Northern Saskatchewan enjoyed a long, warm, sunny autumn this year. The fall colours seemed more intense and vivid than in many previous years. The golds, golder; reds, redder; and greens more varied.
Wherever one travelled throughout the autumn months, whether it be through the Prairies where the colours of grain fields seemed more lush and deep, compared to recent years.
We experienced longer periods with much warmer temperatures well passed the usual fall time.
People were swimming in the lakes longer into the autumn and walking the streets and on the beaches.
The usually berry and mushroom picking season seemed to extend for longer periods and the bush terrain was blue with blueberries ready for the multitude of pickers busy collecting for the winter months.
This reporter found it hard to stay indoors, wanting to spend as much time in the warm sun as possible, while it lasted.
Halloween passed with no snow and Nov. 1 dawned warm and sunny.
But seasons change quickly.
Mid afternoon, after travelling to meet with someone on this warm sunny afternoon, someone came into where I was about 15 minutes after I arrived covered in snow.
By the time I left 45 minute later, the ground was white.
We experienced, what I think might be, the most intense onslaught of winter, at least that I can remember.
Over the next two days we received a huge deluge of snow and cooler temperatures. Winter snow whitened the landscape.
Trees heavy laden with snow, sidewalks needed shovelling and La Ronge Avenue became a divided highway with plowing on both sides of the road and snow in the middle, cleared by transferring it into dump trucks to clear away.
We don’t usually see anything like that this early in the winter season. Usually we have a snowfall that clears away before the real winter snow arrives.
Children are sliding on the hill in back of our apartment building; a sure sign of winter.
But, the sun has disappeared. We have had most of the week with no sunshine. Hopefully, that changes soon.
Also, a note to drivers, please drive cautiously and leave room between you and the vehicles around you, in front and behind. Winter driving takes some different care.
