HAPPY SNOW DAY!

So today is Snow Day..                                            

Not sure who proclaimed it but the radio said it so it must be true. If so this must be the only weather event that gets it's own day (except for Sun).

Likely Snow Day is a creation of northerners trying to convince themselves that they like winter. Personally I don't need it as I truly do like winter and snow( I like summer and heat, spring and rain and windy fall days as well ). I don't think I'd like to live in a climate without such marked seasons.

Unfortunately we haven't had much snow this winter... lots of cold but not much snow. It's been a hard winter on skis (lots of rocks sticking their noses out) and I even knocked a crossbar off one of the grooming machines at the ski club this week..  I hit a barely submerged tree stump! Have to get it re-welded.

I have been out skiing quite a bit but decided early on that I wouldn't do the Birkie this year. Unfortunate because they have had ideal snow conditions in Alberta (where the Birkie is) but the lack of snow and cold weather  (-34C today) have made training difficult.

None-the-less, enjoyed a nice ski out the dog team trail today with my 2 Amigos... in to a bit of a wind so I froze my cheek a little.. haven't done that since Iqaluit. We had about .5cm of new fine snow that acted just like sand so it was slow going ...  but as usual once you get past the idea that the day would be a good one for just sitting by the fire, ..  you have an enjoyable experience.  

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Reboot

A new year, new ski season, old conundrum! I like recording time and events and love to go back and read my blogs and the blogs of others but keeping a blog demands a certain amount of discipline that doesn't come easy. I'm old enough to laugh at the idea of new year's resolutions yet still optimistic or naive enough to believe that I can change.

Just before Christmas as I was setting up a bedroom for my daughter Kacheena .. home for the holidays, I came across a notebook with journal entries from the 1980s .. time in Clyde River on Baffin Island. Made me wish I'd kept a more consistent record and I resolved to pick up the blog again... photos and notes on the life of me. A record of events and musings with a slant towards family(including dogs), environment and things on my mind.

It's January, -34C and clear this morning which is pretty normal but the winter has not been typical.(I'm old enough to know that there is no such thing as typical weather... especially these years)  It's been a slow start to the ski season because of a scarcity of snow! Skied the ski-club trails on Saturday and still rough with rocks showing... still recommend the use of 'rock' skis (old). But I've enjoyed the skiing over Christmas, not so much on the ski-club trails but out on some of the skidoo trails and lakes.

I was especially delighted with my ski out Mockford trail last weekend.. not just because the skiing was great (it was) but because the trip include my two dogs Atiiq and Masia. 

Atiiq had knee surgery (TPLO)this summer. This is similar to ACL surgery in humans. It reconstructs the main ligament holding the leg bones together and without it the leg isn't  much good. For Atiiq, the rehabilitation was a long process. She was penned and only allowed 3-4 five minute walks on a short leash each day up until November and a slow increase of activity through to January. It was pretty difficult for a dog that loves chasing rabbits, romping through snow drifts and wrestling with her bud Maisa. During August and September I wondered if she would ever accompany me again on her favourite outing, the Mockford trail. But she did. We were out for a couple of hours of bliss. Looking forward to many more ski outings.