Friday, March 21, 2008

Ah, Spring.

Everyone's been blogging about how great it is that spring is here. The sun is shining! Green things are poking up out of the ground! There is the promise of full-blown beauty just around the corner!

Where I live, not so much.



No green sprouts are poking their delicate heads from the ground. There's just the mud.



And iced-over sidewalks that lie in wait, hoping to break your ankle.



This puddle got me the other day.



Doesn't look so bad, doesn't it? It was bigger and deeper two days ago, when there was more fresh meltwater. Still, you'd think that if you were wearing waterproof boots you could get through that no problem.

I tend not to pay much attention to my surroundings while I walk, especially if the weather is crappy. My eyes go on an autopilot setting. Alerts only reach my brain if there's impending dog poop in my path, or traffic. The rest of the time, I'm lost in thought. Puddles don't register because I'm wearing boots, so it's not an issue, right?

I had both feet in the puddle before I realized that something was amiss. It was much deeper than I had assumed. Still, nothing for it but to keep going. There were only banks of ice on either side, and the last thing I wanted was to slip and fall on my butt in the water. Two more steps. It got deeper! Each time I put a foot down, it made this sound:

BLOOOOSH!

I started to run. Counterproductive strategy: the 5-inch-deep water splashed and slopped over the tops of my boots, then started wicking up my pant legs. Argh! By the time I got to work, I was dank and grouchy.

I long for warm days and green trees...



Spring's got to get here eventually!

P.S. These photos were taken yesterday. This morning I woke up to brilliantly clear, blue skies. It's still freezing out, but at least we have sunshine!

16 comments:

Karen said...

Spring - the whole first day of it - has been nasty here too. Cold and super windy!

Hey did you get attacked by a steer today? I saw on the news that there a few steer or bulls running through the streets of Toronto. I thought of you and your safety immediately. I would like a full update!

Warped Mind of Ron said...

Spring for me is cold and rainy, but thankfully most of the snow from our blizzard has melted nicely. Soon it will be warm enough to wear my thong bikini and head out to wander the local pools and beaches :)

Emma Gorst said...

Ick. That's crappy that you had to get to work all muddy and wet. Spring is a long time coming here.

Anonymous said...

Yeah to sunshine!

Anonymous said...

A spring! A spring! A wonderful thing! Everyone knows it's Slinky!

Jameil said...

oh spring. i HEAR you're right around the corner but we have 1-3 inches of snow headed our way tonight. do you think you could fend it off?

Sparkling Red said...

Karen: Fortunately, the four steers escaped from their trailer far away from my neighbourhood. No humans were hurt, although one steer was shot dead after it knocked over a couple of civilians and charged a police officer. I liked one of the comments on the news site where I read these details: someone said that the cows had gone human tipping, and that turnaround is fair play!

Ron: Oh my heavens. Will you be posting photos of yourself in a posing pouch?

Aurora: The weather authorities have declared that we can expect 6 more weeks of wintry weather. Is there no court of appeal where we can challenge this decision?

1218blog: Amen to that!

Unsigned: It also makes a slinkety sound.

Jameil: I second the motion. Enough with the snow already!

R.E.H. said...

Ow... sidewalks like that are dangerous places to walk... the iced ones. I can also relate to the other story.

Bring on the warm weather!

The Ex said...

Ughhhh. It hasn't been very springy here either because it's been HOT. Like 80 degrees. Suck.Face.

Jenski said...

That does not look like spring! Hopefully the snow dam will break and that puddle will empty out sooner than later. Stay warm and dry!

Sparkling Red said...

R.E.H.: Yes, bring it on!

The Ex: Seriously? I can't even imagine what hot feels like anymore. If only there was a way for you to send some of that heat up here, then we could balance out.

Jenski: Will do! If that monster puddle doesn't dry up soon, I'm thinking of renting a Shop Vac to suck it up myself.

Pixie said...

ohhh that sidewalk looks bad! Well if you slip and fall on that you can always sue and then you can live where the sun always shines! Like Texas.. lol :D

Keera Ann Fox said...

I'm liking Toronto more and more. It seems to be a twin spirit of Bergen, which has the exact same sort of sidewalks today, too. Spring, schming. Right now tiny little snow flakes are falling in a peculiarly peachy light - some half-assed attempt on the sun's part for a sunset, apparently. So it's sunny and snowing right now. See? I'm the sane one. MWAHAHAHAHA!

Er, I'll be going now.

Sparkling Red said...

Pixie Von Azia: Oooh, that would be very nice. Worth breaking an ankle for, even! I suddenly feel a strong urge to go jogging blindfolded over that stretch of sidewalk.

Keera: Toronto has a long-lost twin in Norway? Neat! I would have assumed that Bergen would be colder, considering how far North you are, but maybe being close to the sea moderates the temperature, or something. We do seem to be reporting very similar weather.

Keera Ann Fox said...

It's that warming gulf stream that makes us a heck of a lot greener than Greenland.

Anonymous said...

I am not going to bitch about the temperatures here any more...at least not until we get over 40.....which might be next week....bbbbrrr.......