Ottawa Winters

Winters in Ottawa are bleak, dark, lonely, and barren.  It's a bit quirky how people walk as fast as they possibly can when going from cars to buildings to different buildings, yet it's a slower walk than one would normally have due to the extra pounds and layers of down coats, snow boots, gloves, scarves, and "tucs" (beanies).

Growing up in the South, I've always been mindful of greeting people and holding the door open for them when possible.  But when the wind cuts through you at negative 5+ degrees, you couldn't care less about being polite; you just want to shut out that razor sharp cold as quickly as possible.  Now, I'm not saying that there aren't parts of the winter here that are beautiful.

Last night, after my boys had gone to sleep, I went outside and watched these beautiful snowflakes fall that were just little mists of shaved ice swirling around.  Snow falling: now, that is beautiful.  I find myself absolutely hypnotized by it without meaning to be.  On the other hand, the three inches of solid cracking ice that I have in my driveway right now are pretty much the antichrist when it comes to winter.

I know at what temperature the moisture in one's nose freezes, and I can tell more or less how cold it is by how much it hurts to breathe in deeply right when you walk outside.  If you cough instantly, it's time to turn around and pick up the hat.   One thing that is completely counter-intuitive during a "hard" winter is that it's the sunny days that are the coldest!  We find ourselves wishing for snow because snow means warmer temperatures.  Apparently, the clouds provide a layer of warmth/insulation from the cold atmosphere; so it's no wonder that you can find vitamin D drops at gas stations.

Another hard part about the winter is the lack of sunlight.  I mean, the sun comes up around 8:00 AM and goes down around 4:30 PM every day.  But during the summer, the sun rises at 4:00 AM and sets around 10:00 PM.  The two seasons are literally polar opposites.

The ugly side of winter comes down to slush and salt.  Everything from your boots to your coat to your car are constantly covered in a thick, dusty layer of rock salt.  It gets all over the house and on the floorboards of your car.  There's still salt on my coat from last winter; the stuff just simply won't come off!  

One very romantic thing about an Ottawa winter is when the Rideau Canal freezes.  It becomes the longest ice skating rink in the world, and it's not a rare occurrence to see men dressed in suits and carrying attache cases just gliding down the canal on their way to work. It actually becomes a mode of transportation for some  hardcore winter lovers.  I wish I could get into that type of thing; however, this Southern girl just wants to feel the hot sun on her skin.