February 21, 2014

Long cool woman

A handsome Greek man enduring February in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I asked and this is what he gave. I noticed him because his stocky stature and slick combed 'do reminded me beautifully of my dad's pops, Frank KK. Rest you. 
This sums up the winter well. 

Bitter winter winds were carving lines in faces all around today. Sharp winds, long shadows. I do believe I age more rapidly in winter. Life is quite grand around these parts. I have been fighting off that sinking feeling of everlasting winter blues tooth and nail this week. In my last yoga class, the teacher guided us through a few different poses leading into a lengthy shoulder stand. As we steadied legs in midair and supported the smalls of backs with hands, she encouraged the class to remember our shoulders in the coming weeks. Square off, don't let 'em tuck up! That small lick of spring Winnipeg experienced earlier this week was delicious and lightening quick! All it took was one glorious day of sunshine to re-instill good old fashioned HOPE in the coming season. On that warm day I plunked the baby in a snowdrift and we each soaked up the sun at our own pace without any exchange of sound for a good amount of time. He was shocked at first, his usual grumpy and disgruntled face bare of bundles didn't know what to make of all that warmth. When he warmed up to it, JJ crawled happily on little mittened hands in the valley between two sheer cliffs of snow towering over the front walk. I sunned myself like a soggy mermaid, unmoving and totally content. Icicles melted on our heads and this made him laugh to no end. We walked together (the Jackal can now walk with two helping hands at 10 months!) the short distance to the park and he laughed in the swings. Baby laughter; soul food. Upon our return home, he slept like the dead. It did grow cold again but I say not for long! Spring is near. Now when I walk the familiar path from JJ's house to the bus stop I can easily imagine tearing around those same corners on my moped or cycling breezily through the park, laughing at the cold days bygone. For now the snow and cold lends itself well to contrast film. Blacks look blacker, whites whiter. Long cool shadows for a long cool woman in a black coat.

* Kiev 60/ Tmax 400

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