Tag Archives: winter

…idontcarewhatswrongidontcarewhatsrightijustwanttolivemylife…

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The smudges have turned to blurs and the blanket of white now shimmers gold as you gaze to off into the distance.
It appears central Canada is warming up early this year..
Prior to our departure from Winnipeg yesterday morning, I looked at the weather reports for Regina and it was projected to be -37 degrees, likely making that the coldest city we have visited so far. Much to our surprise it was far from that. Infact, it was the complete opposite. I got off the bus in a hoodie thinking I was completely insane and it turns out I am not..(for the time being anyway). It was a whopping -3 degrees.
Almost refreshing.

The shimmer of gold is what you expect to see in July when driving thru these parts but for some reason the wheat like growths have either a) come early b) survived what I assume to be a harsh winter (based on previous experiences and general knowledge of Canadian geography and weather patterns) and have lasted until the snow started to melt (seems unlikely that this would ever be the case) or c) The province of Saskatchewan has got off lucky so far this year and hasn’t had a bad winter (also very unlikely).
Regardless of the reason(s) why, it is very different from yesterday. In years gone by I normally feel completely vulnerable driving thru this province, but today is almost inviting as we drive north on highway 11 from Regina to Saskatoon. In previous attempts to get thru or around Saskatchewan it always seems as though you will never make it out. The last time I made this trek was 4 years ago, close to this time (actually it was 4 years and one month ago) and we got stranded in the worst snow storm I had ever seen (and to this day never seen anything like it). Before that, it was the summer and it was blistering hot and we ran out of gas and of course there was nothing remotely close to us and before that I was on a family vacation heading west thru Northern Saskatchewan from Winnipeg and the hail and rail got so bad we had to set up shop at a rest area and wait (forever) for it to pass before carrying on.
So I am a bit skeptical.
So what.
Today though.
Today might just be a great day.
Yesterday’s broken black haze on the horizon is now an carefully painted baby blue pastel colour and if you look beyond that you find soft misty white clouds in formations not even my imagination could create.
Grain silos and power generating windmills are becoming more common and the little towns, they are really little.
The roads straighter and longer and a place to stop for important breaks are becoming more and more infrequent but before you know it, we will be at today’s destination and we start all over again.

This reminds me of a micro Kansas in a macro way.

…our.hearts.are.like.powerlines.in.the.eye.of.a.storm…

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There is a hint of purity and innocence in a landscape covered in snow.
For as far as the eye can see, mine capture a blanket of white with a broken black haze on the horizon. Scattered sparsely thru out the open plains and off in the distance there are a few smudges resembling that of a farm house.
A little bit closer,
Some farm equipment seemingly left for dead at the first sign of winter.
And the foreground,
A tree.
It is almost the perfect tree.
It stands tall and proud and straight as an arrow.
Its branches,
They appear to be symmetrical.
It seems unlikely but I like to think its possible.
There is no whiz of passing cars.
Not a whistle from a bird.
The perfectly tuned hum of industry and big city is non existent.
there is no splash of a body of water or the howl of wind.
The only sound is the constant ringing in my ears and it might drive me insane.
The lack of sound and the calming energy makes me anxious but I know I could soon grow to love it (maybe not forever).
Is this desolation or inspiration?
Is this isolation or freedom?
If we live in a “free world” then this might be paradise.
The only warmth to my hands as I snap a few photos is that of a cigarette nearing its end.
I retreat inside to be informed by the talking box (as imperfect as it is) that it is -31 degrees Celsius and frostbite can happen in less then minutes to skin exposed to the crisp cold morning air.

…I guess this is a grim prairie winter in central Canada…