Having emigrated to Trois Rivieres, Quebec from England as a toddler with my family in January 1960 I have known my share of cold winters. Now that I have lived in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia for over forty years I am a fan of the west coast winter--- generally mild, more rain than snow, the occasional white Christmas. I have also lived in Louisiana and Ohio in the winter. B.C. is best for me.
Watching the chickadees devour the black-oil sunflower seeds in one of my bird feeders on a -9 degree Celsius day (about 15 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you in Louisiana and Ohio) I wonder about a couple of things: where do all those tiny little birds, the chickadees, the sparrows, the finches and the hummingbirds, especially the hummingbirds go at night? Trying to keep my hummingbird feeder from freezing has been a seemingly futile endeavour; rotating each scarf encased bottle as often as once every hour or two is the best I can do at this point. The hummingbird feeder heaters will not be in stock today.
Also, I wonder what were my parents thinking coming to Canada in the middle of this type of winter? It must have been similar to the situation the hummingbirds face--- unfamiliar weather of seasonal extremes to be borne as cheerfully as possible until spring arrived. Or maybe that's a bit of a stretch. Suffice it to say that as magical as a cold and frosty winter was for me as a child, as an adult I am happy to be here. Here where we use rain boots more than snow boots and umbrellas more than snow shovels. Here where a white Christmas is a wish to be fulfilled as long as it's melted and long gone by New Year's Eve.... A happy and healthy 2022 to you!
