This has been the longest winter ever. I remember getting my winter tires on in November after we'd already had 2 or 3 snowstorms. I think my tires need replacing next year from all the wear on snow and ice this year. For those who haven't had the joy of living in Ottawa this year - we have had well over 400cm of snow this winter. I think we're 12 cm from the all-time record. That sounds impressive and I can report that I drove to work every day - even the days when I had to check the traffic on the road at the end of our street, back up 20 metres and 'giv-ur' (Canadian slang for accelerating as quickly as possible so I don't get stuck). I took it all in stride but there were some moments. We were lucky. We live outside the city so we had a big yard to dump our snow. The streets throughout the city was a whole different story. The streets were barely wide enough for one car, let alone 2 cars and pedestrians (since clearing the sidewalks was abandoned long ago). The city of Gatineau publicly stated that they wouldn't clear sidewalks and would instead focus on clearing lanes of major streets that had been snowbanks. Many 4 lane streets became 2 lane streets. On the night of the BIG snow in March, a friend of ours who is a firefighter was working. Unlucky him. Since the ambulances couldn't go down most streets or roads, the firefighters had to carry people on stretchers through knee-deep snow to meet the ambulance on major roads. That must have been exhausting. I know, because I went out to play with the kids and had to walk through hip-deep snow. It's not an easy thing.
This is Anders in our back yard. Good thing the water in the pool is frozen or I'm afraid it wouldn't meet code. Note how Anders didn't sink into the snow.
This is Konrad playing in the backyard. This is my kitchen window above the sink so that is one big pile of snow he's sitting on.
Eric even got our snowblower stuck. Seriously. He had to dig it out with a shovel.
Eric braving new paths. What fun this winter has been.
And here are my boys in front of the sliding door. Good thing Anders doesn't sink through the snow because I fear he would have been lost forever!
And now I think winter might be ending. We can actually see grass in some places - like over the septic bed. Mind you, I think we will have snow on our back deck well into May. Perhaps it will melt just in time for Eric's birthday BBQ.
4 comments:
Any flooding in the basement yet?
SNOW! When I was visiting my sister in March break she was convinced that she (in New Hampshire) had just as much snow as you in Ottawa. We looked it up, did the conversions and found out New Hampshire had half as much snow - she was crushed. I need to show her these pictures, because there's snow, and then there's SNOW!
We've also had a bad winter. But I can't tell you how glad I am that I don't live in Ottawa!!!
a lot of snow
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