Springtime in Manitoba

2011 Manitoba - Flooding in the town of Morris.

The weather has been slowly getting nicer as the days go past. Spring in Manitoba is season that for the most part must be endured, not enjoyed. The only thing that makes it seem pleasant is that it follows winter, which beats spring as the worst season hands down.  In April, the snow starts melting and causes a month or so of flooding and mud. Every year there are hundreds of people with homes and farms full of water. There are drawbacks to building your house on the bottom of a glacial lake on a flood plain. What bothers me the most about spring in Manitoba is the mud. If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing it, it is like walking in a half baked brownie: black, sticky, heavy, and turns rock hard when dry. For those Manitobans who are starting to get indignant right about now, I must admit there is a brief 2 week window in June where spring, as it should be, actually shows up. The lilacs and crab apple trees bloom and it is brief and beautiful. So maybe spring here isn't all bad.

Theo enjoying the gale force wind of prairie playground.

I have been acutely aware of the unpleasant qualities of our soil since at the moment we are living in a new development. The street has not been paved, no one has put in grass yet, and until a few days ago everything seemed coated in sticky clay. Since the weather remained above freezing and it was relatively dry last week we are finally able to venture out the door. We have been enjoying the neighbourhood park at the end of our street. Theo (and I suppose William to some extent) love going to this park which is virtually in a cow field. As you can see from the pictures, it is a play structure erected in the middle of nowhere. I love the fact you can hear the mooing of cattle and smell the earthy, grassy smell of the pasture surrounding it.

William enjoying his first spring.