Roads ridden by skidoos

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon that I would have never realized happened before living in a place where the primary mode of winter motorized transport is snowmobile. The roads are so hard and cold that the front runners of the skidoos carve tracks into the packed ice/snow. These 'tracks' are like the amusement park rides where kids get to "drive" the vehicles. You are locked on a track and pulled this way and that. The same thing happens here....the snowmobile gets jerked into these etched tracks and you can't hardly get out of them. Who knew?

Last weekend there was a community fundraiser via hockey games. Of course Canada, of course would do fundraising through hockey. ;) The premise was neat. Teams put together by community members for the fundraiser competed for bragging rights. However, the teams were made of anyone--young, old, played hockey, never played hockey. The spectators then paid money to effect certain acts by the players. For example, for $2, you could send a player to the penalty box for 1 minute. For $20 you could have a player of your choice take a mid-ice shot on an empty net. For $50, you could make a player of your choice have to dance at center ice by his/herself for 2 minutes. Things like that. Really fun for spectators. The problem for me was that the arena apparently forgot that those NOT playing were not immune to the fact that it felt like there was NO heat on in the building. It was COLD. I went in thinking it was going to be like other ice arenas I'd been in---chilly, but nothing to write home about. After 40 minutes, my toes were numb, my nose was red and running, and I was rocking back and forth. I didn't dress as if I were going skidooing out on the land. I should have!

Unlike the ice arena here, the outside is becoming decidedly warmer. It feels quite nice. I never thought I'd say that about -27 or -29C but it's true. It has actually been in the low -20s (-10 to -15F) and every day I walk out I think, "Wow, it's warm!" Touching doorknobs without fear of being burned gives me a giddy feeling. Being able to tolerate the air without gloves long enough to, well, to do anything, is so freeing. It's so nice to not feel like your face is literally freezing off. I do not miss the burning sensation on my face that would linger after coming indoors for a good bit. I bet 0 degrees C (32 F) is going to feel so hot. I've even noticed that the power lines, chimneys, and metal railings have lost their frozen, snow-frost-coated appearances. It's now just cold, not frigid and my surroundings show that. The stop signs and telephone poles are not completely encased in snow-hoar frost anymore.

Is spring coming??!!Read more