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I forgot to post these here. Over the Easter weekend I was visiting my parents in Morris, a town that is surrounded by a ring dike (what Americans call a “levy”) that protects the town from the Red River floodwaters that often get out of hand at this time of year. This is one of those times. I made two videos; the first is just me voicing over some footage and the second features my brother and his girlfriend surveying a rather dramatic landscape on Easter Sunday.

Well, it’s winter in Winnipeg. And “winter” here means something different than it does in many other places. I have actually seen people on Twitter complain bitterly about temperatures of 32F/0C. Here in Winnipeg, a winter temperature of -10 is considered “beautiful winter weather,” perfect for outdoor activities. If the mercury hits -5C (as it did on Boxing Day) everyone is practically jubilant with the freedom of not having to cover every square inch of exposed skin.

To be honest, the cold doesn’t really bother me too much until -20C. And for the last week it’s been about -34C, which is too cold. For some reason, this year feels like it’s going to be a tougher slog through the deep freeze temperatures, especially with the weather predictors saying it’s going to be a uniformly cold winter. This is where we have to get creative, I guess, in keeping ourselves sane and warm in the dark days of winter.

I’m at the point in my life where I can really appreciate the value of a winter vacation to a tropical locale. I’m also at the point in my life where I cannot afford such a thing. However, I’m not going to begrudge my pals who can. Lindsey took three weeks in Mexico before Christmas (thankfully she didn’t ask for sympathy when, on her return, she was scheduled to work the 24-26), a few days in a resort and the rest backpacking. Lindsey’s a smart woman; she knows how to stem the tide of contempt that might arise from her friends when she returns to the land of ice and snow. I’m an easy sell. All it takes are a few tokens:

That’s a wool felt owl, with twiggy legs that remind me of the chicken’s feet my dad likes to order at dim sum. Beside the owl is a Zapatista keychain. “It’s basically a doll keychain, made in black, with a little gun on it,” Lindsey remarked. Plus a cool piece of coral. There was chocolate too, but I ate it already obvs.

Like I said, I’m easily amused and am thrilled to be amused by my globetrotting friends.

But let it be noted that I photographed the items on my living room windowsill. The white background in the window is the snow that piles up there in the winter.