“The night was clear and frosty, all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy slope;
big stars were shining over the silent fields; here and there the dark pointed first stood up
with snow powdering their branches and the wind whistling through them.”
–Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
And just like that …
… the little world we live in is so prettily decorated for winter … with icing sugar trees and laneways filling with snowflakes … children cheer happily from the steamy kitchen windows, as do mothers, as the days of dry — or muddy – grounds are not as much fun as great mounds of fluffy, sparkling snow for families and little ones …
Let’s enjoy sledding, skating and beautiful walks through the frosty fields … we are patiently waiting for our pond to freeze for hours of winter skating. We were also told our bay will freeze and that will also provide a great skating surface – if we are brave enough to skate on the Atlantic!
Recently, we had a historical author visit our home. She has been studying older homes in our area and wanted to give us information on the history of our little home … what a delight it was to gather around the kitchen table, with tea, coffee and cookies, to hear the stories of the past …
She told us that the first wife and mother of this home was the daughter of an Ice Boat Captain. Apparently, in the winter months, the islanders would need to cross the bay — or futher– for various reasons – and therefore, an Ice Boat captain was hired. He was in charge of transporting the group of bundled up travellers across the bay, to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick during the winter months by use of a sled-boat. If there was ice, he would required to pull the boat across the frozen waters. When the ice gave way to the frigid ocean, he and his team were responsible for putting the sled back into the waters and continue the transportation. Much of the mail was transported this way …
What a brave, but chilling job! I cannot imagine how cold he must have been after his travels across the Atlantic frozen ocean. I think this proves that we have a much easier life here in our modern times…
{photos from ArteFacts PEI}
While we are not as brave as our historical figure, we certainly are going to make the most of our first winter here on Prince Edward Island. Let it snow …
P.S. A lovely winter song for you …
by Gigi
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