snow, glorious snow

Well, ain't life weird...just a few short days ago I pontificated on the evils of snow, dirty, slushy, ubiquitous Toronto snow and now I am about to sing its praises.

To set the record straight: I hate the white stuff mostly because it makes driving impossible and also because, at least here in the city, the magic of the pure white flakes rubs off quickly when "pure as the driven snow" becomes "filthy as the driven salt". But it must be said that if you're going to live in a country with four seasons (ok, three, "spring" is not really a season here, it's usually just a single day of transition between freezer and oven) - you might as well embrace those aspects of snow that are pretty and life-enhancing (this last word is something left over in my brain from a long-ago sojourn through the halls of academe and the jargon of analysis so much in vogue there then, as now!).

Yesterday and today, I toolk my 4 km walk through Cedarvale Park. Yesterday was a crisp day of about minus 12 Celsius, with blinding sunshine and perfect calm. Today was warmer, about negative 5, much windier and overcast. But both days were a treat for a walk in the park (just DON'T EAT THAT YELLOW SNOW!! ) Yesterday was a tad too cold for most dog owners and bored musicians such as myself to venture out and I had the park all to myself: an expanse of brilliant whiteness, ice crystals sparkling in the frosty air, the evergreens heavy with a coat of snow and the snowy ground crunchy beneath my feet. Despite the frigid temps, I felt hot 10 minutes into the walk, wrapped up as I was in three layers of sweaters, two pairs of socks, long-johns and boots. I walked briskly along the length of the park, only meeting one or two solitary dog owners, both the owners' and the animals' breath forming clouds of vapor in the air. Truly a day to enjoy and true to the season, too. Funny how years of indoctrination have worked their way into my consciousness: Christmas time should be white and bright, not dull and rainy. Yet, I don't really celebrate Christmas at all, Hanukka only prefunctorily - and there are no songs about White Hanukka, anyway.

Same walk today, same trek, same park. Another type of winter experience; I had to huddle against the wind somewhat and the park was not as deserted. The clouds hung low, there was a hint of freezing drizzle or flurries in the air and as I walked, thousands of tiny sparkles cascaded in front of my eyes if I looked at the snowy expanse for too long. The best part? Kids tobogganing in the park, hollering and screaming in delight as their sleds zipped down the hillside. I truly envied them - almost wanted to go to the store and buy myself a cheap toboggan and join them. I remembered how much fun it was when my daughters were small and we went sledding together...then, when they went to school one day, I picked up the toboggan and snuck out of the house to do some sledding on my own. I ran into a neighbour with his four year old son and felt a bit embarassed, indulging as I was in this kid pastime - with my kids at school!!

Other than that, the Christmas break is getting a bit too long for me. I'm looking forward to doing a gig at the Oasis in Cobourg tomorrow! Playing with Drew Jurecka on violin and Ka-Cheong Liu on bass. Both superb players. Probably will play a bunch of Grappelli/Reinhardt stuff: Minor Swing, my own tribute to Django, Mango Django and definitely Dark Eyes to close the show.

Swing in the snow, yippee!