Exactly a week ago Lauren and I would have been waiting to board the plane to Yellowknife, anxious to reach our destination and to leave the amassing snowfall that had forced itself upon Edmonton. Our touchdown was met by bright, cold and clear skies which have remained all week until now. Today we have an overcast day with snow - not the big gloppy flakes typically found in Ontario - but the smaller, more granular flakes that typifies a dryer, colder climate (I presume)......
Our stay at the Coast Fraser Hotel has been wonderful; warm, quiet and with a great view of the east part of the downtown. Close enough that I've been able to walk to work, though the first morning in doing so nearly sent me into shock as my body certainly hadn't yet adjusted to the cold that literally took my breath away. I had brought enough warm clothes with me, that was not an issue, though the coat I purchased for the coldest of the cold days is in storage somewhere, waiting to be unloaded, and eventually to be worn.
Weather is a funny thing, It's been said that we Canadians talk about it - almost incessantly as it begins and ends many a conversation and meeting. Well, Canadians have a lot of weather to contend with so perhaps it is not an unexpected source of amusement after all and quite frankly, I've amused myself all week about it. Should 'amuse' not be the most correct word, feel free to imagine what other descriptors I may use regarding it.
So what (and how) have I amused myself this week regarding weather?
I've not encountered an area of Canada where people don't surprise me regarding their choice of clothes for the season (sorry for the double negative). However, here, given the extremes of temperature, I would have expected more consistency in terms of encouraging survival and minimizing frostbite, but this is not to be. Even taking into account the reality that people may not have the resources to dress themselves well, I'm thinking this is probably not the case for the extremists I have observed. And, yes I am being mindful of situational factors such as the shuttle bus that plowed its way through snow to the airport with a group of passengers dressed in sandals and the lightest of garb numbed to the effects of their current reality (ie a state of denial) as they anticipate warmer climates henceforth. And I guess lastly, I'm not referring to the children who, bless their hearts, don't seem to feel the weather extremes until they hit puberty....or later.
Okay, so how do I dress for the cold? Fully and completely. Most of you will know that I tend to run a little on the cool side - I'm happiest in a 74+ (24C) degree room so you won't find me underdressing. PS - for those of you wondering why in the world I would willingly choose to move to a cooler environment, the official answer is that for me 'cold is cold' and no matter where I live I will typically experience feeling cold, so it is, in reality, a non-issue.
So here I am bundled up - hat (though begrudgingly as I'm not a hat fan), hood, count em - 2 scarves, one for neck and one for covering most of my face, full, knee length coat and merino wool socks, leggings and sleeved shirt underneath my regular 'warm' clothes. My eyes are literally the only thing visible (Muriel and Christine H, you will get a kick out of this) - they too were starting to freeze on one of my walks....time to get the goggles out (lol)....
The other day in Shoppers Drug Mart, not one, but two women were bare legged with the skimpiest of shoes (again, did not appear to be an issue of resources). Most people do not wear scarves, or even hats and certainly not coats that pass their bums. Many do dress appropriately, and yes Canada Goose thrives up here as does North Face products, but for the most part I wouldn't be able to tell I was living in a very northern community if all I had to work with were my observations of the typical attire of the community in general.
By the by, saw my first seal skin coat the other day on a man..........it's a tough thing to accept (and as Lauren commented, it was really ugly too).
There's very little snow here and the sidewalks are kept clean. I've seen some huge ice patches on the streets and wonder if they will ever be cleared away, suspecting that they will be larger and even more hazardous to drivers as time goes on. You can tell the streets are icy and the city provides a sand / small gravel mix to ensure some grip. The good news is that I'm not walking through piles of snow, nor bringing it into the buildings or wearing salt on my clothes....this may change over the next few weeks....(I'm sure I'll have reason to speak more about this in the future :)
Absolutely, everything is covered with frost and while we've all seen this spectacle, something about it seems different. I suppose part of it is that it stays - there is no melt - no 'in between' or transition from one weather system to another. All vehicles that sit outside are covered with this layer of frost and even the ground has this crystalline structure that grows upward. Every aspect of a tree, plant or bush is covered with this frost and it is a spectacular sight.
Yesterday, the Director commented to me that I had arrived at a difficult time of year, particularly with the 'cold snap' that had come into the region. Hmmm......so this isn't typical for November? Apparently, this is much too cold for this time of year and more representative of January......whew.......I was a little concerned that it was going to get much worse and I couldn't imagine what 'worse' was going to feel like.... However, all in all the week has been cold, clear and definitely sunny with little wind, and for these two Ontario transplants, this has been a reasonably good 'weather' week.
PS (but still too cold to be out taking pictures....sorry......)
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