A 24 Hour Change

Returning after lunch with my sun glasses...and no hood today!

There is nothing so constant as change, they say….who they is….who knows? The north is no different and the best example of such change is the difference of today’s weather…from that of yesterday.

At 0730 hours yesterday morning the bright ball of sunshine was well above the horizon with a few clouds and was closely followed within the half hour by a dense cloud cover that had obliterated it. This was followed within the next hour by howling winds that by the lunch had closed government buildings in other communities. My colleagues, here at the health centre, fully expected that we would close, as well, and that the schools would dismiss early. That didn’t happen.

Our snow dusted shovel

We work normally til 5 p.m. and it was bitterly cold blowing winds that I faced walking home. Marie was luckier as the wind was at her back…but she has further to go. When I was called back to work, after 7 p.m., those strong bitter winds seemed stronger than ever, and…well, let’s just say it was nice to get back home…and not have to leave that warmth for the rest of the night. Those howling winds continued through all the night. Even with the swirling snow on the ground we often, see the sun, the moon and the stars. Our moon is really a half moon now, it’s much higher in the sky, and is setting later at night just around midnight. By early morning, the wind had dropped.

Unused truck covered in a dusting from the night before...An open window!

Open treaded stairs

0720 this a.m. The red disc was bright and strong and the clear blue sky was a major change from a windswept landscape of the previous day. In the early morning light, you could see for miles out onto “the land”…probably the best visibility since my arrival two weeks ago. Walking into work, the snow had a crispness to it and scrunched underfoot. The snow drifts here can support your weight since the snow actually blows together causing them to be more hard packed. We don’t seem to have those fluffier deposits that I’m used to in the south. There was the warmth of sunlight on my face and the reflection of the snow made me make a mental note to get my sunglasses when I returned home at lunch.

The early morning frost & snow combo

Leaving the building for lunch, the sun was at my back but you could feel its strength around you…and the bonus was that there was no wind. The snow had been blown around last night. It
covered the trucks that had not moved this morning. The snow shovel outside my residence was still covered at noon and our steps remained snow covered as well. Buildings here are built upon metal pilings driven deep into the permafrost layers…and are usually open underneath...but well insulated and on those metal stilts. That results in steps and ramps as you enter any public (and many private) buildings.

Decking, steps and ramps are all open, grated and usually made of steel…so the snow will actually pass through the cracks, as it were, and don’t become an icy hazard. The buildup of snow and ice, even if it occurs, is much less then it would be on solid wood planks. If you don’t like heights…then don’t look down. I can only imagine what it would be like in the summer months. 

Noon hour activity on the back lot

With my camera in hand, I marvelled at how warm it felt in the lee of the stairwell, a protected entranceway. I turned and looked back over the open field that appears to be a major thoroughfare behind the health centre. Two or three snow machines whizzed by….and I could hear some dogs were barking (few had been heard previously), and sets of people were walking instead of single hikers.

Where did all the snow go?

I climbed my stairs just as a swosh of ice and snow fell off the window ledge a few feet away. It had been warmed by the sun and the combination of reflection off the metal siding of the building and the reflected heat from the window glass had caused it to melt and slip to the ground. The window next to it had been cranked open to get some fresh air. A couple of kids were just goofing in the snow and decided to show off their snowball fight armament…they were smiling. A definite change had taken place in the past 24 hours…I looked at my I-phone and checked the date again…it was February 26th...but it felt so much...like SPRING!!!!