A Winter's Day

I live in 905. 905 refers to the area code assigned to the suburbs when the 416 area code (Toronto) was split over 10 years ago. Toronto (then known as Metropolitan Toronto, in those pre-amalgamation days) kept 416, and all the 'burbs got 905.

To me, 905 has been synonymous with plazas, big box stores, housing developments and highways for so long that I never pictured myself living anywhere near it. Well, just goes to show you that I should eat my words!

It always amused me, the perception that Germany was nothing but pavement and industry from those who had never been there. That image had nothing to do with the pastoral beauty of my childhood - or the German cities that I'd lived in, which had a much more accessible countryside than most Canadian cities I know. And here, I just did the same thing with 905. It's all housing developments and strip-malls and...

...and this. Within less than a half hour's drive from the airport, I live in the middle of rolling hills, a woodlot with a swamp, and a sort of pastoral beauty that I appreciate more every day.

Yesterday was one of those days, when the sun pours in my windows (I even sat outside for a bit, on the protected south side of the barn). I have a little disco ball in the window, and bits of light danced on my walls and ceiling when it caught the sun.
I'd been to the gym (and the Milton version of my gym is way nicer than Guelph!) and feeling lazy - but I couldn't totally waste such brilliant weather. So, taking advantage of this new lifestyle, I strapped on my snowshoes and within 2 minutes was in the middle of fun.

It's not wilderness, not even close. At any given time, I can turn and see an estate home development through the trees. It's not remote, or isolated, or physically challenging. But it's the backyard of where I live right now, and it's beautiful. Furthermore, it's taken away some of my drive to go somewhere that is wild most every weekend. I'm proving my own theory, that my need for backcountry travel is directly related to my urbanized lifestyle.

That being said, I miss going into the bush as much as I did for a while. Partly, it's time; partly, it's the headache my car has been giving me of late - but mostly, it's a lack of good adventure buddies of late. People get busy, me included - but I think I need to make more time to do the things I love to do again.

And some sterotypes about 905 do hold true: I've never been as car-dependent as I am now. I drive everywhere. Default exercise doesn't happen as much as it used to. I have to rethink that part of my life somehow. But then, once the snow melts, I can bike to work, and the last reservation of living here will perhaps vanish!

Posted by Johanna at February 23, 2004 10:31 AM