Natalie Papps @treesofelwood - Twitter Profile

over 3 years ago

The Canadian Winter is something sold by Canada as a magical time to visit. It’s a bit of a lie. The winter here is long, cold, and dark. BUT Within the blowing snow, and air so cold it hurts your face, there is magic. It was a type of magic I didn’t really see. That was until our bumbling little puppy grew up into a majestic bear dog. This is a story about the winter. For context, I have lived in Alberta my whole life. If you are going to live here you have three choices to deal with the winter: 1. Quit and move away 2. Cope the best you can and hope for a “Plus 1” in the seven day forecast 3. Embrace it. Growing up, I did stuff in the winter, but it was the season you wished would end to get to summer. It wasn’t until our Bernese Mountain Dog Bunsen experienced his first winter that I really GOT how magical the winter was. Bunsen normally conserves his energy. That’s a kind way of saying he is a giant couch potato and chooses to sleep and lounge around over pretty much everything else. I’m sure many people can relate to wanting to be Bunsen. Some days I AM Bunsen and it’s the absolute best kind of day. Bunsen’s first winter brought out a side of this dog we never knew existed. He was a teenage dog, who JUST got his cast off from breaking his toe a month and a half earlier. Perhaps it was the freedom to run and play and the backed up energy that caused absolute joy to explode out of his body…but I don’t think so. I think it was the crisp air, a blanket of snow on the ground and flakes falling around him. I think it was Bunsen realizing that THIS, THIS was for him. Something deep inside him WOKE up. It was almost like Bunsen realized WHY he was built the way he was, that the thing that made him hot and tired in the summer made him near impervious to the wind and cold of the winter. It’s hard to describe how silly and hilarious it is to see a big dog dive head first into snow and burrow himself through it like a giant arctic gopher. This joy is infectious. Even on days that normally I would stay warm and toasty inside my house, Bunsen’s zest for the snow brought me outside. It meant upgrading to a survival suit - kinda like a full body hazmat for the winter, as well as arctic boots and snowshoes that would fit them. So many hours were spent exploring the winter because of Bunsen. We noted the birds that winter over, and animal tracks, and saw animals like foxes, deer, and even moose. I saw glistening drifts and blowing snow making shapes and patterns that were stark and beautiful. We sat and listened to the sound of nothing. It’s hard to describe the absolute peace of sitting in a snowfall. The only sound is your breath, your bear dog panting, and the soft pattering of snowflakes falling around you. Through posting about our adventures here on Twitter, thousands of people all around the world probably also got an appreciation for winter. It may never snow or snow to the levels we have, but Bunsen became the ambassador for winter. If winter was a cereal box, Bunsen would the mascot on the front saying IIIIIITTTSSSS GREAT!!!! As the years went by, the winter became my absolute favorite season. I get excited when it snows for the first time. I stand at windows and watch the snowflakes fall without disgust or frustration, but with anticipation. I can’t WAIT to get home from work to take Bunsen on a snow adventure, skiing or snowshoeing through the farmland. Winter here is long and cold. It’s dark and it affects your mood. A dog, through just being himself, made this season one that I cherish. Dogs have that power over humans. They make us love things we didn’t think we would and the reason why is pretty simple. They give us unconditional love and ask for so little in return. If the price I have to pay for what our bear dog has given us is walking through frozen fields and blowing snow, that’s a fair deal. Winter isn’t a season. It’s a celebration. #dogs

bunsenbernerbmd's tweet photo. The Canadian Winter is something sold by Canada as a magical time to visit.

It’s a bit of a lie.

The winter here is long, cold, and dark.

BUT

Within the blowing snow, and air so cold it hurts your face, there is magic.

It was a type of magic I didn’t really see.

That was until our bumbling little puppy grew up into a majestic bear dog.

This is a story about the winter.

For context, I have lived in Alberta my whole life.

If you are going to live here you have three choices to deal with the winter:

1. Quit and move away
2. Cope the best you can and hope for a “Plus 1” in the seven day forecast
3. Embrace it.

Growing up, I did stuff in the winter, but it was the season you wished would end to get to summer.

It wasn’t until our Bernese Mountain Dog Bunsen experienced his first winter that I really GOT how magical the winter was.

Bunsen normally conserves his energy.

That’s a kind way of saying he is a giant couch potato and chooses to sleep and lounge around over pretty much everything else. I’m sure many people can relate to wanting to be Bunsen. Some days I AM Bunsen and it’s the absolute best kind of day.

Bunsen’s first winter brought out a side of this dog we never knew existed.

He was a teenage dog, who JUST got his cast off from breaking his toe a month and a half earlier.

Perhaps it was the freedom to run and play and the backed up energy that caused absolute joy to explode out of his body…but I don’t think so.

I think it was the crisp air, a blanket of snow on the ground and flakes falling around him.

I think it was Bunsen realizing that THIS, THIS was for him.

Something deep inside him WOKE up.

It was almost like Bunsen realized WHY he was built the way he was, that the thing that made him hot and tired in the summer made him near impervious to the wind and cold of the winter.

It’s hard to describe how silly and hilarious it is to see a big dog dive head first into snow and burrow himself through it like a giant arctic gopher.

This joy is infectious.

Even on days that normally I would stay warm and toasty inside my house, Bunsen’s zest for the snow brought me outside.

It meant upgrading to a survival suit - kinda like a full body hazmat for the winter, as well as arctic boots and snowshoes that would fit them.

So many hours were spent exploring the winter because of Bunsen.

We noted the birds that winter over, and animal tracks, and saw animals like foxes, deer, and even moose. I saw glistening drifts and blowing snow making shapes and patterns that were stark and beautiful.

We sat and listened to the sound of nothing.

It’s hard to describe the absolute peace of sitting in a snowfall.

The only sound is your breath, your bear dog panting, and the soft pattering of snowflakes falling around you.

Through posting about our adventures here on Twitter, thousands of people all around the world probably also got an appreciation for winter. It may never snow or snow to the levels we have, but Bunsen became the ambassador for winter.

If winter was a cereal box, Bunsen would the mascot on the front saying IIIIIITTTSSSS GREAT!!!!

As the years went by, the winter became my absolute favorite season.

I get excited when it snows for the first time. I stand at windows and watch the snowflakes fall without disgust or frustration, but with anticipation.

I can’t WAIT to get home from work to take Bunsen on a snow adventure, skiing or snowshoeing through the farmland.

Winter here is long and cold.

It’s dark and it affects your mood.

A dog, through just being himself, made this season one that I cherish.

Dogs have that power over humans.

They make us love things we didn’t think we would and the reason why is pretty simple.

They give us unconditional love and ask for so little in return.

If the price I have to pay for what our bear dog has given us is walking through frozen fields and blowing snow, that’s a fair deal.

Winter isn’t a season. It’s a celebration.

#dogs

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Natalie Papps

@treesofelwood

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