Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Stick Around, Winter! William Still Loves You!



"Winter is nature's way of saying, up yours." ~ Robert Byrne

"I like these cold gray winter days. Days like this let you savour a bad mood." ~ Bill Watterson

"Winter is not a season, it's an occupation." ~ Sinclair Lewis

"A lot of people like snow. I find it an unnecessary freezing of water." ~ Carl Reiner

"Winter is a time to gather golden moments and enjoy every idle hour." ~ Judith Boswell

"Snow! Snow, snow, snow! Oh boy!" ~ William Kendall, demented Canadian


I suppose I might as well accept it. Spring is coming. Oh, sure, here in Ottawa we're still well buried in snow, and today it's been snowing again. Sure, I can look out into my backyard where a statue of a dog sits in a corner, having been buried under a pile of snow since December. But the thaw is there. Spring is in the offing. Temperatures are creeping up.

Winter is ending.


It's been a better winter than the last two winters here, when we had under performing amounts of snow. This year felt more like a typical winter, a few storms, a good deal of snow. And beyond, the pattern repeated itself, with storms here in North America that slammed certain areas hard (Connecticut got hammered particularly at one point this winter with blizzard conditions). And of course TV meteorologists, largely being a cowardly, spineless lot (not all of them, just 95% of them) spent their time during these storms in a panic. "Oh my God! Monster storm! Snowzilla! SnowmapocoGeddon! We're all gonna die!!! Eat your dead! They'd eat you if your positions were different!" Yes, that kind of panic. 




Try as I might to hope for more snow, it's not likely that we're to see blizzards. We're getting through March now, and whatever snow falls isn't likely to stick around for long. The sugar bushes are starting the maple syrup season. Birds are migrating north. People who spend all winter in warm climes are returning north. Oh well.

Spring's coming. I just have to accept it.

The best season ever devised is reaching the end of the line for another year.


Each year of course, editorial cartoonists will take great inspiration from the weather, poking fun at our foibles about the winter. This year was no different.

I can rest assured that winter will be back. Come August the nights will get colder. Snow might show itself by Labour Day (if I behave myself). Next winter will be here soon enough. And though spring is starting to assert itself.... we can still get plenty of the white stuff between now and the end of April...




27 comments:

  1. hahahahahahaha... Love this !
    "Snow! Snow! snow, snow! Oh boy"
    William Kendall, demented Canadian
    Do you know you sound like the dog from up the street !

    cheers, parsnip

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  2. I like winter. But not snow. But then again,I live in Florida. Spring and summer are all the same here.

    Hugs and chocolate,
    Shelly

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  3. Only from a Canadian...

    I'm tired of freezing my ars off.

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  4. Saw three robins today. They were digging for worms. It snowed! Yay!

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  5. The only ice I like to see is chinking in my G&T.
    Jane x

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  6. LOL, that certainly took some sting out of winter's bite! Spring feels years away, still!

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  7. "Snow! Snow, snow, snow! Oh boy!" wow William that is so deep! LOL

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  8. But you can rest assured that winter will always return, and even when it under performs, it's still the longest friggen season in Canada. It rained here on Monday and melted most of the snow, only to have it come back today. But I can smell spring!! :D

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  9. Yes--you ARE a demented Canadian!!! I've always said that. Strange Dude, Dememted Canadian, all of the above...you are, you are, you are!

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  10. Lol. Aw, that's how I feel...might as well accept I'm not gonna get a blizzard.:( I have no choice but to look forward to spring. It does mean I can take more outdoor photos.

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  11. The Munch cartoon is great.

    Don't declare it spring too soon. I remember one year down below the 49th parallel when we had a foot of snow the first week of May.

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  12. Hey you demented Canadian you can also have the snow we had dumped on us yesterday too! I do agree this past Winter was nothing like the years preceding with one particular which started in November going until April. For the Aussies, snow is cleaner then the muck of wet mud.

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  13. You sound like me William..I'm a huge fan of winter and not so much a fan of weather reporters ha!ha!

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  14. About that southerner thing and snow, I was that person!

    Hahahaha!!

    Now that I live in Florida, when I want to experience snow, I'll make plans to visit the relatives in VA during Christmas vacation and take a mini trip to the mountains. :D

    I do NOT like permanent snow, but I'll admit, it's beautiful to look at.

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  15. Personally, I am tired of complaining that I am too cold, and ready to start complaining that I am too hot. :D

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  16. And just how did you get that picture of us on our patio yelling 'Snow! Yay!'

    As for putting in conditions: no matter what you've heard, we Southerners aren't stupid!

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  17. Oops, and also: @Diane, I grew up in California. One day in the fourth grade, classes were stopped and we were herded outside the schoolhouse because it was snowing! Well, flurrying really, but still...

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  18. @Parsnip: thank you!

    @Shelly: I couldn't live without winter!

    @Lorelei: we are a strange country.

    @Jessica: robins are a sure sign of it. No trace of them here yet...

    @Jane and Chris: but ice is good!

    @LondonLulu: it'll be here soon enough.

    @Eve: isn't it?


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  19. @Carla: Long winters are wonderful!

    @Norma: and proud of it!

    @Krisztina: Maryland needs one good storm!

    @Jack: that would be lovely!

    @Cindy: those dogs will be raring to get muddy come April!

    @Grace: they are a lowly lot on the journalism totem pole, after all...

    @Diane: I wondered if I'd get Southern objections out of that one!

    @Under Cover: I'd just rather have all cold all the time!

    @Cheryl: that was you, huh?

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  20. I'll agree that anyone that loves snow, snow, snow must be demented. Two of the largest snowfalls (up to second floor window drifts) that I remember from my Iowa days were in March. See you still have the prospect of lots of snow.

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  21. I LOVE this! Because I'm demented and love snow too!!!

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  22. Well all I have to say is I am bloody fed up with frigging winter lol ! We have all our spring birds back and buds on the trees and bushes but the cold temps and winds just wont give up and leave . You think us Canadians would be used to the cold by our age but to be honest because of age I get colder now then I did 5 years ago lol ! Have a good one !

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  23. Was that dog buried in snow alive at some point? We've had so many snow days here that the kids will probably be going to classes until July!

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  24. Winter was more typical here as well, barring a couple oddly warm days 2 months ago. It's nice to see the sun out a bit more though, I was getting tired of it being dark already at the end of my work day.

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  25. I need spring. I'm so done with winter.

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  26. You're one of a kind, William, and probably are wise to be living up north.

    I love snow. But am ready for spring. I haven't lost my sense of humor about it yet, but give me a few more weeks of this and things could change dramatically.

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  27. @Mari: then I'm demented!

    @M.R.: You're in good company!

    @Country Gal: the cold is good for you!

    @Deb: school in July? Perish the thought!

    @A: Days are getting longer. More's the pity...

    @Kelly: what if spring never shows?

    @Christine: spring will come. Eventually.

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