I remember being trapped in the house by snow – halfway up the kitchen countertop windows… and Dad climbing out those windows to free the doors.

I remember how long it took to get ready for outside play – not so different from today though definitely less waterproof:

• Parkas. Not “snow suits”.
• Leggings. Not “snow pants”. Vital for play but so annoying during school fire drills! I was always the last one out because my mind would see Mom saying, “Never go out without your leggings!”. Would the teachers save me from my guilt in a real fire? One could only hope.
• Moccasins. With multiple layers of wool socks inside. Lots of people wore moccasins. To this day I love them and I recently bought myself a beautiful pair.
• Mitts. Hats. Scarves. Balaclavas!! Don’t get Mark going about balaclavas! The girls had nice hats with ear flaps and tassles. My Nan knit all of these by the bushel – we always had enough for several changes.

When the cold and the wet got to be too much and I came back inside, I’d nestle into the corner of the sofa (the “chesterfield”) and dig my toes down the back of its cushions for warmth.

We built countless snow forts on the wide boulevard in front of our house – chairs and tables and rooms and walkways. Dad built me a skating rink in the backyard, with our crabapple tree at its centre. Given that our yard was 35 feet wide and had a garage in it, I imagine the rink was pretty small, … but so was I.

We went tobogganing! On true-blue wooden toboggans. None of those silly plastic round disc things for us! We were three kids by the time I was 8 and we all piled onto that toboggan often, to be pulled along the streets or to head to the hill. Who knows where the hill was located since Winnipeg has always been F.L.A.T.

We must have walked to school, 3 blocks away, in that snow but Mom tells me that the city was known for superior snow removal on all streets and sidewalks.

I still talk about the snow, and home movies back up my claims, but I know many of my memories must be related to being a child. I recently researched average snowfall in Winnipeg and was pretty surprised to read this! Oh well. It was a joyous time!