December 2002

It was brought to my attention lately that this is my seventh winter in St. Catharines. That didn't surprise me as much as the fact that this is the first time in recent memory that it actually feels like it could be a real winter. Everything is falling into place. The temperatures are where they should be. A nice 3-inch layer of snow covers the ground. With the colder temperatures (it has not crested above freezing in the last 4 or 5 days) comes a relief for me, as the air becomes clean and clear. I love winter.

I quite like St. Catharines, for the most part. A city of about 130 000 people, it lies in the space between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. In its city borders lie Brock University, several General Motors plants, a few smaller communities: Merritton, Port Dalhousie, West St. Catharines, Power Glen, Port Weller, and a lot of beautiful scenery, especially the numerous farms dotted along the western edge of the city. As scary as it is for me to say this, I think I have come to love this city in my time here. It will be difficult to leave it behind, come next summer when my schooling is done.

Within a short drive of this fine city lie the communities of Thorold, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Niagara Falls, Welland, Vineland, Jordan, Fonthill, and several other smaller towns, each with their own particular charms and qualities, charms and qualities heightened with the addition of powdery white snow. One of the neat things I discovered a couple weeks ago is that driving on familiar roads becomes an unfamiliar activity when they are covered with snow. It is as though a new world opens up, a new world belonging to the winter months, and them only.

I would imagine by now this seems like excessive praise for the winter season, but I must say that it has its bad points as well. The apartment in which I live has its occasional issues. I remember waking up one morning to realize the heat wasn't working (this is a couple years ago). That was very, very cold indeed. While you can bundle up, after a while the dampness of a southern Ontario winter does seep its way into your bones. It is very hard on people with arthritis or similar maladies. The snow melts on the roads and sidewalks, leaving the dingy grey of the salt-sand mix behind.

Despite the negative things associated with winter, I still love it. The beginning of winter, the beginning of December, is an anticipatory time for me. I can hardly wait for late February and early March, when the maple sugar bushes will be in full production. I can hardly wait for the celebration of Jesus' birth in a few short weeks. I can hardly wait for the fluorescent orange lava bombs in February on my birthday. I can hardly wait for the onslaught of a blizzard, when even more snow falls. Because even this city looks pretty, covered in a blanket of snow.