Daytime temperatures are rising above freezing, the snow is beginning to melt, the days are gradually getting longer - spring is coming to Saskatchewan. We have such radically different seasons here. The year has a very definite cycle. People from other countries often know about our cold, snowy winters, but they are often very surprised to hear about our hot summers (up to 40 C or 100 F).
Of course, it's a messy time of year as the winter's accumulation of snow and ice melt. I was glad of the studded tires on my bike this morning as I was riding over yesterday's melt water that had frozen overnight. It's hard on the bike as well - it gets plastered with mud and sand. I hate the sound of my chain full of grit. But it's pretty much impossible to keep clean. Once the streets are clear I usually end up buying a new chain after the abuse of winter.
Even the Canada geese are returning - I saw the first few yesterday. They are such funny birds - honking away all the time. They are a good sign of spring. The only sad part is that my mother is not here to see them. In the last few years when she was increasingly limited, she could still see and hear them on the river from her apartment. I know she would have been happy to have them back once more.
