Fortunately, I am not talking about the same winter that causes such foreboding in one of my favourite television series, Game of Thrones. Here, in the real world, there may be misery — horrid, dangerous driving conditions — and rare beauty — a cityscape magically hushed by a fluffy blanket of white snow. But to the best of my knowledge, there will be no cannibal zombies or whatever those dreaded creatures are massing beyond the great ice wall in Thrones.

Winter can provide beauty and danger.

No, it may be unusually cold or unusually mild. Unusually long or unusually short. Unusually wet or unusually dry. But for the most part it should be a good, old-fashioned winter, a time of challenge and reward.

As we enter the month of Christmas here in Ottawa, we sit on the verge, with winter about to start at any minute. There have been some brave attempts. Faint flakes swirling about but never really staying. Early mornings with everything brushed with rime, offering an artistic foreshadowing of the whiteness to come. But so far, nothing has stayed.

And when the skies are overcast and the would-be snow is falling as rain, the days can be wet and gloomy. And spirits, already battered by the early darkness, may be a bit low

But still we know. Winter is coming. And while we may dread, rather than outright fear, some of its harshest moments, we also look forward to the snow that makes it such a dramatically different month.

We always welcome the first real snow — must not melt for a night and a day — but in this area of the North, we prefer that it fall a mere few days ahead of time, so we can have mild, dry conditions while driving between stores to do our Christmas shopping, and still have our much-treasured White Christmas.

And yes, for the record, the best welcome given the first real snowfall is done by turning one’s face skyward, mouth wide open, tongue protruding, to capture the flakes, and taste the arrival of winter.

I’ve been doing this, and enjoying it immensely, since I was a toddler. These years I don’t always get out, but still try, and occasionally succeed, at fulfilling this tradition.

So, winter IS coming. Everyone stick out your tongue and say “Aghh.”

Beneath the leaves lie pre-winter treasures

Fall is a wonderful time to be out in the country. The crisp tang in the air that, when chilly enough, seems to cleanse your lungs with every breath. The colours, so bright and vibrant, each tree looking like God’s own upturned paintbrush.

And when the leaves fall and fade, they retain a majesty that lingers as they lie there on the hardened ground. Too beautiful to be stepped on? And the sudden sound that startles, as an animal, or bird, launches a quick, often loud, rustle through the dried leaves, in search of food — to be eaten immediately or stored for a long, hard winter.

Standing on a path amidst the trees, feeling a thousand kilometres from the city, even if only on a nature trail on the edge of the suburbs.

And it’s truly best of all when shared with loved ones. So take some time and get out there this coming Thanksgiving weekend, and beyond. And remember, what can seem a nuisance chore as you shut the TV and pry yourself from your couch, will seem like magical moments as you stand amidst the trees with no traffic sounds, only the nurturing vibrations of the real outdoors. In all likelihood, you’ll be glad you made the effort.

And remember the sharing part. Be sure to bring along others, young and old, because God made Fall for everyone.

It's Fall and a freshly painted outdoors beckons. Happy trails to you.

Photo by Mariette Marleau.

And a great time was had by all.

Photo by Bill Provick

Especially the Birthday Girl who remained calm, cool and collected throughout. What a darling.

Caught Blue Man Group on stage for the first time last night (Dec. 30, 2011) at the National Ats Centre here in Ottawa (Canada) and had a wonderful time. I can’t remember when Mariette and I laughed to long and so loud. And everyone else around us was doing the very same.

Part party, part whimsical spectacle, with more than a passing, ironic nod at the foibles of humans interacting with technology, it was 100% FUN!

Would go again in a heartbeat, even if it was the exact same show and would probably laugh and marvel all over again.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend this show, whether you know anything about them or not.

Fingers crossed, here’s hoping I get back to writing this blog on a far more consistent basis come the New Year.

(As soon as I recover from the Holidays, even if that takes until Easter.) 😆

It took a bit of experimentation but my son found the magic number needed and we’re back in business.

SPECIAL NOTICE: I am EXTREMELY frustrated that my main e-mail account — bill@provick.ca — STILL doesn’t work properly. I CAN receive but NOT send. (GRRRRR) Fortunately my secondary account — WilliamAndrewP@gmail.com — still works. (Probable cause: Settings for outgoing server somehow messed up during last, more-radical-than-usual update of my e-mail software, Mozilla Thunderbird.)

Person who helped me set it up originally, and who has already sent some needed info, has been extremely busy of late. And I hesitate to go further right now in experimenting to try and fix it in case I mess it up even more. LOL (OK, I may be quite frustrated but I can still laugh.) (vbg)

Inertia. Like most things in science, it comes with its own rules. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. A body in motion tends to stay in motion.

This, of course, remains true as long as some exterior force is NOT applied. If it is, then all bets are off.

I never meant to stop writing this blog. I think I was just in the mood for a bit of a break. That’s when inertia took over. Worse still, my own naturally occurring procrastination helped keep me from exerting my own kind of outside force — typing out my thoughts and feelings and opinions and experiences for anyone to read.

This dramatic cutback in typing — more accurately known as writing — didn’t occur just here on my blog. Posting on social sites and even writing e-mail tailed off as well. As did communicating with others in general.

I know one cause was a combination of physical, mental and emotional fatigue. I know I’ve gone on before about how the three need to be pretty much aligned and fueled with a basic energy for any kind of writing, but especially personal writing, to really flow.

Thinking’s no problem. When the thoughts get running I have more treadmills humming in my skull than some mega fitness

gymn.

It’s having the energy trio mentioned above harnessed in such a way as to let the words, and the thoughts they represent, come streaming out in an orderly fashion.

I write a lot of stuff in my head. At times it tends to rattle around in there a fair bit. It also used to often build up until I just had to let it out. Nowadays I mostly let it slip away into the internal fog of faded memory.

That may well be a second reason this blog has sat idle for so long.

For a long time now I’ve thought that if I am ever to get back to writing, to sharing my thoughts — and everything else — again, perhaps I should start with my blog. Or else do something to officially retire Surfacing so it wouldn’t have to sit here looking so abandoned.

So tonight I’ve kicked off some of the dust — exerted an outside force? — and posted this piece, putting my blog-writing back in motion.

The question now is, will it stay in motion?