I miss winter!

Perennials are going to be lost for sure!

Today, I decided I missed winter.  Yes, I live in the middle of the prairies and traditionally we have lots of snow and good cold temperatures.  This year we have so little snow and it was so warm that it could hardly be called winter.  It would be an insult to the word.

Almost no snow! Sigh.

I love winter.  I love it when it is so cold that it feels like you get pinched inside your nose when you inhale too deeply.  I love it when the snow crunches under your feet as you walk outside.  I love how the snow sparkles like fairy crystals in the bright sunshine that pretty much always accompanies a cold snap.   I love that when it is -18 or -20 C the temperature is just about perfect because it means no slush or icy roads and my van stays nice and clean.  I hate slush - it completely grosses me out.  I love how the air is so perfectly clear and seems to hold the sunlight even more than other days.
 
What do you like about winter? 

First Annual Cabin Fever Writing Competition

I woke to a wonderful, sunny winter day.  It made me smile looking out the window.  The catch was that it was -30.4C (-22.7F) with a wind chill of -43C (-45.4F)!   I was up, literally bright and early to see my poor hubby off to work monitoring a fishing derby on Lake of the Prairies.  If it was this cold here, I can only imagine how cold it was going to be for him in the middle of the lake (another 3 hours north of here) with the wind howling across.

What an appropriate day to reveal the first of our writers to win a prize! 

I would now like to introduce our judges.  Tara Leach is a wonderfully creative teacher,extraordinary artist both on the stage and in the traditional sense.  Monica Donnelly  is another great teacher, world traveller and published poet!  They both very generously took the time to peruse the entries and choose who they felt should be featured.

The criteria was simply that all entries had to be under 200 words. I was delighted that not only was prose sent but poetry as well!  I want to thank all who participated - the entries were welcome and well-written.  I hope everyone will join us again next year at the same time.

It is now time for the our third place winner to be announced -  (Think drum roll and cheering here!)

As one of our most talented writers, Laurita Miller offered us a haunting piece that left us wanting to know more.  Laurita is from our east coast and her site has recently been awarded first place in the  Canadian Blog Award for the Culture and Literature category.  Her site called "Brain Droppings" is multi-faceted and interesting to read.  She not only writes incredibly well but has a huge heart and is currently working on a fundraiser for cancer and will be shaving her locks in March, since she has not only reached her goal but exceeded it as well! You can check out her site at http://ringkeeper.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-defense-of-coolth.html

Now for the main event:

Cabin Fever by Laurita Miller

She woke when the book fell from her lap. The evening sky, dark and smoky grey, told of looming snow. Where was Bern? He was very late. Very late.

She pushed up from her rocking chair. The old floor creaked, but it was warm, a blessing on a night like this. She paced the room – three, four times – then went to the back door. Snow drifted high over the porch and stretched, pristine and shimmering, for as far as she could see.

How long since she’d been outside? Two days? A week? She moved to the window and looked out upon the snow covered laneway.  No footsteps, no tires marred the frosty ripples and waves. She longed to go out, but knew she would not make it far. New flakes, plump and heavy, swirled against the glass.

She would wait for Bern. He would be back soon.



 Congratulations, Laurita!

Laurita, I will send off your well-deserved prize which includes a pair of beautiful handmade candles made by Roger and Cathy Desilet of the Ravenscreek Farms near Oakburn, MB, a Brown Sugar Keeper from Steve Jorganson Pottery Studio in Winnipeg, MB and a Timmy's Card for one of those much needed caffeine fixes.  I will be tucking in a little extra surprise as well!

Congratulations on your win  Laurita!

The Downside/Upside of Winter

We are now totally in the grip of winter. It is a gentle, beautiful vice of magical, glittering diamond sharp snow that surrounds us. Already, we have more snow than we have had in November in years. The temperature is hovering around -20 Celsius - the perfect temperature for winter. At these temperatures, the roads are not slippery and we know we have to dress properly or we will freeze. The rivers and lakes are making strong, rock hard ice as I write and soon it will be time to drag the ice fishing shacks out to the frozen water bodies.

I woke this morning to the kind of sharp frosty air that pulls at your nose hairs when you inhale too fast. Unfortunately, I had to stay home sick with a wicked sore throat. That was the downside...but the upside is that I can enjoy the lovely view from my window. The sun is shining brightly through the absolutely clear morning air, the kind of crystal clear air that you only get when the temperatures fall. The hoar frost is thick on the trees and there is a gentle wind that is just starting to blow it off. It falls through the sunlight like magical crystals, fairy dust that flashes cheekily as it twirls and rotates in a happy eccentric dance to the ground.

I can see Squirrely Magirly hopping along the fence and then pausing. She digs daintily in the snow until she unearths a treasure. It is a small pinecone that she gives a decisive shake to. Now she starts to peel away the layers to get to the delicious pine nuts at the base of each cone scale. The dog is going nuts inside because she can see her on the fence but Squirrely Magirly remains completely unperturbed as she snacks away in the sun.

And to think I would have missed all this if I wasn't at home sick!