Well, my ex-neighbour in Vancouver told me that it snowed every month except August one year when he lived in Calgary. I thought: Freak occurrence! Won’t happen again! And lo and behold, I’ve been living here for a week, and today is day three of a snow storm. Day 1, I was angry… grumble, mumble, I live in hell. Day 2, I had to admit the snow was kind of pretty; the snow was falling softly, unlike the 45 degree, face-pelting snow of the previous day. Day 3, the leafy trees have been massacred. They’ve lost small branches, big limbs or their heads. I even saw a tree that split right down the middle of its trunk.

Day 1. Almost home. Walking home from Community Natural Foods on 10th ave.

There are a few grassy areas with trees and a walking path near my home.

Community garden a few blocks from home. Sunflowers were basking in warm 20 degree Celcius sun just a few days ago.

Home.

Day 2. Another path through a green block.

View of downtown.

Day 3. View from our bedroom. The power went out for a few minutes.

I went for a walk through the Mont Royal neighbourhood around 11 am. Mont Royal is a rich neighbourhood with big houses and streets lined with big old trees. It was still snowing and the leafy trees looked very weighed down with snow. The streets and sidewalks were littered with branches of all sizes. A couple of women were using long poles to knock snow off their trees. I walked through South Mont Royal park; the leafy trees looked oppressed by snow. I shook a few branches. I didn’t take pictures… no iPhone.

I went back 3 hours later with my iPhone. The storm was over and the snow was melting fast. Most of the snow had melted off the trees. Huge clumps of the remaining snow fell sporadically into the streets. Most of the fallen branches had been moved to the sides of the streets. And most of the trees looked like they had survived.

South Mont Royal park after the storm.

Close to home.

Garbage bin is not accessible today.