Whine About Winter in Kingston
It’s the hap-happiest season of all. Despite weeks of unseasonably snow-free scenery, yesterday we were treated to our first, real snow fall of the season. This morning I awoke ready to show off my famous shovelling skills, yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that our sidewalks and driveway had been blanketed by a measly 2 cm worth of the white stuff. Hardly enough to justify breaking out the shovel, but enough to warrant snow plow activities. Despite the sanding and salting, the cursed snow caused some havoc on the roads last night, as drivers were forced to re-learn how to navigate in icy conditions. As beautiful as Kingston is after the flurries have fallen, I am sure that many folks would be okay with sticking old man winter in a cheap retirement home, and losing the key on a warm, sandy beach. Accordingly, this week’s poll asks:
What's your least favourite thing about winter?
- Being cold. (54%, 61 Votes)
- Scraping off the car. (14%, 16 Votes)
- Something Else. (13%, 14 Votes)
- Shovelling snow. (11%, 12 Votes)
- Parking restrictions. (8%, 9 Votes)
Total Voters: 112
Loading ...As much as you and I dislike snow, and winter in general, it does have a special, drafty place in my heart. I have many fond memories of snow days, family ski vacations, enjoying hot maple syrup off of a bed of snow, and more recently, Kingston’s own Feb Fest. I suppose my sentiments changed towards the negative side when I became a home owner, and was met with high heating bills, and endless shovelling responsibilities. What are your thoughts on winter? Does the lack of overnight parking on city streets create stress in your life, or are you anxiously awaiting your first skating session at Market Square? Please drop off your winter whining below, as well as any tips to make winter more bearable.
Special thanks to |nb| for today’s photo from this year’s Santa Claus Parade.
Something that really stands out to me since I moved to Kingston from Hamilton is the icy sidewalks. We had really cold, snowy winters in Hamilton but I'd never experienced such crazy ice until I moved here. I remember running down University Ave. along with other students trying to get to class without being speared by ice falling from trees. Summer, you can come back anytime you'd like.
The lack of shovelled sidewalks in this city still strikes me as bizarre. I've lived in a couple of different cities that at a minimum shovel the sidewalks on heavily-travelled roads and downtown. It seems like Kingston has one sidewalk plough that isn't able to clear the sidewalks before the snow on them becomes compacted by heavy foot traffic, turning the snow into a thick layer of ice.
with last year being the exception, Kingston doesn't have a real winter, more just rain and freezing drizzle.
That being said, there isn't one thing I hate about winter, I love it all, the colder and snowier the better!
Having grown up in the snow belt, imagine my parent's surprise when the first time I got hospital visit worthy frostbite was when I lived in Kingston. I must admit that I don't miss the ice, freezing rain or whipping wind!
As a cyclist, the worst thing is the drivers who don't seem to know how to drive in these conditions – people seem to think that they can drive just as fast as normal, if not faster, and turn on a dime. You would think people would have got used to them by now, as it's the same every year…
I agree with Bill in general, although according to Wolfe Island friends, last year was warmer and wetter than usual rather than colder and snowier. But Kingston is certainly colder and drier than where I moved from in the UK… I suspect that climate change is just going to make this area have fewer 'real winters' from now on.
The amount of time it adds to you trying to get anywhere. You gotta shovel the snow, scrape your car, wait for it to heat up, and also compensate for the extra time due to road conditions and/or slow drivers. Cold sucks, but it is what it is; snow, I don't mind.
I'm with David on general poor driving in this town; year round, but particularly obvious in the wintertime. Coming from the Netherlands it is a lot colder here but I get really excited when it drops below -20. Worst about winter to me is SLUSH! After the first snow, it should stay below 0 until the end of March. Love skating on Lake Ontario.