I kept saying that there are no seasons here. It took me about 8 years to figure it out, but I was wrong. There are seasons, but it's harder to notice because they don't come when I am used to them coming and they don't come and go, but kind of linger, then kick back in and play peek-a-boo all year. OK, except for summer. You won't need your winter gear from June-Aug. and that's a definite. Think loose, cool clothes or even no clothes, (but only in the privacy of your own home please).
Fall, winter and spring on the other hand are totally unpredictable. I realized recently that there IS a fall, with color changing leaves, wind and coolness, but it may come as late as Christmas. Last year we had snow for Christmas. This was incredible as some years it doesn't snow here. It could snow today though if we had any chances of precipitation. Texas is breaking records in coldness right now, it's about -10 C here (in the teens for you Fareinheit folks). What is so weird to me about this is not that it's cold in December, but that last week, when we were taking some family pictures, the three of us wore short sleeves due to the heat. You just can't tell what kind of a day you'll have until you check the thermostat. Back in SK, if it's Dec. you pick out a sweater for the next day. The only variable is "how many layers?"
Ivan has had enough of the indoors. He saw beautiful sunshine beaming through the sliding door and hollered until he had me convinced we should go out. We got bundled, very bundled and I discovered a funny thing. Ivan's winter jacket causes instant loss of balancing ability. Sweaters are ok, tuques, mits, shoes, pants... no problem, but the instant I put his jacket on he can't even stand up, yet alone walk. It was hillarious. I'd lean him up and he'd tip over, prop him back up and down he goes. Strange. I didn't notice on the developmental charts at what age they can walk IN WINTER CLOTHES. Maybe this is only listed on the Canadian charts!
And now a word from the star of this blog:
"eSo, here 'sggggggggg gto gggggwgggggggwinter v , fall," Thank you Ivan. What I was trying to say was... here's to winter, fall, spring, summer and all the other seasons we may experience this December and happy holidays while we're at it!
7 comments:
OK! I'll admit I don't know what a "TUQUE" is, but it sounds like some kind of Canadian garb that should have effected the equilibrium of a small child born in
a semi-tropical desert, but it didn't. Are you sure he wasn't wearing this tuque thing under his coat? Or , if this is a coat made in Canada, it might have a tuque sewn into the lining, or it might have been made from old recycled tuques.
Just a thought.
I don't want to be insensitive in my ignorance.
Are Tuques on the endangered species list?
As fare as I remember my "canadian" words a tuque is a hat. Right?
I imagine Ivan in his winter coat and how he tries to stand up and falls over. That is too funny (not for little Ivan though). *gives him a kiss*
And that is (the unpredictable) what I don't like about the southern states. I am used to real season changes too and I don't want it any other way.
Okay Texans, take it from a true Canadian, a Toque is a winter hat. Usually knitted or crocheted lovingly by grandma or a distant aunt, and almost always with a very embarrasing pom pom on the top! I think that Ange once told me that Americans refer to it as a toboggan. That's quite confusing because Canadians sit on toboggans and ride them down snow covered hills while wearing toques!
The weather in Calgary is also very unpredictable. Last week it was very cold (-26 C, plus windchill). Now it's above 0 C. I have learned in my 8 years here never to put any clothes away for the season. I have seen it snow here even in the summer. But that's what we get for choosing to live so close to the Rockies. Calgary is the only place that I have lived where you can go skiing or golfing on both Xmas day and Canada Day (July 1st).
My apologies to our American friends and family for the wording, but this is one thing I can't budge on. I can say "x, y, zee", instead of "x, y zed", I can say "y'all" (almost), but I just can't say that a toboggan is a hat (which is what we call a tuque- is it spelled toque?) I was trying to come up with an analogy for Brian. I told him you can't call a tea kettle a "burrito". Let me heat up some water in the "burrito". The "burrito" is whistling. Can you clean out the "burrito"? It just doesn't work! I'm very nice not to laugh when someone says they are going to get a toboggan to keep their head warm, but the picture us canadians get is a sled on your head!
Toque, toboggan. To-MAY-to, to-MAH-to.
30 mil population in Canada. 255 mil population in the US.
Someone's gotta be right...
TO Brian:
If you wear a toboggan on your head, what do you sit on to go tobogganing down a hill??
Also, it's quality not quantity! (Although, now that I think about it, I'll be that there are more toques in Canada with our population of only 30 million, than there are in the USA. Maybe it is about quantity!)
Kim...first, I would wear whatever the heck I want on my head...and call it whatever the heck I want. Second, I would WALK down the hill...because I can.
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