Life in Nova Scotia
It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with temperatures well above freezing. We have a lot of snow and ice for that sun to melt. Still, it feels like spring on a day like this. Some people find this time of year difficult in Nova Scotia, when daffodils are blooming in Victoria on the “other coast”. Others relish the cold temperatures and make the most of it. As for me, I’ve usually had my nose buried in my work at this time of year and this year is no exception. And I’m grateful for that.
I saw these on the ice the other day. What do you think it is? It looks like 4 dog paws, then another set of 4 paws, then something dragged for a distance, repeat. Leave comments below.
And these? Looks like ducks to me; I can imagine the waddle, and there are lots of ducks right here when the water is liquid.
We’ve had quite a long cold snap, and the ocean ice in and near our inlet is way over 6 inches thickness, the recommended thickness for safety. Beautifully smooth too, in places, though the wind chill discouraged us from going back for our skates.
At low tide, the ice is sitting on or near the bottom, so there’s little risk. It’s harder to get onto the ice when the tide is higher, as the broken pieces around the edge may not bear one’s weight, as my son learned this morning! No harm done, just wet boots and an uncomfortable trot home.
Schools were cancelled due to road conditions like this. Icy and completely slippery, treacherous just to walk on. I could have skated. Later in the day the ice had melted and run off into the ditches – in most places.
Ice always builds up and stays in the inlets where it isn’t easily carried out to sea. At low tide it just sits on the bottom, on the mud. There’s always a dynamic edge out there forming, melting, breaking off depending on the wave action, with pieces getting carried out to sea.