Winter Wonderland

 

 

“Snow on one side of the canvas, silence on the other. I’d call that a perfect painting.

”
          - Jarod Kintz

I think we have seen more snow already this year than in the past several combined. I have always loved the snow and thought of it as a trade off, a reward of sorts, for surviving the frigid temperatures of the Canadian north. In excess it can makes things like driving and some outdoor events a little trickier but it also covers the landscape in a fresh blanket of white every time it falls, renewing it and making it pristine again. There is something so peaceful about a fresh snow and the near daily dustings makes our winter walks feel so tranquil and serene. I am not normally one to use words like "tranquil" and "serene" to describe pack-walks involving terriers but watching them lay the first footprints into the uniform white landscape and disappear behind large snow drift only to reappear seconds later brings about near unparalleled feelings on contentment.  It is our daily routine to bundle ourselves in our warm winter clothing and head out to the forest trails just outside the city where dogs are permitted to run off leash and it is these hikes that are the part of my day I look forward to the most. Even when the wind is blowing a bitter cold across the prairies we can escape down the trail and be enveloped by the large trees that serve to quiet the air and on heavy snow days only permit a select few flakes to fall gently through. The terriers bring life to the hibernating land and adore their winter playground as much I do. They run, explore, sniff, and cavort in the snow and when we leave each day they snuggle in to the car for the drive home quiet and content, remaining that way through most of the evening. In contrast to our busy, active, full-to-the-brim summers winters around here are for recharging, re-centering, and simply enjoying each other's company.