"Winter is coming"

I am fairly sure than when he conceived the Starks of Winterfell, George R. R. Martin was thinking of Canadians.  Possibly, those dwelling in the Northern Ontario reaches where I find myself making my home.  That "Winter is coming" is very much part of the psyche here is unquestionable, this I judge from the year and a half I have been here.

As soon as August this year when the trees began turning, I sensed a change in the mood prevailing, even my own.  It was a queer mixture of anticipation and resignation, flavoured with glee in some cases, stark unhappiness in others.

September drifted by, with the leaves in full bloom of colour, but by October they were already on their way to falling off the trees.  Still, there were some truly fine days in both months, real autumn days in terms of colour but blessed with temperatures in the low 20s (degrees Celsius).  Altogether tolerable, those days that held a lingering whiff of the summer than never quite was.

With the coming of November, the warmth began to recede and the cold stole the march.  The daily high temperatures slipped further and further down the scale, even though no snow came.  Oh, there were one or two sallies, apologetic snowfalls I called them, because the flakes had hardly hit the ground before they disappeared.  There was no accumulation even up to the middle of the month.  Not until the final ten days of the month, when talk of American Thanksgiving and Black Friday were everywhere, and Christmas decorations and music were already making their appearance, did the snow finally come.

The first accumulated snow was brought on heavy winds over the course of last weekend.  What did follow were almost Arctic temperatures that meant outer layers for me went from tights and sweaters to ski jackets and down coats.  The first winter storm showed up today, and shed an even greater accumulation on top of that which had largely been ignored as of little consequence.  Not today though, snow plows came out, people are shoveling driveways, and I canceled a possible trip to another library sale.  Days like these give me zero incentive to stir beyond the precincts of our house.

Here are some photos I took for both weekends, past and current:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, those last photos were taken out of doors, after dark.  I felt somewhat restless, in spite of thoroughly enjoying my day off following a harrowing end to the week at work.  So, I bundled up in my snow suit, put on my Caterpillar snow boots with their surefooted tread, and put the little Nipper in his harness and clipped the leash on him, and away we went around the block.  I found it rather soothing to be out there in the light snow, thoroughly cocooned from the snow except for my face, but enjoying the gentle bite of the cold against my cheeks and eyelids.

Officially, winter is not for another three weeks, the solstice this year falls on December 21.  Clearly, though, winter is coming, and Old Man Winter has stolen the last few weeks of fall for himself.

Fall and Winter, Part 1.

Yes, I know, it's been forever since I updated this blog.  Forgive me, it's been eventful around here since October.  Nevertheless, I will share a condensed version.

The fall arrived in spectacular, glorious colours.  I took many photos, as I have been fond of this time of year in North America since I was first exposed to it in New York as a teenager.  With the fall also came cooler temperatures and the necessity of beginning to dress a lot warmer.  Where to G the descent in the temperatures felt gradual, to me it was shockingly sudden.  One day it was merely cool, soon I was cold.  I soon learned a salutary lesson: as someone new to Canada, it is important to dress to make myself comfortable, not try to dress as I saw others (i.e. Canadians) dressing.

The first snowfall came in October.  October!  Many people commented that this was much closer to normal for northern ON than previously mild fall trends, and they fully expected a "normal" winter for 2012/2013 than had obtained in previous years.  I heard this with some trepidation, but I listened to G's advice when it came to dressing, and stayed comfortable.

Here are some photos from September and October:

Yep, I went from brilliant, beautiful, bold colours to dustings of snow literally overnight.  That first snowfall didn't last past the end of the day, but it was a sign of things to come.

Around the end of October, another significant event in the life of any newcomer came to pass for me: I got a job.  Finally, at long last after 3 months of searching, of sending out resumes and being resolutely ignored, of attending interviews and being politely dismissed, I finally was accepted into the Canadian workforce.   Oh, it's nothing like what I used to do in Jamaica when I left, I'm basically back to square one career-wise, but it's a start.  I was once again earning income rather than being totally dependent on G for even my "pin money", and it felt marvelous.   I had and still have a lot to learn, I have had to swallow my pride numerous times over being corrected on things I would never have thought anyone would assume I didn't know, but I have learned to accept that what I don't know is more than what I do know, so it is best to listen and take the lessons as they come.  Some are easy, because I know them already, others are hard, because things are different here, in some surprising ways very different, and making assumptions is foolish no matter where in the world you are.

November would herald even colder temperatures, and by then I was fully dressing in layers of clothing to stay warm, even as G looked on in tolerant amusement.  One rainy afternoon in Sudbury I finally had enough of cold feet in shoes, and purchased a pair of boots rated for -40C temperatures, and put them on as soon as I was out of the store.  I have been wearing those shoes very nearly everywhere since I purchased them.

It is important to learn the art of layering, so that by the time fall and winter roll around you are able to dress comfortably.  Layers start from the skin out, and the rule of thumb, to my mind, for anyone like me new to these temperatures is that too many layers is better than not enough.  You can always shed layers when you have too many, it's when you haven't enough that things can get miserable.

For me, it works like this: I start with my unmentionables (of course) then add the first layer over these of tights (thick woven tights or thermal tights or regular tights, depending on how long I expect to be exposed to the cold and what I expect to be wearing over top of them) and a camisole.  I usually tuck my cami into the waistband of my tights to form a continuous layer, thereby leaving less skin exposed.  The next layer consists of a thin, long-sleeved t-shirt, again either thermal or simply cotton depending on the temperatures I expect to be exposed to.  The next layer is my outer clothing, typically a pair of pants and a sweater (preferably turtleneck or cowl neck).  I have acquired quite the sweater collection now, I find them indispensable.  My colleagues find it amazing that I can wear sweaters indoors, I find it amazing that they can wear cap sleeved shirts and dresses.

The final layer is outerwear.  It is quite important to have suitable outerwear in northern ON, what works in southern ON simply will not do here much of the time.  Baffin, Sorel, Choko, The Northern Face and Columbia, those are the brand names most often seen in these parts.   A ski parka and a mid to full length down coat are basic, also ski pants, thick socks, good gloves and tall boots.  While purchasing these items even on sale can run you into the hundreds of dollars, they are essentials that will be used year after year, so it is important to invest in high quality purchases.  I received a number of these items as early Christmas presents, and the weather obliged me with an opportunity to gear up and go outside in them.

Yep, that's me doing a snow angel.  Notice G bought me the suspender-type ski pants, rather than the ones secured at the waist.  I greatly like this style, as it allows me to form a layer that continues under my ski jacket, and the jacket itself can be cinched in at the waist to minimise air flowing up underneath it.  Not too sure how I feel about the balaclava, although I will say from experience that it comes in handy when you are outside trying to shovel snow even while it's still snowing!

To be continued in part 2: Christmas and a New Year.