Its March and in spite of over 35 winters in northern Ontario I still want it to be spring. I know that you can’t rush it, that winter lasts until at least the end of March BUT enough already. As I write this early on March 2nd it is -27C! Last Thursday we got a real shot of snow, 15cm+ and Friday morning as I went to work it was blowing, cold and nasty. Of course it snowed Thursday night when I had to work Friday and Saturday. That meant that I had to drive through the snow four times before I could start to clean up the mess yesterday morning. Driving through fresh snow before you move it makes the job that much more unpleasant. This what it looked like before I started. 
That is our mailbox at the end of the driveway. This is the entrance to the driveway
It took me almost 3 hours yesterday and I haven’t opened the path to the red shed where I store recycling until spring and to the sauna where I may get warm again. There are a couple of spots where the snow blower won’t throw the snow over the bank any more. I am going to have to move some of that snow before it starts to melt. 
When I got finished I put out a pail of corn for the deer who were out of the trees and munching away before I got the house. I sat on the porch and watched them. The snow is deep and they are hungry. We are entering what is surely the toughest month of the year for them. I’m sure that there will be a couple of more storms before winter is over and we will deal with that but it should be spring!
I would like to introduce you to my first pair of new sandals in many years. To quote the Monkees “And I think I love you.”
As I sit here it is -24C and the ground is frozen hard and covered with many cm. of snow, not normally the conditions that make one want to run out and buy a new pair of sandals. But we are headed south in a couple of weeks and that was the impetus for this purchase. When we get to Cuba I don’t really want to wear socks and shoes all the time (that is what diabetics are urged to do to help protect their feet). It is going to be hot and sunny and I want to wear as little as possible and that includes on my feet.The other option was to get a pair of Crocs and I am avoiding that option.
I knew what I wanted and where to find them but was having trouble with the cost. I always whine and waffle when it comes to spending money on myself. I found these last fall and immediately fell for them.The big attraction is the toe protection and protecting your feet is a priority for diabetics. Foot injuries can lead to infections and that can lead to BIG problems. Where did that foot go? Anyway, when we were in SSM yesterday I finally went to the store where I saw them months ago. Of course they were not on display but the owner was more than happy to go into the back and dig them out. I tried them on with socks (forgive me Clara) and said to wrap them up. At this point the cost was secondary. I did get a pleasant surprise when I paid for them. This is the 3rd pair of shoes I have purchased from this store in the past couple of years and when the sales person entered my telephone number he told me that I now have a $60.00 credit when I buy my next pair of shoes. Bonus!
So two weeks from now when I am strolling the beaches of Varadero I will be happy and my feet will be cool and well protected.
Last night we watched the TV news from Vancouver thanks to the magic of satellite tv. We saw the results of several weeks of snow followed immediately by a rise in temp and a heavy rain. Roofs started collapsing. Not a lot but enough to scare the crap out of Val and to cause her to offer to use the snow rake to clear the woodshed roof. Well says I, I started part of it today and yes we will do some more tomorrow (that is today now). This what the woodshed roof looked like:
This is somewhere in excess of 0.5M of snow.Its deep and it is heavy. So after lunch today out we went and got most of the snow off the woodshed roof.
Next stop is the studio roof. It is a little flatter but there is not as much snow accumulated. That is tomorrows job.