There's lots of snow
Very clean, and crisp and hard
And glittering like a Christmas card
Everywhere you go
Rose Fyleman
In Winnipeg At Christmas; a quaint little pre-global warming poem about Winnipeg at Christmas. I checked my blog entry for this time last year just to see what was up. The weather was -29 with a -41 wind chill. Today's run was +1, no windchill, blue sky, and a gorgeous warm sun. Snow? What snow! It's not a brown Christmas, but the snow on the ground is pretty darn skimpy, non-existant in some places. I even saw a Winnipeg first for December 24th... a runner in shorts and a toque! I pointed at his bare legs as I approached and gave him a thumbs up sign and a big smile. His return grin was ear-to-ear. I didn't see any bare-footers though. I expect it would have been a reasonable day for a bare foot trot. Yes indeed, In Winnipeg at Christmas... a good place to be, a palace of friendliness.
I had a gorgeous little 6 mile slow dance down the Disney Trail this afternoon, you know the one, all the fire hydrants are painted to represent Disney characters. This trail reminds me of cottage country, all sweet and eclectic. It's a runner friendly route, cars slow, home owners smile and give a wave, it's a very welcoming little patch of Winnipeg. I approached a couple of runers slowly from behind and had an impromptu chat about the weather. We parted with a cheerful wish for a merry Christmas and I took the lead. Yes, even at Christmas time I'm still a little competitive (I blame it on testosterone and as such, I can't help myself).
I wish you all a very pretty merry Christmas. By pretty I mean, loving and peaceful, family and friends, good cheer and good food, hopeful and fulfilling, health and good karma. Stay to the right of the trail, pass on the left, and give a little whistle as you approach someone from behind. And, for heaven's sake, smile and nod at your fellow runners and walkers... it's contagious.
So, as my perfectly beautiful niece Miranda from Calgary would say ...
Please
accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive,
gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious
or secular traditions at all... and a fiscally successful, personally
fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the
generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the
calendars of choice of other cultures and without regard to the race, creed,
color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or
sexual preference of the wishee.
(By
accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is
subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no
alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to
actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void
where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of
good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent
holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement
of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)
It's a good day to be alive, in Winnipeg, at Christmas.
M
