The snow has returned to Calgary. The Chinook is gone, taking with it the warm winds rising off the Pacific and over the Rocky Mountains. Overnight the temperatures have plummeted, as much as you can call it plummeting, from highs nearing +15 to lows nearing -15. The roads are once again covered in a thin skein of snow atop the underlying ice, the gift of the snow melt over the last few days.
I like this change in weather. I am one of those strange people who like the winter cold. I enjoy the crisp snap in the air, the brilliant glisten of sun on snow, the tickle of chill against my skin. This weather is only challenging when you are unprepared; all my experience with hunting and fishing in this kind of weather means I am almost always prepared, with a blanket in my car, matches or lighters, an axe in the tool kit and a host of other emergency tools. The problem, of course, is that I can no longer use so many of them. But I have them, just in case.
The plan for today is to head out to pick up a couple of final grocery items. Over the last few days I've gotten pretty much everything I need; fruit, meat, milk, bread, cheese. I want to get another dozen eggs, some bacon, and I am out of ribs, a staple in my cooking plans. My freezer is by no means empty; it's almost full. There are just a couple of things I want, and the Co-op has them on sale this week.
The weather will not stop this excursion. I've learned how to manhandle my wheelchair through the snow, popping the front wheels up and punching the chair forward, almost climbing across the snow rather than rolling through it. Perhaps the Co-op will have their parking lot plowed, although it's unlikely give that pretty much everyone in Calgary is looking to get something plowed today. No matter, the return of winter doesn't stop me. It's barely an inconvenience.
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