Thank God Almighty. It happened about 3:30PM. Streams of sunlight pouring through the windows. Everyone in my office moved toward the light in unison, like a group of plane crash casualties heading for the hereafter. Later, as I began my walk, I hesitated to turn east, with my back to the sun, in case it disappeared. What a glorious afternoon.

Conversely, the consensus at work this morning was that everyone was tired. A common enough sentiment in an office, but truly, the gloom has gotten everyone down. I’ve been managing longer walks the last few days, about an hour each, which has been good for my battered, unexercised soul. Lovely squelching sounds along the paths, not so lovely gravel in my boots. My entire inner dialogue on the way home was, ‘the sun!‘ followed by ‘man I have a lot of rocks in my boots I should stop now.‘ I didn’t. I kept walking. And walking.

5:50PM/2C

Perhaps that’s a bit of an overstatement. The Bohemian Waxwings were definitely flocking, and singing, but I require verification that they were in any way, rhapsodic. It’s just not that kind of day. Edmonton receives 2,299 hours of sunshine per year, making it one of the sunniest, if not the sunniest cities in Canada. It’s what keeps us from becoming homicidal maniacs during winter. However, not only is the melt on hold, the sun seems reluctant to show it’s bright face. Endless days of gloom. Have I set the scene yet? It was a useful walk, and maybe even an enjoyable one, but as for visuals, I’ve seen better. I love a winterscape more than just about anything else, but c’mon. A change of scenery would be most welcome.

Because we’ve had a few days of delicious warmth, there is exposed ice everywhere, especially on the sidewalks. The river valley is still OK, but I was not surprised to see a chunk of central Mill Creek closed due to flooding. Weirdly, the water is open in many places. It’s been hovering around -5C for about a week, so this seems unlikely. In any case, it was nice to hear some gurgling. Lots of friendly doggage on the trails too, which is always cheering.

With my infrequent walking of late, I’ve noticed that I’m seizing up like cashew. I mean, I’m walking, but not walking walking. Not my usual marathons. My body liked the exercise, I think, and now it’s rebelling. I don’t know what it is. I’ve been under the weather, literally and figuratively, for months. Hopefully some blue sky and sunshine will help. Early spring is a slog. It was ever thus, at least in these parts.

1:45PM/-5C

Another gloomy, chilly day. As I walked home, snow pelting my eyeballs, I wondered about this ‘spring’ season people are talking about. Is it a myth, a neo-citran induced hallucinatory fantasy, or an outright lie? The almost constant snow over the last few days kinda takes the fun out of walking, and living, really, but I am ever hopeful. I’ve heard rumours that it will be warming up, and sunning up starting tomorrow. If this proves to be true, I will be a: surprised, and b: happy. Very, very happy. I will also walk longer than I did today. A bit of errand-running and then a short walk along a puddle-lousy Whyte Avenue. Not enough.

A friend sent me this image of a snowman her daughters built in their yard on the weekend. Nice to know people still have a sense of humour, even if the snowmen don’t.

5:08PM/-3C

That. Was an ugly day.

Happy second day of spring! You’d never know it, although I finally saw actual geese today, freezing their feathered arses off in the water below the Walterdale Bridge. My walk was short, brutish and nasty. Fifty minutes of blowing wind, tiny slaps of snow, and a landscape the colour of a tumour.

Quite a change from last week, and in fact, the reports are showing bleak skies and cold temperatures for the next three or four days. It’s a challenge to keep walking. It’s a challenge to keep breathing. But, I have to persevere, we all have to persevere. If geese can lower their nether regions into the black, frigid water of the North Saskatchewan, I can handle a few more days of ugly.

5:10 PM/-1C (really? really? Feels like -45C)

…we’ll say goodbye, to flesh and blood.”

With all due respect to Peter Gabriel, it probably won’t get that bad. I might have to say goodbye to my boots, but I can always get a new pair. It’s spectacularly wet on the streets and sidewalks. Giant puddles everywhere. The sun felt wonderfully warm today, far warmer than the 3C would suggest. Had to rethink my routes a few times, especially along the aptly named River Road. I was going to walk along that path and into Rossdale, but after I watched a car send a huge sheath of water on to, and presumably, into a jogger, I decided to take the stairs by the Glenora instead. Considerably drier at the legislature, and not quite as noisy.

Dead tired from a busy week and some assorted cold-like symptoms which have yet to blossom into a full-on cold. Watched the aftermath of a three-car fender bender on the Low Level Bridge, or more to the point, watched the cars pile up along Scona Road. When I reached the Wild Earth Grocery, they were backed up past Whyte Avenue. Just one of those moments I’m glad my commute is on foot.

The City is already moving snow, cutting down trees, and decorating the Scona Road bike path with little red flags, even though the road widening isn’t supposed to start until May. The whole thing will be über annoying, but I suppose as a pedestrian, I will only be mildy inconvenienced. Very concerned about the businesses along 99th. Guess I’ll just have to step up my efforts at the bakery.

6:00PM/3C

Much better. I don’t feel nearly so grumpy today. No coyotes or elves, but what the walk lacked in creature encounters, it more than made up for in sun and warm temperatures. Within a few minutes I wished I’d left my gloves at home, and minutes after that, the rest of my clothes. Outer layer of clothes, that is. Only five degrees separated yesterday and today, but no wind and an unfiltered (bright, glorious) sun made today seem like an entirely different season. The melt is on. Time to dress myself in rubber.

Walked for about two hours, most of it in Mill Creek but looped through Louise Mckinney to check for goosesign. More splayed footprints on the river, but no actual geese. I think. Even if a goose had waddled up in front of me, I was so snow-blind by that point I would’ve missed an entire flock of geese. My retinas are still sizzling. The sun is very, very bright on all that pristine, white snow, soon to be the dirty, dirty snow of spring. And then…grass. I mean gravel, and then grass.

3:00 PM/-4C (start of daylight savings today)