind that at all. It's easier on heating bills, it's more comfortable to be out and around. Winter with snow and cold starting in November used to depress the hell out of me but now I can handle the 70-90 days of winter. Where I live, the winters were far from idyllic anyway. The cold is damp and works it's way right down to your bones. But it wasn't always so.

As a kid, I remember spending tons of time outside playing in the snow or skating in the park. But those days were the frosty dry cold, where the air is so cold that the snow gets squeaky; the sky a brilliant blue but glittering from snow dust blowing off the roofs of houses. That was ok, and we dressed for the cold anyway (or rather our moms dressed us) in layers and snowsuits, hats, mitts scarves, until we could barely move, and then threw us out into the yard. Those winters were Canada. But then it got a bit milder, the winters seemed to become soggy and cold and unpleasant. More icy than snow packed. Hard to walk in, hard to drive in, hard to want to be outside in. And then...

It just seemed to warm up so that winter came later and later. Until now, people wish for it but the chance of us having a white Christmas is around 30% or so. (A far cry from the 80% chance it used to be maybe 10 years ago).

And it really is a guilty pleasure because although I secretly relish a late winter/early spring, intellectually I know it's wrong, wrong, wrong, to have green grass in Canada in January. Brrr. That's the shiver of anticipation knowing that I can enjoy the mild winters right now but there will be consequences. sigh I just don't want to go back to the slushy messy winters - maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we could return right back to the ones of my childhood. Well for now, it almost seems like it outside. Time to toss another blanket on the bed and make sure everyone's cozy. It gonna be a cold one tomorrow.