Mather

Who would think that just a week ago there was five inches of snow on the ground? It’s not the first time we’ve skied on April 20. A few days of warm weather put that to an end, and I started picking daffodils from the greenhouse.

The old kitchen cookstove is a wonderful thing. And though I have written about it before, I think it deserves to be recognized one more time. This old cabin was built in 1938, and I suspect that the fancy wood-burner in the kitchen is the original.

The snow has come, the snow has gone, the snow has come again and life is good in the bush. The ski trails are in great shape, and my hope is to get out to ski every day. Well, most days.

We set out to explore the neighbourhood one beautiful day last week. Sunny and warm, (that is, -6 C). What more could we ask for? We started out along the ski trail for the first half kilometre, then headed off trail, deep into the bush.

Like it or not, winter has set in for the duration. I hope you do like it, since it will be here for at least another three months. Having a three-year-old around sure makes it easier to enjoy the snow.

Whenever there is a new snowfall, I’m outside first thing in the morning to see who left their tracks in the night. Every time, it surprises me to see the fox tracks just behind the cabin.

Want to know what is really great about the cold weather of winter? Ice cream! For you softies who live in the city all year long, ice cream may not be the first thing you think of when it is minus 25 Celsius outside.

December is a time of dramatic change in the bush. The browns of autumn are suddenly changed to the whites of winter with the first heavy snowfall.

This is a wonderful time of year to be in the bush. The last of the colours are dangling in the treetops. The morning frost seems to stay in the air all day long, giving it a clean, fresh feel.

We’re rushing around, trying to get the trails cleared and ready for the snow, getting the firewood that we cut and split and stacked last spring into the shed, before it gets lost in the snow. It’s going to be a cold winter.