By Barbara Rayner
ST. GEORGE – Okay Old Man Winter – that’s enough! We don’t mind the light fluffy snow when the kids can toboggan and we can snowshoe or ski but this freezing rain/ice pellets is a bit much.
Yes, there was a white Christmas which was what many people wanted but 2025 has seen bone chilling temperatures, strong winds, slippery roads and sidewalks – and what’s with this Polar vortex?
My canine companion, Gina, who I fostered for two weeks 12 years ago, is not liking this at all and sometimes, as we head out for our usual highly anticipated walks, just plants all four feet firmly on the ground and refuses to go any further.
Not to mention the pathetic raising of alternate feet, accompanied by a little whine, to point out how terrible I am to take her out in this so we have to rush home so I can rub them for her. She refuses to wear boots.
I feel so mean suggesting we go out these days especially when she runs to hide behind the sofa as soon as I pick up her leash. She does have a coat which she hates wearing and views as a punishment.
She also has “accidents” which basically means, no, I am not doing my business out there in the cold and I prefer to do it inside in the warm on the floor.
Admittedly, there have been some nice, sunny snowy days when we have snowshoed together and, apart from the fact that she sometimes treads on the back of them so I do a face plant in the snow, our treks have been quite enjoyable.
However, this week takes the biscuit! The driveway and the road were sheer ice when we went out Sunday night and Monday morning. Even with my ice grippers on I was afraid to venture very far and, after gingerly taking a few steps, Gina headed for the front door. By this time the screen door had frozen shut so it took us a while to get back in.
I know the first day of spring this year is listed as March 20 but hopefully Shubenacadie Sam and Punxsutawney Pete will be proved wrong on their Groundhog Day predictions of six more weeks of winter and we can hitch our wagon to Ontario’s Wiarton Willie as he didn’t see his shadow and predicted an early spring.
Mind you, I doubt the people of Ontario will put much faith in Willie anymore because they have had so much snow recently that cities like Toronto and Ottawa are having trouble finding places to put it,
The only person I haven’t heard complaining about all this white stuff in Toronto is my eight-year-old granddaughter who has done so much sledding that her plastic toboggan finally gave up the ghost and there is a big hole in it.
