The Family (Or most of them)

The Family (Or most of them)
The Family

April 23, 2008

Slogging through Spring


UGH.



I missed the summer-like temperatures here last weekend when I was out of town in neighbouring Saskatchewan, where it was cool and blustery.


But I heard stories about young women out in bikini tops sun-bathing (from a young guy I was working with out of town, don't get your pantyhose tied up in knots!), I heard about hints of summer.


So now that I'm back, there's a winter storm watch advisory out there, and they say we're going to get 10-20 cms of snow starting late tonight.


Temps are expected to be 10C degrees below normal for the next few days.


As I listen to Mark Knopfler's latest CD, which I got mailed to me for buying tickets to his concert here this summer (it's very mellow, but nice), I've got to say I haven't felt, really, like spring's arrived yet.


And that's left me with a pout.



It's gotten considerably warmer, virtually all the snow has melted, but there's been a strong, unco-operative, cool wind that's seemed to have negated the effects of the blue skies, warming temps and sunshine.

Sigh.

It's made me feel so up in the air, kind of out of kilter, sort of numb to what should be the most pleasant time of the year...kind of like this deer...



This deer, apparently, had the misfortune of being hit by a fast-moving train in Manitoba and ended up on the top of a hydro power line. What a way to go. Death's Double Whammy, so to speak.



So about all I can do is eye my shorts hanging there in the corner of my bedroom, think about my sandals sitting in the closet, covet the slopitch season starting up, contemplate feeling warm and cozy...


...And exist.


I was going to post about Hillary beating Obama in Penn State and how I don't care...


...Because she lost my respect when in desperation she hit him below the belt for his comments that the U.S. working class is bitter, which is true.

I was going to post about Canada's aboriginals predictably announcing they're going to use the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics as a world-wide stage to air their grievances, but I don't care...


...Because they just want more money.

I was going to post about how proud I am of my son for his sensitive handling of his latest breakup with his latest girlfriend.


I was going to post about how my daughter's long trip to Europe is coming up in only a few days and how I'll miss her...

But instead, I'm just going to listen to Mark. And wait for it to warm up so I can thaw from a long, cold winter.

21 comments:

  1. I'm with you. All I'm doing is plugging into music right now. (Another concert tomorrow night.) As for winter, it won't quit here on the wet coast, either, bizarrely enough. SO tired of it.

    And as for Clinton, her grating and arrogant voice is on my TV at present. Won't she quit either?

    Go Obama and go away winter! (Crank those tunes.)

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  2. This winter seems to be a chronic ass-biter - leaves and then creeps back to nail us in the keester once again.... very depressing, isn't it? One day it will be over. I just hope (knock on wood) that the summer isn't a total sodden mess like we've had in the past. I want heat and sunshine!!!

    By the way, if you don't have a date for that concert.... I'm free.... ;-)!

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  3. Temps have been 20-25C all week! Mornings are still kinda chilly at 4-8C, but that just means dressing in layers. I'm looking forward to getting out the summer clothes... and seeing if they still fit.

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  4. Wet Flurries and 0 degrees tonight *sigh

    I spent last week out of doors dressed in a T shirt getting the backyard ready.
    There are plants coming up, Raccoons in the garbage, and the Robins, Jays, Flickers, Warblers, Nuthatch, Finch, and both Downey & Pileated Woodpeckers have returned.

    Depressing but WhatEVERpeg has escaped all of the Spring storms that have hit other parts of Canada so far...so for that I am grateful. Nothing can be done so let's just form a circle like Musk Oxen, face the wind, and get it over with!

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  5. Donn, we HAVE escaped all those nasty storms, but it keeps getting too freakin' cold here! It warms up, just a tease, and then, whammo! cold as bloody old hell again. I just don't remember the weather being this nasty for this long 30 some odd years ago.... but then again, I may have been immune to the effects of Mother Nature then and just never noticed. Ah, the ignorance and oblivion of youth.....

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  6. Oh deer. (haha)

    By blogging that you were going to blog about certain things, you have actually managed to blog about them despite implying that you didn't. Or something.

    I'm not looking forward to a Canberra winter. I'm sure it won't be anywhere near as cold as a Canadian one, but it will be a lot colder than a Melbourne one. Also I'm going to freeze my butt off while riding my scooter.

    I'm sort of tired, but restless and not sleepy... it's been a bizarre week, with Aidan working some nights and some days and me only working part time and stuff... rhythms and routines have gotten a bit screwed up. He's in bed, "resting his eyes" probably. He's making me get up early tomorrow to go jogging, which will be painful.

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  7. Andrea:

    Well, Wet Coast Woman, as I write this there's snow on the ground and the roads are a total hazard, all iced up.

    Peoples' cars are in ditches all over the place, rush hour was backed up unbelievably...

    But all I do is whine about it, so I won't :-)

    No, Clinton's going even harder at him now. I like that last cheer and mantra.

    Ponygirl:

    I'm expecting and hoping for 30C and sunny every day, those kinds of summers when you can be out sipping a beer at midnight with no shirt on (well, I can, anyway).

    Anna:

    You must be getting the hot weather they had here last weekend that I missed. Sigh.

    And we want pictures of you trying to fit into your summer clothing!

    Donn:

    I like that musk oxen analogy. Let's do it!

    Stace:

    Yes, deer?

    Yes I did blog about them in a tiny way, didn't I? Blogs within a blog, so to speak.

    Is Canberra that much cooler than Melbourne? We want pictures of you freezing your butt riding your scooter!

    You and Aidan will get some sort of routine down pat, give it some time. There's been a lot of change.

    Yes, I've used that term, "resting my eyes," before. It works! Hope you had fun jogging!

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  8. Congratulations on posting a less than flattering self portrait with a huge caption below that reads UGH!

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  9. Donn the Doh-head:

    Well, ALL my self-portraits are less than flattering, so what'd you expect? An uggh's as good as an UGLY!

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  10. You know what's funny... well, not really funny but... anyway...

    J's cousin and his wife, who have been living in Winnipeg for the last 20+ years, came to Montreal for a visit last week while Winnipeg was experiencing 20+ weather and Montreal was still hovering at about 2C and snow was still everywhere. Now they're back in Winnipeg and we're having the 20C+ and they're back home with the crazy cold and snow.

    Hmm... so I guess it wasn't really funny after all. But you know what I mean.

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  11. Anna:

    No, actually, I think that's super funny! It parallels my own experience, because I missed the 20+ here too and returned to winter.

    It's all just part of the dastardly reality of living in Winterpeg. All J's cuz can do is laugh...

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  12. You mean you're not watching the Habs?

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  13. Canberra probably isn't that much colder than Melbourne in actual temperature... but it's a different kind of cold, icier, it gets right into your bones here...

    We're not likely to ever get a routine, not with Aidan's screwed up working hours! But we'll find something like happiness! hehe :) We have all day today together, which will be nice. Oh, and we managed to NOT jog, which was a very good idea... we woke up with the alarm at 6.30, and just said "I'm still sleeping..." :)

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  14. MJ:

    What, you think only WOMEN are multi-taskers? I had the Habs game on, Donn came over and I was doing several other things simultaneously.

    Stace:

    All afternoon alone, huh...

    Well then, he can keep you warm. It's all his fault for moving first, right?

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  15. We emerged from a long, wet winter for two weeks of blissful, dry weather. It's raining today and I feel like writing letters of complaint.

    I fear Clinton and Obama have knocked so much stuffing out of each other that McCain's a shoo-in for the White House.

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  16. Malc:

    Thanks for visiting. I think I might write my own letter of complaint, because it's grey, below zero and windy here.

    Yech.

    It's increasingly looking like you're right about McCain. And the media now is just all over Obama, going in for the kill...

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  17. What did I tell you..Malc is right..the Establishment is finally releasing the hounds..they don't want Obama..they don't want anything to change..they have had it so good during the Bush Regime...they know that Hillary can't beat McCain but Obama could.

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  18. Just promise me you will NEVER wear socks with those sandals.....

    x

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  19. Donn:

    I think you and Malc have it exactly right. They DON'T want anything to change.

    The Establishment with a capital E has been Waiting with a capital W for Obama to f*ck up.

    And now that they figure he finally has, they're telling him to F*ck off with a capital F.

    Your bonehead right-wing guy on CNN, the guy with the fattest head in the universe, the true biggest talking head, is the No. 1 Obama hit man among the mainstream media.

    He's basically crucifying Obama and reinforcing Clinton, and the whole Establishment is now ganging up on Obama.

    It will only serve to make the Obama-Clinton battle wage right into the dregs of summer, weakening both. Whoever actually wins will be no match for McCain.

    It's all so...American. You're right, they don't WANT what two months ago seemed like inevitable change for the better.

    Sigh.

    Toasty:

    No, didn't you read my post where, as a world-famous fashion czar, I revealed that wearing socks with sandals IS the fashion?

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  20. you're slowly heading into summer, and we've finally moved into winter! i do love the cold...

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  21. Angel:

    There's cold, then there's COLD. What's cold for you? NOT below zero Celsius, I bet...

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