Almost a week ago, I had a bout of viral gastroentritis - or at least, I assume that is what it is. Seeing as, all over campus, there are these bright orange posters notifying us of an outbreak in one of the student residences, and I used the campus gym right around the time it was first coming up. That, and I had all the symptoms, where "symptoms" can be taken to mean "my body tried to turn itself inside out and rejected all attempts to rehydrate it for some time". The worst part of the whole thing? It meant I couldn't sleep in my bed, because negotiating the loft ladder is too much when symptoms are occurring. But all better now!
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Before the whole sickness thing, I had high hopes for a winter getaway to see Melissa up in Wasaga Beach: the visit was to be picking Melissa's brain on a Lake Superior kayak route, followed by playing in the snow. The snow playing, however, fell into the squishing through ankle-deep slush category, and the anticipated fun was not had. But the visit to Melissa's was a success: we walked away having changed our route from Sibley-Rossport to Rossport-Marathon with a side trip to the Slates. 
How exciting! Melissa heads my list of people who don't have wepages but I wish they did: she's done more solo adventuring than any other woman I've ever met, and she's a photographer (a real photographer, not a point and shoot digital goof like me), and it was fun to look through her albums and get the benefit of her years of solo exploration. I want to go explore *right now* (she says as she looks out at some freshly-fallen snow).
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It's been the frustrating winter of no winter in southern Ontario this year. All this rain and mud has made me grumpy, so I find the thought of actually needing my snow tires today exciting! I'm purposely not checking the weather forecast: I don't want to be told that all this pretty white fluff will be ugly grey slush and then brown muck soon. I love living where there are seasons, I think winter is cool: but this is not winter. This is ridiculous: cold, wet, ugly, for weeks and weeks on end. One would think that, living in Canada, fluffy whiteness would be assured, but that's only true if one lives in the parts of Canada that are actually above, oh, 45 degrees latitude. Sitting here at 43 something north, winter wonderland is not assured. Sigh.
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Of course, the option always does exist to go to where there is snow - and it's not like it's that far away. I could easily drive it in a day. Or fly it in minutes... but the only place I'm flying to in the near future is Saskatchewan. Then again, it's sure to be cold and snowy there! Scheduling has commenced for the summer, too - I've got one weekend and one longer kayak trip inked into the calendar, which makes me happy. Plus there are a number of other things I want to commit to but just can't for various reasons right now, but these are good sorts of choices. This slush season will end sometime too. As will the non-weather-related stress I've got going. This blog will get more interesting again. Right now the most interesting thing I have to report is the purchase of a pressure cooker. I can't remember a time when I was not terrified of these things, but the lure of cooking beans without pre-soaking them proved to be too much, and I am now a proud owner, and I have cooked beans without blowing up the kitchen (I did, however, move a few things out of the line of direct blast should the thing go when I fired it up. And then I made sure I was far enough away not to be hurt once it reached pressure and I'd turned the heat low enough to just maintain said pressure. Still a chicken.)
Posted by Johanna at February 5, 2006 10:56 AM