Feature ArticleNovember 14, 2001
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Cold Comfortby Bill Rowsome'Tis that season again. The last few oak leaves are clinging in vain to their branches as the pelting rain hammers them. Yesterday, in the fading sunlight, a fuzzy bottom-fly landed on my finger, and with a naughty shake bid me farewell for another season. Thank goodness the profusion of ladybugs will still add colour to our lives until Christmas as they flit about sun-warmed windows. Fall is here and winter will be close behind. This is a season when one can become depressed with the seasonal or permanent death of plants, waning sunlight, disheartening wet weather, and thoughts of upcoming frost, ice, and snow. All conspire to discourage the most optimistic. But there is salvation; there is Cold Comfort in the future.
One of a university's heavy thinkers has proposed a theory that those who live in less temperate climes are healthier and wealthier than those living in the world's warmer climates. Frost temporarily kills off the bugs feeding on humans (I hope the influenza wee ones are reading this and are heading south) and the microorganisms in our soil go dormant, saving the nutrients for summer consumption thus conserving soil for extended use. He makes a good argument, but does he go far enough?
Our ancestors, and to a limited extent ourselves, were driven to work hard in the warm season to produce food and fuel for consumption during Mother Nature's forthcoming non-productive months. Granted, city folk do it by working for money year around to buy their needs, but most of us in rural Frontenac actually work up physical sweat to lay in wood, meat, and vegetables before the onslaught of frost and snow.
"Hard work never hurt anyone!" was the only sympathy I received when complaining about doing the chores. Splitting wood was not really any easier when accompanied by, "It is a fortunate lad who can be heated twice from one stick of wood." It was Little solace, but it did seem to ease the guilt of those supervising my duties.
I am not certain of the accuracy of television news reports; in fact, I am very suspicious of many of them, but I do not see those of us in rural sub-arctic climes posing with raised fists in front of cameras demanding this, that, or the other thing. We are too busy providing provisions for winter's offensive. At times I do wonder if perhaps we should be a little more aggressive about some things. Should we be completely satisfied with the status quo because we are more fortunate than many people in this world? I question some television scenes of overseas violence and poverty; too many are obviously posed. Do the viewers of our television programs in foreign parts of the world actually believe the scenes broadcast from North America? I do not think that the situation comedies emanating from North America portray us any more accurately than the scenes of never-ending protest and poverty from the Near East depict everyday life there.
Despite the onslaught of winter, there is no doubt that we are more fortunate than many peoples in the world are. As winter persists, we should take Cold Comfort in knowing spring is not far behind and we will emerge healthier and wealthier.
