When the rain turned to snow, it kept falling and falling and falling.  Most of the previous snowfall melted under the raindrops but it was soon replaced with more than we had before.  A winter wonderland appeared over the weekend.

My grand-daughters were sleeping over.  When they went to bed on Friday night, we talked about what it would look like in the morning.  We were expecting it to be white but were not expecting the 6 inches of snow that fell.  I had to push the back door to get it to open.

The snow continued to fall through the day.  We bundled up and headed outside.  I shoveled and they had great fun in the deep, fluffy snow.  The sand toys that we used to take to the playground, turned into snow toys.  The dinosaurs were getting lost in the snowbanks.  The girls wondered how we would have a picnic if the table was covered in snow.

The evergreen branches drooped under the weight of the snow.  Each fence post wore a white cap.  "Gramma, the moose can't see."  I have a moose lawn ornament constructed from 4x4 landscape ties and its head was covered with flakes.

I could hear the neighbors clearing their driveways.  The laughter of the children echoed through the air.  They were having great fun in the snow as their parents toiled at getting access to the main road.  Someone had a wood fire going.  The smell of smoke wafted into my yard.  I love that 'campfire' smell.  It's the best aromatherapy ever!

The snow created some bad conditions for driving but it sure was pretty to look at and fun to play in.  The girls jumped, shoveled and ran in it.  They played with their dinosaurs in the snowbanks and pretended that the playhouse was an igloo. 

News reports showed people complaining about the weather conditions.  There should be no complaining. Winter happens every year.  The snow is covering the ground and the roads are not in good condition but our situation does not compare to the areas hit by the typhoon in the Philippines or the tornadoes in the United States. 

Our wintry condition will last a few months making for slippery roads and lots of shoveling but there is no destruction.  Homes are standing and roads are passable.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those living in the areas of destruction. 

 

The rain that fell over the past few days has melted all the fluffy snow.  Six deer were taking advantage of that yesterday morning.  I could see their silhouettes in the field as they fed on the grass in the open areas.

There is a lot of ice on my driveway and the hiking trails.  At this very minute there is snow falling on top of the ice.  It's going to be treacherous for walking.

I got the bird feeders filled and the suet cakes out before the snow started falling.  The birds must have been waiting in the tree tops.  As soon as the feeders were full, they swooped down and there was a feeding frenzy happening.  Woodpeckers, nuthatches, bluejays, chickadees and magpies took turns at the sunflower seeds and peanuts.

The wood box is full and supper is in the oven.  I'll be heading out soon to pick up my grand-daughters for a sleepover weekend.  The weather will determine how much outside time we will have.  If the forecast is accurate, we are in for a few centimeters of snow and cooler temperatures.

When it snows, you have two choices:  shovel or make snow angels.  

~Author Unknown

It's November 13 and I had to have my windshield wipers on high for the duration of my drive home.  The rain was coming down as if it was mid-summer.  This, combined with the warm temperature, played havoc on the fluffy snow that covered the ground.  There isn't much left.  Most of the ground cover is ice.

The rain began overnight, stopped and then froze.  It started again just before I left for work this morning.  I opened the backdoor and noticed that the deck was wet.  I did not notice the ice under the water and proceeded to do a few 'figure skating moves' on my way to the stairs.  Each stair was coated in ice.  I side-stepped each stair all the way to the bottom.

As I tried to stay upright on the way to the garage, I wondered what happened to the beautiful morning that I witnessed the day before.  I watched the sun come up while enjoying my morning coffee.  The colors were bright and beautiful; a sight to behold.
This morning was grey and damp.  

As I turned off the exterior lights this evening, it was dark and damp.  The temperature is supposed to drop and the rain is expected to turn to snow.  The forecast is for up to 4cm of snow.  That, combined with the ice covered road, is going to make for an interesting drive in to work tomorrow morning.



 

Almost a year to the day, I lost a good friend after cancer stole his life.  He had to expend the last bit of his energy battling for his life in a hospital bed instead of chasing his golf ball.  I found out last night that another acquaintance of mine lost her battle 364 days later.  She was able to see one of her daughters get married this past summer but won't get to see her second daughter marry or spend time with grandchildren.  She would have been a wonderful grandma.  Why is it that people can be sent into outer space for months on end but there is still no cure for cancer?  It continues to silently steal lives.

I had some extra time this morning before leaving for the city.  I could have spent it doing chores around the house but decided to head outside.  

The sound of the forest and a brisk walk in the fresh air is what I needed.  When I got to the trail, the clouds parted and the sun's rays shone through.  It brightened a grey day.

The snow glistened and crunched underfoot.  I heard the blue jays and the chickadees in the tree tops.  Animal tracks in the snow on the pond surfaces, looked like roads on a map.  Those simple things give me such pleasure.



Hiking the trails allows me the time to clear my head.  Today I contemplated what was important.  Spend time doing things that have meaning; things that make a difference.  Spend quality time with loved ones where you are unplugged from technology. Give them your undivided attention even if it's only for a short time. Spend time doing things that make you happy.  Don't waste your energy on things that you cannot change.  Make the most of each day because you never know if it will be your last.

I don't know what made me look out the window at 1:30am but I am sure glad that I did.  The light show going on in the sky was the brightest that I have ever seen.

The greens and purples danced together across the sky, creating a canvas that changed every second.

It's 2:15am and my alarm is going to go off at 3am.  I may have to fight to keep my eyes open at work today but this was one light show that I was not going to miss.  

Christmas Card Perfect

The snow stopped falling and the temperature has dipped from what it was yesterday.  The wind left cheeks and noses a little rosy today.  I'm glad to say that there are no long-lasting after-effects from the two days of x-country skiing.  My leg muscles were in fine form today and my arms felt normal by noon.

Help!  I've fallen and can't get up.

My son sent a couple of photos from our ski adventure.  When I saw them, I yearned to go out and play in the snow even though I knew I couldn't fit an outing in today.  I could 'smell' the fresh air and feel the peacefulness of the forest just by looking at the photos.  I also had a good laugh at my wipe out!

Since I couldn't make it to the trails today, I'm going to share some of Mother Nature's art.  I love going out during or right after a big snow.  There is such beauty to be found amidst the trees.  The last time that I was out, I watched for 'snow sculptures' in the branches.

Flying bird.

Fortune cookie on a stick.

There were so many works of art to see!

Reaching hand.

Quacking duck.

The next time that the snowflakes start falling, take some time to go outside for an art walk.  You never know what you'll see.  There will be something new everyday.

What got into me?  I'm still attempting to figure that out.  Why, on only the second time out on x-country skis this season, would I suggest a 13km trail?  Why would I suggest a 13km trail on the day after going out for the first time?

Last night we narrowed down our choices to a couple of trails.  The fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky must have been drawing me to the Moss Lake trail at Elk Island Park.  Now that I think about it, that trail was the shorter of the two picked out.  The other one was 16kms.

On the way to the trail head, we saw a large herd of elk on the top of a hill to the west of the parkway.  They watched as we pulled over to snap a few photos.  As the window rolled down, they stampeded to the bottom of the hill.

Further up the road, a coyote lopped through the snow in search of a morning meal.  He wasn't about to stop while we slowed to watch him.  The scene itself was beautiful.  Large flakes were falling as the coyote ran through the snow.

There were no other vehicles in the trail head parking lot.  We gathered our gear and headed out.  There was about four inches of fresh snow and we had to break trail.  Thank goodness my son took the lead.

At the beginning of the outing, there were a number of BIG hills that we had to climb.  My legs were not sore from the night before but they were certainly fatigued after completing the climbs.  I wanted to continue forward, rather than turning around.

The snow fell silently and steadily the entire time that we were out.  The trail wound through aspen forests, spruce forests and along the shore of a frozen lake.  It looked like a Christmas card.  The tree and shrub branches wore blankets of white.  It was so peaceful.

Moose had been out on the trail.  Their tracks criss-crossed from one side to the next.  They stopped every so often to paw at the ground.  In a couple of spots, they had laid down to rest in the snow, leaving an indent in the fluffiness.

Two flocks of geese flew overhead.  Their honking echoed through the woods.  Squirrels were accessing their stores and woodpeckers were out in search of food.  The chickadees were flitting from branch to branch.

The trail flattened out as we came to the areas where the forest was thickest.  I had to stop every now and again to give the old legs a rest and to take in the beauty around me.  I was impressed with myself, my legs were beginning to feel like rubber, just as my arms were but I only had one wipe out.  It wasn't even because I lost my balance on a hill which is always an expectation of mine.  We crossed a wooden boardwalk and my ski caught something under the snow as I came off the end of the walkway.  Down I went.  All I could think of was 'Help I've fallen and can't get up.'  I had a good laugh and my son got a good picture.

We did not meet up with anyone else during the entire time that we were out.  This has become my new favorite trail for x-country skiing.  I'll practice a little before the next outing and make sure that I take some extra snacks and water along.  If I would have been by myself today, I would not have made it all the way around; having to break trail.  My son did a fine job of that.

The laces on my ski boots had huge icy snowballs on them.  My socks were soaken wet.  I could barely lift my legs up the back stairs but it was a glorious day.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon on the couch.  The wood in the stove crackled and the fire warmed my bones; that coupled with the fuzzy blanket that I was cuddled under.  A nice two hour nap ensued after which I made a big cup of tea and read for the remainder of the day.

The outings over the last two days have left me filled with gratitude.  I love the area that I live in.  All my favorite activities can be found within a short drive from home.  My weekends are mini-vacations each week.  I couldn't ask for anything better.

 

I spent three glorious hours this morning on the Amisk Wuche trail at Elk Island Park.  Huge, fluffy snowflakes were falling lazily to the ground.  There was no wind.  The forest was silent.  It was so quiet that the only sound I could hear were the flakes as they landed on my nylon jacket.

I couldn't decide whether to take snowshoes or skis.  It turned out that I didn't take either.  My hiking cleats did the job today.  

There were two inches of fresh, fluffy snow on top of the packed trail.  It's beginning to look like a winter wonderland.  Each little crook in the branches was filled with snow.  The broken tree stumps wore white caps.

As I made my way along the trail, I could hear the woodpeckers and blue jays calling out.  The squirrels were busy digging out their food from under the snow.  

The decaying, mossy logs that I photographed last week are covered with a thick layer of snow.  The rose hips were wearing snowflake caps.  Today, they provided the only glimpse of color in a forest of brown and white.

On the drive home, the bison were foraging for grass along the roadside.  They looked up as I passed by and I noticed that they had some very snowy 'beards'.  A coyote was laying on the snow on top of a beaver lodge.  I wondered if it was waiting for some unsuspecting beaver to surface through the thin layer of ice.

Once I got home, I had some shoveling to do.  That was rather pointless as the flakes kept falling until mid-afternoon.  The wind picked up for awhile; forcing the leaves from my neighbor's willow tree to let loose.  They danced across the top of the snow, finally coming to rest against a stack of wood.  

The morning outing was fantastic but my outdoor time didn't stop then.  I got to dust off the x-country skis today.  The first ski outing of the season just happened to be a night ski.  What fun!  We headed to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre where we donned our headlamps before setting out.  The trails were groomed but not track set.  The snow condition was perfect; no too fast and not too sticky.  I'm feeling rather proud of myself; no wipe outs this evening.  That usually happens on the first time out for the season.  It takes me awhile to get coordinated with the skis and poles.

There were a lot of animal tracks on the trails tonight; moose, deer, coyote.  We didn't see any animals while skiing but we did see a deer in the ditch on the way to the park.  

We were not the only ones that took the opportunity for a ski run in the dark.  As we were coming back to where we had parked, another skier was headed out on the trail.  It would have been even better if there would have been a starry night but I'll take any outside time I can get. 

The sunrise this morning was amazing.  The eastern horizon was awash with such brilliant color that the clouds to the west reflected the pinks and oranges as well.  I was so busy looking in my rear view mirror at the sunrise that I almost missed seeing a moose frolicking in the snow.

Wouldn't you know it, the good camera was not with me.  The young bull moose was running through the snow, in circles, for no particular reason.  It looked like he loved playing in the snow just as much as I do.

I pulled over to the side of the road to watch.  He noticed me and ran up to the fence.  I remembered that the my little point and shoot camera was in my bag and managed to pull it out and focus just as he jumped over the fence. I sure wish that I would have had my good camera.  It would have been a fantastic shot.

On the way home the snowflakes were beginning to fall.  I've got tomorrow off and have been looking forward to an outdoor day.  I'm going to head out no matter what the weather.  The snowshoes are ready and waiting.

The night before last was extremely foggy.  That made for a beautiful sunrise.  The trees at the back of my yard were covered in thick hoar frost. It twinkled like a million crystals as the sun's rays streamed through the branches.  

My drive to work could be equated to a drive into the wintry scene of a Christmas card.  The new snow glistened and the frosty branches along the roadway looked like Mother Nature had hung her own twinkle lights overnight.

Deer tracks criss-crossed through the snow cover in an open hay field.  I could see the spots where they stopped to paw the ground in search of the last bits of grass.

As I passed by the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, I noticed that the grooming machine had been out on the ski trails; prepping for the weekend skiers.  The hoar frost was not as thick as it was at home, however, the branches were laden with snow from the last storm.  Many of the evergreens were bending under the snow's weight.

It's a good thing that there was not much traffic on the road yesterday.  Every so often I had to stop and admire the beauty around me.  The clear blue sky, the morning sunshine, the twinkling hoar frost and the snow laden branches made for an amazing sight indeed.  I've always said that the smell of a bonfire is the best therapy for my soul.  Yesterday's scenery was a close second.