And Then It Snowed and Snowed

This morning we woke to a blanket of snow and it kept snowing. In fact, it still is. The first snowstorm of the year.

Despite the weather, well actually because of it, Meeko and I went for a walk in the forest in the early afternoon. We had the whole place to ourselves.

The scenery in the forest was absolutely enchanting. Snow covered every single tree trunk and branch. 

When Meeko runs in the snow, I have this song in my head. 

Look at the snowballs that accumulated on Meeko's legs. It was wet, sticky snow.

We are thawing inside now. It took over a half hour for the snow to melt that had accumulated on Meeko's legs but I think he would agree that it was worth it. We had so much fun!

Today, I was thinking of Emma's friends in her McGill University residence who will be experiencing their first snowstorm. I hope they are able to take a break from studying for their exams to build a snowman together! 

The winds have picked up and it is quite blustery at the moment. I'll be glad once Chloé's schoolbus arrives at the corner.

The beauty and challenges of snow.

❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅

Wrapped With Flowers

I like to surround myself with flowers.  During the summer, I just need to walk out my back door to do so.  This time of year when my garden is just starting up, if I want to be surrounded, I have to resort to other measures.

If I still was in my apartment in midtown Toronto where I lived years ago, I would have walked to the corner of Avenue and Davenport Roads to the grocers that sold literally buckets of flowers.  I would just stand there sometimes and breathe in the beautiful fragrance of freesia, roses and lilies.  Then I would buy an armful of flowers for not very much money--enough to fill a couple of vases at home and a vase in my office during my corporate writing days.

I added some twigs from my amelanchier (serviceberry) to this arrangement

When I moved to Montreal years ago, I imagined that I would find similar flower shops. After all, it's a city with a decidedly European flair. But sadly, I've never found an equivalent in downtown Montreal.  There are florists of course, but none with wide selections and low prices. And in the suburbs where I live, the choices are even more limited.

So on Thursday when I started to feel the need to be surrounded by flowers, I went to get my flowers at Costco. Not as romantic as a walk in midtown to buy an armful of flowers for sure, but the bouquets at Costco are generous and well priced.  My three bunches of tulips were able to be split into six beautiful bouquets. So this Easter weekend, I am most happily surrounded with flowers.

And do you remember my Christmas cactus that decided to bloom just before Valentine's Day?  The other side of it has decided to celebrate Easter.  I like a plant with a sense of occasion. :)