There's always enough snow to make a snowman or two

Canadian kids wait patiently all summer and most of the fall for enough snow to make a snowman. When there was still just a dusting of the white stuff, my granddaughters managed to sweep up enough snow for four tiny snowmen.

But my grandkids were not alone. A walk about the neighbourhood found lots and lots of other examples indicating a driven but frustrated snowman builder lived there.

Now, that the drive to make a snowman has been satisfied, the big event the kids are awaiting is the appearance of the "donut" in the centre of our court. When enough snow falls that a snowplow is necessary to clear the road, the plow circles the court piling the plowed snow in the centre of the court. After a heavy snowfall, the donut will tower over the court. It will be seen as a mountain to climb, a castle to defend, a toboggan slide to run and much, much more.

Stay tuned.

It was both a day and a world away

When I was a young man I loved to take my motorcycle and later my Morgan roadster and head south or places as distant as Georgia or even Alabama and Arkansas. I loved the little towns that dotted the route in the '60s. I stayed at hotels that were so ancient that even at that time they were considered heritage buildings. 

Recently, I found this photo from Helena, Georgia. I took it using a Kodak Instamatic, in the '60s. I checked the Net and learned that at least as recently as a few years ago, the Fire Station was still in use. It looked the same except for a coat of white paint. The City Hall seemed to have been moved but the building was still standing in the photo I found. It had had a few changes, the roof line appeared different, but it  was still standing and still in use.

I loved the southern States but I have to admit that I truly appreciated southwestern Ontario on returning from an adventure. I came to think of the States as a land of extremes. Once traveling through Mississippi I discovered a town so poor that it had resorted to hand-painted, four-foot-square, plywood stop signs to control traffic.

Incredible!

And if you're wondering how I linked this image to a southwestern Ontario city, it was easy. Southwestern Ontario is cold for a lot of the year. A great many of us regularly escape the cold to head south and thanks to the Interstate highway system, heading south is easy. I can be in Kentucky in only seven or eight hours. Tennessee may be another four hours and then one has pretty well escaped winter. This picture was taken during one of those escapes.

Tracks in Snow Tell a Fun-filled Story

The tracks in the snow tell a fun-filled story. The smooth area is the result of kids sliding down the gentle, snow-covered grade. To climb the little hill for another run, clearly the kids walked on either side of the strip left smooth by speeding sleds.

It is clear from the many foot tracks that the kids carried their sleds. And although it is not clear from the tracks, I know a little boy with an older sister lives in that home. It's a safe bet the tracks are evidence that those two had a good time playing for quite some time enjoying the snow on a rather cold, wintery afternoon.

And the quiet is the quietness of softly falling snow.

I have no idea what poem this comes from. It was a line in a poem I had to memorize in public school back in the early '50s. I've tried finding the poem by talking with school principals and librarians and the like but no leads.

And the quiet
is the quietness
of softly falling snow.

A glimpse of life in London, Ontario

I like my posts to say something about the city in which I live: London, Ontario. London is smack dab in the middle of snow country and come winter kids start thinking "snow". Two of my granddaughters are excited that the ski hill will be opening in a month and all three of them can't stop talking about making a snowman. Snowperson may be politically correct but the word hasn't gained any traction in my home.

Since there's not enough snow to make a true snowman, a snowman made out of marshmallows had to suffice.

To satisfy their snowman-making urges, Eloise, left, and Isla, right, got down the hot chocolate, some marshmallows, a few pretzel sticks and some candy corn leftover from Halloween along with a tube of chocolate icing.

Soon, their drive to make a snowman was satisfied. But this snowman didn't hang around to slowly melt. He was quickly eaten, and being washed down with hot chocolate was an added bonus.

Paver Pattern

As one member, Kate Mura, pointed out, "What an interesting pattern on the bricks!" Exactly why paving stones cause this pattern to appear as warm sun melts the light covering of snow is a mystery to me.

Paving stones were very popular in London, Ontario, when my suburban neighbourhood was developed. Over the intervening decades many homes have had the stones removed and replaced with concrete.

Paving stones, also known as paving bricks or simply pavers, are still used for sidewalks and driveways but other materials are also often used, such as concrete and asphalt. And instead of using simply using compressed gravel and sand as the supporting base under the bricks, today, a smooth concrete base may be poured first and then the pavers placed on top in an attractive pattern with a little sand between and below them.

First True Snowfall and Not a Dusting

It wasn't much but it was enough to rate as a true snowfall. If your car was parked outside overnight, you had to sweep it off and once cleaned and on the road, drivers found neighbourhood roads slick and slippery. The salt trucks are not out yet apparently. It is only November 8th, after all.