Monday’s snow is still here. More was added today. It is most unusual to have so much snow in Victoria; it is most unusual for it to last so long. Rain is forecast for this evening. Once before on this west coast I have gone to bed with snow on the ground and awakened to green grass; perhaps it will happen again. (I will likely peek out the window once or twice in the night to see if this is occuring.)
Ankles and calves are sore from muscles working with such careful walking. The carefree trek to the Deli and back first thing each morning has been a careful placing of each foot on ruts and ice and slush; even the bare patches were viewed with caution for black ice. The experience has been both awful and wonderful in the way life can be. I have been forced to slow down and routine was altered. It wasn’t that I ‘stopped and smelled the roses.’ No, it was more a basic change of pace from the norm and the awareness of this. A change both physiological and psychological. A further simplifying.
I wanted to get downtown for lunch at the usual place. Taking the car on the road and covering that distance in ten minutes with a stop here and there along the way on errands was not an option: driving would have been bad enough; I couldn’t cope with the thought of parking. (Parking places downtown are where the plows put the snow with the expectation that it will decently melt decently soon which it usually does.)
I took the bus. Bus stops are where the plows put the snow with the expectation……. Once on the bus I realized I had no idea which bus I had climbed aboard but it was okay; it got me downtown.
One or two sidewalks had enough salt to give confidence to walk normally (except for the weight of my hiking boots) for a short distance.
I went into one store, got into a nice chat with a woman, forgot all about the snow and was startled when I exited and saw it again. Good. I don’t think its existence left my mind for a moment when it lasted for months.
The snow has stopped now and you can feel the weather getting warmer. Quite an experience.