Posted in Funny, tagged #moreshoveling, #ottweather, #snowday, home, kitties, shoveling, snow, weather, winter on February 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a cat’s eye view of the snow from yesterday’s storm.
We’ve had record-breaking amounts of snow (50cm, or almost 20 inches!), stuck buses, cars in the ditch and people snowshoeing in the streets. The aforementioned kitties decided to sleep through it by the fire.
Smart kitties:)
Posted in Writing, tagged home, Motivation, superfun, weather, winter, work, writing on February 3, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Hey, we’ve got freezing rain today, that’s super fun. We also have glitter, the Newfoundland and Labrador term for “freezing rain that accretes as ice on branches and wires.” It’s chilly and wet and grey, reminding me a lot of Boston, actually. My east-facing windows have glazed over and the cats are curled up by the fire. I’m wishing for a cup of hot chocolate and a good book, but work must win out. For now.
This weather is terrible for driving (or walking, or power grids) but it has given me a faux Rothko, painted by nature:)
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged Canadian overlords, Fast Company, koselig, Norway, seasonal depression, snow, Thoughts, winter on November 24, 2015| 3 Comments »
This is the first real snowfall of the season and it’s still coming down. Yesterday I could pretend that winter was a thing that happened to other people but, alas, no longer!
I say alas but I’m actually coming around on the subject of winter. I ran across an article at Fast Company featuring Kari Leibowitz, a Stanford Ph.D. student who asked a fundamental question: Why don’t people in far northern Norway, a place where the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon between late November and late January, have more seasonal depression? So she went up there and asked.
The answer might surprise you. I know it surprised me, and got me thinking about winter from a different perspective.
“Why would we?”
They see winter as an opportunity, not just to take part in the snowy sports I generally don’t do, but to enjoy the indoor and outdoor beauty of the season. It’s strikingly pretty in the land of practically eternal sunset, but they also focus on what I think of as all the good bits of cold weather. Warm fires, hot chocolate, a good book, good company, cozy blankets. In fact:
Norwegians also have a word, koselig, that means a sense of coziness. It’s like the best parts of Christmas, without all the stress. People light candles, light fires, drink warm beverages, and sit under fuzzy blankets.
That sounds pretty good to me. So sure, winter is coming. Welcome!*
—–
* My Canadian overlords are happy to report that my brainwashing appears to be complete;)
Posted in Holidays, tagged around the world, floating market, inspiration, summer, Thailand, Thoughts, travel, winter on April 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The temperature is rising and we are consistently having days around 0C. Um, yay? That is a good thing, relatively speaking, but it’s a cold start to spring. My yard is still half-covered with snow and a dusty layer of grey gravel from winter street maintenance, and I am so ready for color.
Today I give you a random photo from the archives. This is the Floating Market outside Bangkok, in Dumnernsaduak. It takes me back to a July day of light, the calls of coconut vendors, the smell of fried rice cakes and roasted meat, and the sticky heat of morning sun in Thailand. Enjoy:)
Posted in Writing, tagged Fiction, home, John Steinbeck, nanowrimo, quotes, snow, winter, Writers, writing on November 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I’ve got inches of thick wet snow on my porch and the last of the red maple leaves have finally fallen. It is officially winter.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
― John Steinbeck
And really, what better weather for novel writing? Time to get back to it!
Posted in Other, tagged cherry blossoms, DC, home, persistence, snow, Spring, weather, winter, yay on April 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »
My holiday wreath remains on the door because there’s still a little pile of snow out in the front yard. Impressively, the snow survived yesterday’s 70F weather. The house shades that section of the yard from sun most of the day, and layers of traction control sand provide the snow with a bit of a buffer, a turtle-like defense against Spring. I’m almost rooting for the little guy, persistent as it is.
Almost:) Happy Spring!
^ Not my front yard, but oh so pretty all the same.
Posted in Holidays, Likes, tagged good news, snow, spring equinox, winter, yay on March 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »
It’s snowing, it’s too cold for the cat to go out, and my front steps are covered in a slurry of slush and ice but! I don’t care because today is the Spring Equinox!
March Equinox in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada was on
Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 12:57 PM EDT
That’s right, Google has a doodle, it’s the first day of Spring and day is (basically) as long as night. After a cold dark winter, that’s good news!
Look, kids, that big ball in the sky. Now do you believe in the Sun?
Posted in Likes, tagged beautiful, inspiration, nature, pictures, snow, Thoughts, winter on February 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Oh look, it’s snowing again, and I realize that I’m on the edge of what I’m calling Snow-Related Stockholm Syndrome. When I start to enjoy the fact that I’m buried under feet of the white stuff, it’s time for a change of scenery. Today, I give you Zion National Park.
Posted in Likes, tagged Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, awesome, ice caves, Lake Superior, nature, sea caves, winter, Wisconsin, wow on February 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Busy, busy today, but I don’t want you to miss this photo from Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin:
Wow. Just, wow. And unlike the Fairyland they resemble, anyone can visit these caves. Enjoy!
Posted in Other, tagged Air New Zealand, Australia, cold, holidays, home, New Zealand, snow, travel, vacation, weather maps, winter on January 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Dear Air New Zealand and Australia.com,
Please stop showing me perky web ads with weather maps of your fair region. I know that it is summer there when it is winter here, but you don’t have to rub my face in it. I know that my −24C is your +24C, but thinking about it makes me want to cry. I also know how lovely it is Down Under, how full of stunning vistas and sumptuous wines and delectable foodstuffs, and sigh as I peer over the wind-swept mounds of snow outside my window.
So please, please, Air New Zealand and Australia.com, stop rubbing it in. Have pity on a poor Northern Hemisphere-ite, and let me freeze in peace.
Yours in winter,
J.R. Johnson
J.R. Johnson 
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