November 8 - Winter

Today in Alberta the snow began to fall. It’s a difficult time of year for people who use canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Wheels and canes can too easily become stuck in drifts of snow. Also, I find that when the sidewalk hasn’t been cleared, the sharp definition between sidewalk and grass or road becomes blurred.

When there is no snow I tend to walk along the edge of a path sweeping my cane back and forth so that it traces the edge or, as I have heard it described, the shoreline. I can usually feel the difference at the tip of the cane between moving it over grass or pavement.  Also, because I have some sight, I am often able to see the contrast between the path and say, the green border on either side. White snow in the winter blankets this contrast into the one glaring cover. So, winter is not my favourite season.

There is no particular solution to this challenge. It is merely a feature of the land and the climate. I suppose that on the plus side, if I do make a misstep outside in the winter, falling onto a snow drift is less likely to result in broken bones than falling onto hard asphalt.