The Freezin' Season




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" January 6, 2004 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart." You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription or a friend generously forwarded their copy to you. All new subscribers will receive a free downloadable copy of the e-cookbook, “Write 2 the Heart of the Chocolate Lover.” To subscribe send a blank e-mail to: subscribe@write2theheart.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ It’s easy for me to chuckle at Maria’s story, I have never seen more than five consecutive days of unmelted snow. I guess I am going to have to ask her to educate me as to what Sorels are. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Freezin’ Season By Maria Harden ------------------------------------------------------------ It is said the Inuit have numerous words for snow. In Canada, we have one: cold. As the joke goes, there are four seasons in Winnipeg (also known as Winterpeg): early winter, midwinter, late winter, and next winter. There is never any question whether we will have a white Christmas. If a reminder is needed of how short our summers are in comparison to our winters, just recall the fellow who was asked if he had a good summer. His response, "Yes indeed, we had a great picnic that afternoon!" Winnipeggers are accustomed to the freezin' season. Although our obsession with frigid temperatures has us alternately bragging and complaining, we are proud of our hardiness, and oddly enough, enjoy battling Old Man Winter. Coping with the cold teaches us to have a healthy respect for it. We learn to thrive and survive in a country that has intense seasons meant to keep us on our frostbitten toes. Exactly how cold is it? Our temperatures are so cold that it would freeze the . . . never mind. But, it's a dry cold. As though that makes any difference when the wind chill is minus forty. Winter weather conversation is monopolized by memories of past blizzards. We never tire of discussing cold fronts, average snowfalls, and El Nino. Our concerns are winter driving, snowmobile trails, and the city's snow plowing budget. Those of us who go from one heated box to another (house to car to office and back again), consider winter to be a series of uncomfortable inconveniences. It doesn't have to be. Red cheeks and numb toes are commonplace, but there is something satisfying about feeling the cold seep off in the warmth of a heated room. We support the economy by purchasing fleece sheets, electric blankets, and cozy goose feather duvets to warm our beds. We stock up on chemically activated hand warmers to insert into our gloves; long thermal underwear, and even trendy, heated socks to ensure our appendages' warmth. A fur coat is a mainstay of many wardrobes, and if you don't know what "Sorels" are, then you don't live in the north. Heated car seats and mirrors, car and battery warmers, and Command Start are as common as salt and gravel trucks. And then there are "forty below" sleeping bags. Who goes camping when it's minus forty anyway? As teenagers, we were considered "cool" if we foolishly wore our winter jackets wide open. We did not have to trudge five miles to school barefoot in the snow. We wore sneakers (boots not considered cool). No teen would dream of wearing a hat, as it would ruin our blow-dried hair, although the wind usually did a pretty good job of that anyway. Common sense was frozen out as we suffered for vanity. On a sobering note, cold air causes blood pressure to go up; especially when skin is exposed, and hypothermia is an on-going threat. Sudden heart attacks increase during a cold snap. When you are young and foolish, you take risks and never give them a second thought. Fortunately we survived the freezin' season and lived to tell about it. This year I made up my mind not to hibernate, even if I break out into a cold sweat, having to quit cold turkey in cold blood. However, that doesn't mean I will refrain from putting my clammy hands and feet on my husband's warm body when I come to bed. When he is finished screaming, I just remind him of "cold hands, warm heart," and hope he falls for my snow job. The three cold facts of the freezin' season are: 1.. Never stick your tongue on any frozen metal, no matter who double-dog dares you. 2.. Do wear a hat. Most body heat is lost through the head. 3.. Don't eat yellow snow. Winter, eh? I feel sorry for that brass monkey. And when the cold is getting you down, think of the optimist's view: mosquitoes die at –4 Celsius. Maria Harden ©2003 mharden @ mts.net You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses and email harvesting programs. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- I live in southern Manitoba, Canada, where the winters are long and cold. We usually have snow by Halloween, and it is still here at Easter. Needless to say, we learn to live in this climate since there is not much we can do to change it, but we sure do appreciate our summers, which are short, but hot. I have been married for 25 years and hope to see another 25 with my honey, Neil. We have one son and a grandson, and many supportive family members who always spend Christmas Day with us. I love to write and have been published widely on-line and also in the local newspaper. Presently I am attempting my hand at a fictional story, which has gotten so long that it just may end up being a book. Yup, the Great Canadian Novel.... look for it on the best seller list in a few years! -------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Military Prayer Reminder --------------------------------------------------------------- As you read over this list of names, please take that moment to pray for these young people and their families. If you have a loved one on the list, please let them know we are praying for them and would love to hear from them. Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Thaddeaus Howard Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Ryan Jonathan P. Wells Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. --------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner It seems like it has been such a long time since I last wrote to you! Christmas was such a wonderful time. All four sons, two daughter- in-laws, four grandsons, and one serious girlfriend came home and stayed. Jeremy grilled the steaks to perfection. Nicole baked potatoes that were as long as dinner plates. A thirteen-quart bowl held the huge salad. Junies merliton casserole was out of this world. (For those who asked what’s a merliton, it is a light green, pear shaped vegetable that grows on an extra long vine. Similar to a squash.) We had a tragedy before Christmas. The puppy, Shake Speir, followed a large dog into the street and was killed. David and I were broken hearted. Nicole and Mason couldn’t stand to see us so upset, so they went and got us another rat terrier puppy. Before we even saw him we said to each other it is by the goodness of God that we are getting him. So we named him Selah, which means stop and think about the goodness of God. God Bless, Cheryl ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- © 2004 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors. ---------------------------------------------------------------