If there is one thing I think should be outlawed in Saskatchewan in the winter time, it's the announcement of the current temperatures on morning radio.
There is nothing that makes you want to burrow under the covers and go back to sleep more than hearing that radio announcer state that it's "a cool minus-25 degrees out there this morning, and with the windchill, it feels more like minus-35." Add that temperature to the fact that it still dark outside at 9 a.m., and it's no wonder most of us start to drag our feet at this time of year, and wonder what in the world brought us to this place and why we continue to live here.
Why do we live here, in this place of cold, cold temperatures and snow covering the ground from October to April?
For most of us who grew up in this province, it's simple - Saskatchewan is home. We may be drawn to other places around the world for vacations, but Saskatchewan is the place we all come back to, because it's where we come from. Saskatchewan is where our families are - we have roots here, childhood memories of building snow forts in the winter and sandcastles in the summer, all right here at home. Those are ties that bind.
For others who have come here and simply stayed, I think the answer to that question is more convoluted. They obviously found something here, whether it's the people, the lifestyle or the scenery, that appealed to them more than their home province or country and Saskatchewan became their home. They set down roots here, like the pioneers did, and developed their own networks of friends, if not family.
Obviously, Saskatchewan is not for everyone. I had a professor in university who was absolutely ready to go back home to another part of Canada after living in Regina for two winters. Living in a place where, when you step outside, your skin will freeze in a matter of seconds if it's not covered up, she felt, was just too scary.
Before she said that, I never really thought of life in Saskatchewan as risky. Our political situation is extremely stable, after all, and our population is small, but friendly. In the winter, I just thought it was natural that everyone used common sense and bundled up before they stepped outside, or refused to make non-negotiable plans to go somewhere, just in case a weather incident popped up.
Obviously, in other parts of the world, such steps are not necessary, at least for dealing with winter. When we look at it this way, perhaps it's a "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't" kind of mentality. Winter is just a season, and while it can be a deadly one, if you are caught unprepared in a bad situation, it's not all bad. Winter means skating and hockey and snow forts and ice fishing and snowmobiling and sledding and skiing, just to name a few, in addition to shovelling snow and scraping off icy windows.
So maybe it's not a question of "Why do we live here?" Maybe it's a question of "Why don't I live in (fill in the blank)?"
For instance, I do not live in Mexico because I couldn't stand the heat in the summer. I do not live in Cuba because of the Communist government. I do not live in the United States because it is full of Americans (ha ha).
The bottom line, for me, is that I do not live in (fill in the blank) because it is not home. Saskatchewan is home. Saskatchewan is where the people I love are.
I suppose that's worth putting up with winter. But it doesn't make it any easier to get up in the morning in January.
