Hoping for Spring!

Muskoka Chairs in Winter

It's been a real winter - even here in Toronto. Although December and January temperatures varied we had record lows and lots of snow for the entire month of February. It was cold with a dusting of snow when we were in Ottawa in December:

Parliament Hill & Ottawa River

It was just above 0C and no snow at all in Rouge Park in Toronto in late January but just a few days later Toronto's inner harbour would freeze over and there would be some snow.

Rouge Park, ON in Winter

Toronto Skyline in Winter

I'm a firm believer that to cope with or even enjoy winter you have to get out into it like this person windsurfing on the ice:

Windsurfing on Ice

Certainly we tried to get out to "enjoy" the winter often (see Ron's blog posting "Working in the Cold"). But even this hardy Gray Jay looked like it was praying winter would soon be over:

Gray Jay

Personally I was hoping that Wiarton Willie was correct in his Groundhog Day prediction of an early spring rather than what the other groundhogs found.

Groundhog

I also hoped that March would come in like a lamb. March 1st it did get up to the single minus digits - a balmy -4C! However March 3rd's +1C was cruel with freezing rain and a widespread power outage in Toronto including into the sub-zero overnight hours. So what should we expect for the end of March? Was that lion or lamb?

Lamb

Today however there is hope!

Rainbow - a sign of Hope

We are to have sunshine and a high of +7C.

Lake Ontario Morning

I just hope it doesn't turn us from this:

Little Rouge Creek, ON

to this:

Burleigh Falls, Ontario

Let's hope not!

Groundhog Day

February 2nd is Groundhog Day. That means today in places all over North America like in Wiarton, Ontario we expect a woodchuck,

Groundhog - Click for larger

this large furry rodent more commonly called a groundhog, to predict the length of winter. Usually winter looks something like this in Southern Ontario:

Winter at Presqu'ile - Click for larger

Normally in our area a groundhog would be hibernating at least until March. But on this day the legend has it that a groundhog will awake from its winter sleep, poke its head up out of its den and look around.

Groundhog - Click for larger

If it sees its shadow then it goes back to hibernating thus predicting another six weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn't see a shadow then it will be an early Spring.

Trilliums - Click for larger

In Wiarton this responsibility is given to one woodchuck named Wiarton Willie. This year he predicted that there will be another six weeks of winter. Considering the official start of Spring is at least six weeks off then odds are, he is right.

Scarborough Bluffs Winter - Click for larger