… and puffy parkas and heavy, lug-soled boots.

Winter is on the horizon, but wait … it is not on the calendar for another month yet.  The weather folks are all hyped up about Winter Storm Bella that is slated to slam us in the overnight hours and through the day tomorrow – right now we define the arrival of this two-to-four-inch snowfall as “slammin’ us” since it is the first snow of the season.  But, just wait, El Nino or not, by the time we reach February two to four inches of snow is really nothing special; it’s just another ho-hum snow event.

This morning was brrrrrrrrrrrrrisk to be sure.  Halfway on my three-mile excursion, I stopped to flip up the collar of my polo shirt, not to look preppy, but because my neck was cold, so a turtleneck sweater or a warm scarf is in order before the next jaunt out – in fact, now all the “big guns” must come out – the heavyweight gear.

Tomorrow morning I need to hunt down some warmer accessories and getting out the Winter coat is a must.  Thus far, I’ve resisted donning a bulky Winter coat because quite frankly it wasn’t really necessary.  I’d just pile on a layer or two more under my sweatshirt jacket and I was just comfortable.  But tomorrow morning, I must get prepared for the onslaught of Winter weather – ugh.

The wind seemed to whip right through the fibers in my loosely knit hat and I pulled it down further onto my ears against the biting wind.  I thought of my mom as I walked along because she would be working her knitting needles furiously every Fall to create a handmade toque with matching mitts and scarf from the time I was a little tyke.  Back then, as soon as it was cold enough, I’d be straining at the bit to wear my new “woolen gear”.  Besides the new hand-knit creations, I carried a little hand-knitted bag with a drawstring in my coat pocket; it was just big enough to slip in a tube of “Lipsol” (the Canadian version of “ChapStick”) and a hanky to be ready for those inevitable sniffles from the cold air hitting your face (because “a lady never sniffs, she dabs at her nose”) – so, with those items I was set to weather the weather.

There is just something wrong when the snow flies before the leaves have all been disposed of.  Our last yard waste pickup is next week and all the trees have not yet shook their leaves loose  There are leaf-stained sidewalks galore and they are just begging for the clean and pristine snow to wipe those ugly spots off.  Me … I’d rather just look at those leaf-stained sidewalks and walk on them and not go slip-slidin’ away.