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That’s how newspaper reporters would indicate the end of their copy. Remove the second hyphen and it’s how Edmontonians this week indicated the temperature. Yikes. Robbie Burns is outside? Yes, yes, come in, please, get warm, sir! What's this now? You have some winter music for us? A dirge? Yes, the floor is yours: 

The wintry west extends his blast,

And hail and rain does blaw;

Or, the stormy north sends driving forth

The blinding sleet and snaw:

While tumbling brown, the burn comes down,

And roars frae bank to brae;

And bird and beast in covert rest,

And pass the heartless day.

The sweeping blast, the sky o’ercast

The joyless winter-day,

Let others fear, to me more dear

Than all the pride of May:

The tempest’s howl, it soothes my soul,

My griefs it seems to join;

The leafless trees my fancy please,

Their fate resembles mine!

Thou Pow’r Supreme, whose mighty scheme

These woes of mine fulfill,

Here, firm, I rest, they must be best

Because they are Thy will!

Then all I want (O, do Thou grant

This one request of mine!)

Since to enjoy Thou dost deny

Assist me to resign.

Thank you, sir, here are three things that left behind tracks of happiness and gratitude in my little life in the cold and snaw and -30 weather:

1. Family – Shelagh is ninth of nine, and has a lot of cousins. She encounters them regularly.

2. What a drag! – What happened when my bicycle broke in the cold and the dark.

3. Zamboni – Why I always stop to watch a Zamboni do the rounds on a sheet of ice.

The music in the podcast is original, the work of Edmonton pianist and composer Brendan McGrath. The end bells are played, as always, by Edmonton metal sculptor and humanitarian Slavo Cech.

I am at [email protected]

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, happy holidays. Thanks for being out there, friends. Jeff, the baking from Sugared & Spiced is next level again this year.

Peace. 

Can I sneak in a fourth thing? When it gets this cold, I listen to the Skydiggers. Thank you, Skydiggers.

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