Of Our Winter We Are Now Discontent

It is starting to look like spring may never come to Saskatchewan. It has been snowing here for the past couple of days, and although it is a light snow it has been fairly constant, and has added maybe another 6 inches on top of the snow we have already had. There have been a few days over the past month or so where things melted a little bit, but mostly the snow that was here in November is still here now. All told, this winter we have had about 6 feet of snow.

Jeff shoveling the front walk for the millionth time

Seriously people, this is supposed to be March

This is a record-breaking amount of snow for Regina, but unfortunately for some reason it can't be counted as an official record due to snowfall no longer being recorded at the airport. As bad as the weather can be here, people don't seem to take it very seriously – I am not sure there are actually any local meteorologists here, I think they rely on people located elsewhere to make weather predictions for the province. They keep saying that spring is coming, but I'm starting to think that is just wishful thinking. I can hardly remember this town without snow on the ground, and there is a small part of me that questions whether those hazy memories from August through October are actually real. I have never seen this much snow except on a mountain, and with no real rivers around, I can't imagine this snow melting because it seems like there is nowhere for it to go. I am told it will end up in many people's basements, because the soils here are clay and don't drain very well. I hope that our basements – in the house we're renting, and the house we're buying – are spared.

The melting and refreezing of spring brings treacherous conditions to anyone walking outside, but with my balance issues patches of ice on sidewalks and in parking lots are particularly hazardous. On the recommendation of a professor in the English department here who recently had foot surgery and is currently using a cane, I have added ice spikes to the ends of my crutches. They look like dangerous weapons and could probably be used as such if needed.

Speaking of, I have been walking primarily with crutches recently, using my walker only when I'm very tired, or need to be able to carry large/many things. This is a positive step forward, as forearm crutches allow for walking that is much more similar to normal walking. However, it also comes with some challenges. For one, if I have a crutch in each hand it is not only hard to carry things (which I can compensate for by using a backpack or carrying a bag), but hard to press elevator buttons, open doors, or shake someone's hand. In addition, it is apparently putting a fair amount of stress on my hands, wrists, and arms, particularly on my right side. This is problematic, because I have reduced/altered sensation on my right side, and without the normal signals telling me what my arm feels like, I can't compensate for the increased pressure so well by doing things like altering my hand position or taking a break to stretch. As some of the sensation has started to return on my right side, I have developed quite a bit of neuropathic pain (I will post more about that another time), and the pressure from crutch walking seems to be exacerbating that pain. This is not fun, but the upside is that I may soon be getting a pair of fancy new crutches with better handles and arm cuffs, to replace the ugly clunky standard-issue crutches I have been using. I have to have them special ordered to the medical supply store, and then when they come in I will try them out to see if they will work for me. I'll post pictures if I end up getting some of these "designer" crutches :)