Snow Day

We had a big snow come in on Sunday afternoon. Delicious! A Canadian winter treat.

Before the brunt of the snow came in, we headed into the shop, a little trudging train, which included Tuna in Caleb’s backpack. What are we doing on this earth?

A few staff made it in, too, and these are sometimes the most fun we have. A surprising number of customers did make it in, maybe just out for a walk in the neighbourhood to admire the drifts, and stopped by for a little stationery perusal or just to warm their feet. But it was a quiet day to catch up on cleaning and restocking, pulling online orders, petting the cat.

I admired the new Year of the Horse stamps in from Japan, we ordered in Rudy’s for everyone, I attempted to convince the kids to do some of their homework.

I love when Tuna comes into the shop! This goofy and dumb and trusting and silly and curious and friendly feline, nose perking out of Caleb’s backpack, frittering about the jungle. He tastes the various new plant life, watches his human servants doing their puttering, basks in his great admiration from afar and up close.

In the heyday of the studio shop, we had two cats, one grey and one orange. They were excellent shop cats! They were curious and friendly (even Chicken!) with customers, Tuna maybe a little too friendly. They would greet customers who offered a pet, and keep notebooks warm underneath their naps. They would wander in and out, hang out in the front yard, in the backyard, saunter through and sniff hands. The good old days. Enough reminiscing. Nostalgia is a dangerous drug, and one can only handle so much of it.

In any case, what a treat for everyone. A quiet morning of anticipation, the whole of this geographical area collectively slowing down to watch and wait as the snow starts to come down. The entire city, holding its breath, or maybe out with their shovels, or maybe out on skis.

Or maybe out with some blue gremlin, who’s fallen into the snow and refused to get out, one of her frog eyes heavenward.