As I write this, it is nearly the middle of May, and yet the trees have yet to fully leaf out. Although the weeds in my flower beds have burst forth ferociously, there is still little evidence of any perennials growing, or tulips flowering.
While driving home today, the sun made its appearance known through the windshield of my car. I was amazed at how quickly my mood lifted in response to this seemingly rare solar display.
We are hearty people; we Northerner's. We endure long, cold, snowy winters that last typically half of the year. Spring is just a misty fantasy to most of us and even by late April, spring has rarely sprung in this part of the world. Though we can enjoy very hot, dry and sunny summers, we are equally susceptible to snow in late May.
Those of you in warmer climates may be asking yourselves why it is that anyone would want to exist in a part of the world with what often seems to have only two seasons-- winter and damn it's cold,(snowy, rainy, sleeting--insert your own climatic misery) now. I have thought about this at great length this year. I have made a new hobby of scouting real estate online to more temperate parts of this country and have even made a few inquiries of foreign locales. I have lain awake many nights,shivering under my duvet and cursing our stupidity for choosing to set down roots in such an unforgiving climate.
But you see, this is the thing that I continue to come back to--the roots. The roots that my parents placed down nearly 40 years ago in the hope of finding greater opportunity than the places of their birth offered. These are the roots,( although half of the year they may be covered in permafrost) that are a part of who I am and who my children are becoming. What remains of my extended family are all living the dream, right along side of me, and although we don't get together as often as we would like, there is a certain comfort in knowing that they are all just a short drive away from my home.
There has been some talk lately at the rare family gathering about vacation homes in warmer places, time shares, apartments close to the beach, vacation clubs. One of my family members brought that dream to fruition for herself recently by purchasing a studio apartment just steps from the beach in Hawaii.
We joked a little amongst ourselves about crashing her apartment, showing up on her new doorstep with only bikinis and Coronas in hand. She laughed a little at our jest--but it is guaranteed that roots or no, she'll not be hosting the next family reunion in paradise.
While driving home today, the sun made its appearance known through the windshield of my car. I was amazed at how quickly my mood lifted in response to this seemingly rare solar display.
We are hearty people; we Northerner's. We endure long, cold, snowy winters that last typically half of the year. Spring is just a misty fantasy to most of us and even by late April, spring has rarely sprung in this part of the world. Though we can enjoy very hot, dry and sunny summers, we are equally susceptible to snow in late May.
Those of you in warmer climates may be asking yourselves why it is that anyone would want to exist in a part of the world with what often seems to have only two seasons-- winter and damn it's cold,(snowy, rainy, sleeting--insert your own climatic misery) now. I have thought about this at great length this year. I have made a new hobby of scouting real estate online to more temperate parts of this country and have even made a few inquiries of foreign locales. I have lain awake many nights,shivering under my duvet and cursing our stupidity for choosing to set down roots in such an unforgiving climate.
But you see, this is the thing that I continue to come back to--the roots. The roots that my parents placed down nearly 40 years ago in the hope of finding greater opportunity than the places of their birth offered. These are the roots,( although half of the year they may be covered in permafrost) that are a part of who I am and who my children are becoming. What remains of my extended family are all living the dream, right along side of me, and although we don't get together as often as we would like, there is a certain comfort in knowing that they are all just a short drive away from my home.
There has been some talk lately at the rare family gathering about vacation homes in warmer places, time shares, apartments close to the beach, vacation clubs. One of my family members brought that dream to fruition for herself recently by purchasing a studio apartment just steps from the beach in Hawaii.
We joked a little amongst ourselves about crashing her apartment, showing up on her new doorstep with only bikinis and Coronas in hand. She laughed a little at our jest--but it is guaranteed that roots or no, she'll not be hosting the next family reunion in paradise.
Hello Late Model... Ode to those roots... much frozen now, I think we shall need to convince them to weave their way closer together and share a cup of hot coco soon... maybe even spiked. Probably in Alberta, not the tropics, we'll have to create enough joy in our gathering to illuminate our sub zero temperatures!
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear more on your blog.... Your writing is great, Must be a genetic thing!