Wacky Weather

Canadians like to complain about the weather. “It’s too cold in the winter, and it’s too hot in the summer.” Immigrants are not any better. They compare the Canadian weather with the weather in their countries of origin. My wife Susan, who grew up in the Philippines, misses the tropical and maritime weather in her homeland, but the country generally experiences two main seasons: a wet season with abundant rainfall (typically June to November/October) and a dry season (typically December to May). In Germany, where I grew up, there used to be four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter), but that has changed in recent years. Now, thanks to global warming, the summers in Germany and other European countries are quite hot, and the winters are warmer than they used to be, and in some years there is no white Christmas anymore. And what happened to summer in Alberta this year? It rained a lot, there were not many hot days, and there were many mosquitoes and dandelions that made our beautiful garden in southeast Edmonton not very inviting. We didn’t have a garden party with family and friends this summer, but we tried to make the best of it, and that’s what Canadians are known for. It could have been worse, and I am looking forward to my favourite season: the colorful “Indian Summer” in Alberta!

‍Arnim Joop 
Publisher & Editor
mwmosaic@telus.net