A Green Christmas

I think we are heading for a green Christmas. It's so unusual in Montreal not to have at least a bit of snow on the ground at Christmas. It's what everyone is talking about here. The skating rink boards were installed weeks ago in the park across the street but there isn't a snowflake or a sliver of ice in sight.

There's not really anything one can do so, while dreaming of snow, we are going about our days and getting ready for the holidays. Today it is colder but the forecast for the week ahead is for mild, rainy days.

The photo above is of tiny rain-soaked crabapples in my garden. While I was taking this photo and others on one of the rainiest days of the past week, a patient, slightly soggy Meeko waited for me on the back porch. Such a good boy.

I have been painting. If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen my progress photos of a watercolour I just finished of a small winterberry branch. This is my favourite kind of painting to do--a study of a natural object. I have another step to do as this will be a special print, actually one that was suggested to me by a lovely customer.

When I was purchasing the winterberry branches to use as my painting references at a local garden centre, the sales clerk told me that their spring bulbs were 80% off. I already planted over 350 bulbs in November but the ground still isn't frozen and the price was hard to resist. So I purchased some more spring bulbs and added them to my garden this past week! Planting spring bulbs in the garden in mid-December! The silver lining of this odd weather.

A Spring Adventure

This morning when we woke up, I'm certain there was a collective groan. If the windows had been open, I'm sure it would have resonated for miles. After an unseasonably warm day yesterday when much of the snow melted and people flocked into the streets wearing light clothing and big smiles, it snowed again overnight. A lot of snow. After the initial shock of seeing everything covered in white again, I decided to make the best of it and see if the forest path was still accessible. I had my doubts after all of the thawing that had taken place in previous days.

There is a creek that we have to cross over to get to the path. A plank of wood serves as a bridge but it was under a half-foot of water and a layer of ice this morning. It wasn't even visible. I had to get a piece of wood to poke through the surface to be sure that it was still in place.

This is when I told Meeko my plan that we were going to walk across the submerged bridge. First he looked at me and then he started barking. Rough translation: 'You want me to do what? You are crazy'. (He fell into the creek a couple of springs ago when he sidestepped the bridge.) After some initial hesitation and more barking, he got brave and went across first.

This is taken from the other side. What was waiting for us was surreally beautiful. The thaw from previous days had created the swampy patches that are typical of this little forest during the spring and summer but everything, absolutely everything, was covered in snow. It was like a frozen moment between seasons.

I let Meeko be the leader as finding the pathway was not always obvious because there were parts underneath the water. He had a ton of fun running ahead and then racing back to check on my progress. We had the forest to ourselves because no one else was nutty enough to be there this morning. But oh what they missed!

I don't wear my glasses when I'm out walking. Somehow I hit a setting on my phone without realizing and the last few photos are in black and white. Still beautiful.

This is Meeko getting mentally ready to cross the watery bridge again to go home. I'm so glad that I decided to shake off my initial disappointment at seeing the snowy weather. I have Meeko to thank over and over again for getting me out into nature on a daily basis. We had a ton of fun together this morning.

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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.

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