When the snow and the wind and the cold finally set in I don't really want to go anywhere at all, except maybe the couch and into the pages of a book.
I will head out to drop the children off at school if it gets colder than -30 C, but I don't want to deprive them of the opportunity to tell their own children they had to walk almost two kilometres to school almost every day in every season. I did it and I survived and they are thriving as they follow a daily path from one end of the community to the other.
I have one child who wakes up grumpy and I'm sure the brisk 20 minute walk helps her to start her day off right.
It is a time when my children care for each other and keep each other safe. I know there are days when they drive each other crazy and I can hear them fighting from down the block, but most of the time they talk, share their day and become better friends.
When the buses don't run, their classes are smaller and they don't seem to do as much, but it doesn't mean the school is closed.
My sister lived in Nunavut for a few years where the wind chill made the air temperature feel like -60 C for an extended part of the winter. Even with those temperatures the school wouldn't close. They couldn't afford to lose the days and the people who lived there had the proper clothing to be outside in those conditions.
We have layers of warm clothing and my daughter has a collection of goofy and stylish hats making winter a fashion show. My son has reached an age where snow pants don't seem as cool and he ignores me when I tell him he should pull on a pair for his walk. I went through the same thing when I was in high school only instead of jeans I would wear mini-skirts. I grew up with decent circulation and I'm sure he will too.
The cold doesn't really keep us from anything in the community. Our vehicles are reliable and even if the cold stopped them we are only a few minutes walking distance from safety. The highway is a little trickier and we do have to make decisions to stay at home sometimes.
In most cases we live with the cold and it doesn't really slow us down, we can't let it. We live here in this prairie and although I'd like to live in the cozy pages of a novel. Real life is here and I can pull on a toque and a scarf and face the world.
