It’s Been A Feisty February

I think just about everyone living in Canada or the US will agree that February has been one wild ride of weather.

Not the kind of ride that leaves you whooping with excitement, but the kind that has you gritting your teeth and holding on for dear life, praying that it will end soon and everyone survives.

We’ve had bone-chilling cold, epic snowstorms, mild temperatures causing flooding, followed by treacherously icy conditions … and then the cycle begins all over again.

The ice has made both walking and driving … shall we say … interesting.

… and the winds!! Holy Hell-Frozen-Over, let’s not talk about the winds.

February has been behaving like a menopausal woman on an emotional roller coaster. Beware anyone who approaches unprepared.

At Woodbine Beach. This building, by the way, is an Olympic-sized above-ground swimming pool … at the water’s edge of Lake Ontario.

I can’t really complain though.

I spent the first half of the month hiding indoors while nursing a nasty cold. I was ok with watching the fury of February from the vantage point of my toasty-warm home.

While the weather outside has been frightful, I went into creative mode and spent most of my days playing with paints and stencils.

I also dusted off a manuscript I wrote several years ago when my mom passed away. I wanted to document the story of my mother and father – just two ordinary people, extraordinary to their family.

Inspired by my son-in-law who had created a wonderful photo book of their wedding last year, I started the process of converting my manuscript into a book using the app MixBook.

It’s been slow work. The original manuscript is about 75 pages and I’ve been painstakingly picking and choosing what to incorporate into the book … and how to present it.

Screen shot from my book – pages 20 and 21.

The bottom line is, I don’t have many photos of the nasty “snow events”, but lots of photos of the icy treacherous stuff.

The bottom of my driveway is a lake. and underneath that water is ice – and a lot of it.

 … and believe me when I say it’s been treacherous. I took a spill one day while out for a walk … and landed unceremoniously in a puddle. Yes – I was ok, but it was an icy soaker and a wet walk the rest of the way home.

Theo has had the right idea about surviving winter.

On cold, blustery days, he buried himself into a furry blanket and hibernated. I admit I had a couple of those days myself, competing with Theo for possession of the blanket.

Sometimes it was hard to tell where Theo ends and the blanket begins.

On mild days when the sun came out, he moved his afternoon nap outdoors.

The good news is that the days are getting noticeably longer … the promise that winter’s days are numbered.

The glow of late afternoon sun – something we haven’t seen in a long while.

Like Theo, I’m dreaming of spring.

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This post is part of the monthly photo feature Changing Seasons, hosted this year by Su Leslie at Zimmerbitch.