Winter's here to stay
Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 03/00) - As winter begins to rear its dark face, it's life as usual for most Yellowknifers coping with the lack of sun.
"The days are getting a little shorter, so you have to do things quicker," admits Northland Utilities lineman Jeff Schulz of Northland Utilities.
Schulz says it's not a problem for him doing his work outdoors but he admits to be a little more comfortable in the summer.
"In the summer, I go crazy. I take advantage of the short summers, (but) I've got a really long winter to look forward to."
Dealing with the long, dark winters is all a matter of planning, says long-time resident Sonny Jenkins.
"You just have to plan your day a little better," he said.
"So that you're doing what you need to do outside and then you have it ready for the dark and then you can work inside," said Jenkins.
Keeping busy with outdoor activities is what Larry Thomason enjoys doing during the winter.
And when it gets too cold to handle he says he enjoys the opportunity to take part in more serious endeavours, including reading, writing or learning to play some guitar.
For Linda Otto, it's the simple things in nature that she appreciates, such as the cold, fresh, winter air, watching the stars or being dazzled by the northern lights.
"The day that you say to yourself you can't go outside because it's too cold, then your going to be in trouble," says Otto.
"Because then that's going to be the excuse for you not going out at all."
How one copes with the dark may also depend on where a person comes from.
Mark Simmons spent about six years on Baffin Island before coming to Yellowknife.
"It was a lot worse, because I lost daylight altogether for four months a year."
