To the north lies the Artic Circle, that magical ring of cold. The land of igloos, icebergs and cold air. The gentle folks of Canada embrace that cold air mass and live as its neighbor. They are a hardy group of people when it comes to cold.
When it comes to the cold air up there, it tends to stay to the north. There are occasions though when the door is left open and south flows the cold. In the summer that mass of cold air is welcomed when if flows south. Bringing with it a brief respite from the heat. In the winter though, people want to bar the door on the cold Canadian air mass, keeping it up north.
Couple of weeks ago, the bar broke and the cold air ushered forth. Growing icicles, frosting limbs, shivering timbers and raising havoc.
Generally these cold snaps are short lived. In a day or two the sun is back and the thaw begins. This time the air hovered, frosting ice on everything. Day after day, the skies were overcast, the animals were hunkered down and the humans seldom ventured forth. It was a battle of the mind. Would the mind succumb to the cold are would there be thoughts of warmer days.
Yet for as nasty cold as it is, there is a silence over the land, a peaceful tranquilly as the cold envelopes. It seems like the cold will last forever, day after day the sky is shrouded in gray clouds. Tiny snow flakes float down, skipping over land, collecting into tiny drifts. The bitterness if felt, yet not.
The drone continues, man continues. Walks are shoveled, roads are plowed and ice is scraped. Will it ever end? Life moves on, another day passes, will it be a day of beauty or agony, it is my choice how to see it.
I know it will pass and better days are on the horizon. The sun has not been extinguished, it will reappear. It warming rays will wrap me in its embrace.
Soon the clouds retreat, the cold air quivers and shakes in the warmth of Old Sol. Tiny jewels are revealed, sparkles dance in the bright lights. The cold is losing its grip, no winter is not over but the ice box is thawing.
There are moments of joy, having survived another Canadian icy blast that lasted to long.
Traffic moves on, animals graze, another chapter in winter is coming to a close. There will be snow, for winter wants to linger. It ice box cousin is closed, hopefully and spring will be a joy with the moisture. The trees will have green leaves, the yucca will blossom and the grasses will green up. The cold breath of winter brings the joys of spring. Cabin fever will be great this spring because the Canadians were so nice to share their refrigerator.
