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Chana Perman

11 Things to do in Toronto when it’s snowing/sleeting/ ice storming on a Sunday in April

  1. Rise and shine. Reassess the shine option.
  2. Check online for weather updates and then dumbly hope they are exaggerating.
  3. Look out your window and notice they aren’t.
  4. WhatsApp your niece with a request for a sugar cookie recipe. You can Google the recipe but social interaction is good for you. And her. She lives in Toronto too.
  5. Bake sugar cookies. Eat sugar cookies. Repeat as needed.
  6. Decide to be brave. Gear up and attempt to shovel a path from your front door to the street. Notice that the white ice is acting like black ice after you almost fall five times. Wisely decide to go back into the house. Just to live to tell the story.
  7. Decide to be brave again. Shovel a path from the basement door to your car which is now parked in front of the house. Said car is not in the driveway because it risks skating into the garage door. Hey, it’s called ice storm for a reason.
  8. Follow the path to your car (huff, puff) only to discover that the car won’t start,
  9. Scurry back home. Return to the window and take pictures of the snow/sleet/hail/ice. Text the pictures to friends who are enjoying milder weather. Also text the pics to local friends so you can ‘discuss the weather’. There is lots to discuss.
  10. Shutter the windows. Listen out for sounds of spring…it’s going to be any month now.
  11. Discuss relocating to Israel. How did I end up here in the first place?
About the Author
Chana holds an M.S. in Special Education. Her innovative poems, essays and lectures reflect two and a half decades of experience working with students of all ages and abilities. Chana's writing has been published on Chabad.org, meaningfullife.com as well as in The Canadian Jewish News, The Jewish Press, and AMI. As a longtime volunteer with the Friendship Circle, Chana was recognised by the Ontario Legislature for “bringing a smile to the faces of children with special needs.” Although Chana 's "heart is in the east" she currently lives with her with her family in Toronto.