Winter Troubles

Winter !!!!!!!! UGH !!!! pretty much sums up my feelings for winter. I don't mind the cold or the snow, I like going for a walk in the crisp winter air and or hitting the hill on my snowboard in some fresh snow. But when you live rurally and there is no sidewalks trying to get outside can be well dangerous. The snow builds up on the roads and then gets packed down by cars and turns from snow to ice. This ice then gets covered with snow and makes for very slippery conditions. When you have to walk every where you want to go this can be dangerous. Now that I have Rick my guide dog it is not only dangerous for me but for him as well. I really worry about him slipping and hurting himself as well as me slipping and getting hurt. We have had a couple close calls.

Drivers don't always slow down either and this makes me a little (ok a lot) nervous while out doing my errands or just out for a walk, because I can not stay at home all winter I would go nuts. This makes me nervous because I worry that they are going to lose control and hit us or once we are in the street and someone comes around a corner they are not going to be able to stop if need be. And Rick is trained to get me out of the way if this were to occur, however the roads are so slippery that he may not be able to get out of the way in time either. So we stand at intersections and wait until I don't hear anyone coming for a good distance like probably a few blocks. I am sure we look a little funny standing there waiting for what looks like nothing but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Then there is the cold. I don't mind it when it is -18c or warmer it is when it is -25c with wind chills in the minus 30's that I am not a happy camper. We can't get out of the house for any length of time in these temperatures and I hate being house bound. So this can get very frustrating for me. And for many people that don't drive I am sure.

But the good news is that it is February and that means that it should start to warm up in a couple of months and then I will be a happy camper and Rick will be much happier when we go out, he won't have to wear socks, boots, and a coat while working. He has done fabulous in his boots this winter and I am so proud of him but he still puts his head down when I go to put them on him, as if to say "really lady, again" !

Hope you are all staying warm and enjoying winter as much as is possible !
Until next time !
Ashley and Rick