I am writing this message in mid-November: the first snows have come and gone (at least a couple of times now), the ground is bare, fallen leaves are everywhere, and, in the field beside my house, some kids are outside playing soccer. Calgary’s weather has always been erratic, of course, but these days, and for lots of reasons, it is especially tempting to feel that each sudden weather event is a living participant in the human news cycle (climate change, pipelines, etc.). Perhaps, like me, you might remember at some point—in my case, it was in High School English class—being required to memorize a definition for the term, “pathetic fallacy?” Especially in poetry, pathetic fallacy refers to the sentimental idea that what happens in the lives of people is directly reflected in nature—the lovers quarrel, and the clouds grow dark and brooding, that sort of thing. In 2019, it is maybe harder than ever to draw a line between how we feel ourselves and the sentiment that the weather itself is feeling pretty much the same thing.
Continuing then in that sentimental theme, I hope that by the time this December issue of Bridges is circulating, we have some snow! Somehow it seems peaceful and right to have snow where we live at this time of year. The phrase “a blanket of snow” may mean shovelling, but it also sounds cozy and settled, and ideally implies time spent inside with family or friends, or engaged in the sorts of outdoor pursuits that we Canadians take for granted, but shouldn’t. Speaking of which, once again this year, Carmon Blacklock has generously agreed to lead the charge and flood the rink at the BRCA Hall. Go Carmon, go! Weather dependent, we have a Family Skating Party again planned for New Year’s Day, and also a Skate Shack day scheduled for February 9, 2020. Keep your frozen fingers crossed!
Brian Beck
