Winter's beginning in an Ontario Village

Well it's here.

The season of whiteness... cold feet... wet mittens and beautiful scenery. I have an absolute love/hate relationship with Old Man Winter.

I love the way this season looks, smells and sounds. I even love the way it feels when I am walking in the blueish twilight, with the love of my life as the silver-dollar-sized flakes drift onto my outstretched, waiting tongue. I thoroughly enjoy the excited squeals of neighborhood children as they sluice down the glassy hills, construct their impenetrable forts and glide across the solidity of the ice on our village's small ponds.

All very sensual as the senses go into overdrive at the wonder of it all.

What I hate about it all is the mess and the danger it brings with it. Being here, in this village, away from the hustle and bustle of any large town has its pros and cons. On the pro side... we are a long way down on the priority list when it comes to clearing the roads. Therefore we get to enjoy the unmarred crispness of the pure white landscape for longer than any city dweller. Yes, we revel in this beauty for as long as we can.

On the con side... we are a long way down on the priority list when it comes to clearing the roads. As we have to travel to one of the surrounding towns to take advantage of the convenience of a larger grocery store or any chain store... or more importantly a book store... the snowdrift covered roads are a hazard.

I wish my fellow village dwellers would take this into consideration when they get behind the wheel of their enormous gas guzzling SUV's and head into town for that oh-so-important purchase. Too many cars were in the ditches this morning. Too many will be there throughout this season.

Take a lesson from the very stuff that causes you to lose traction as you fly along the secondary roads. drift along slowly! Take your time! enjoy everything there is out there to amaze and astound you as the world puts on it's winter coat. The ground looks softer, like a giant feather pillow, but it is just as hard underneath. So, unless you are in the midst of an emergency where life is counting on your speed... slow down!

The best part of any journey is not in the destination... it's in the getting there!