After living in Alberta for over 30 years I've grown to really treasure every summer afternoon and warm fall days. I don't like the cold so I am in a constant state of denial about when winter is coming. However, today when I was outside on a walk during my lunch break there was a banner on the building a few doors down from us advertising a sale on toques. It was very Canadian, very Albertan and it was a sign that I could not ignore winter any longer.
Perhaps if I paid more attention to the natural world I would see some of the signs of a harsh winter, such as the ones listed below from The Farmer's Almanac, and not be so shocked when the white flakes start falling down.
- Thicker than normal corn husks
- Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls
- Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
In the sign industry we don't have any indicator's of a harsh winter but we do know that winter is around the corner when our clients start ordering 2 kinds of winter signs.
The most common type of winter sign clients order are "CAUTION FALLING ICE & SNOW" signs. These are usually done as sandwich boards and are very popular with property managers and business owners. Other variations on the message include "Caution Slippery When Icy" and we can include graphics to help you illustrate your point.
The other type of sign that is becoming more popular when winter approaches is the "No Idling" sign. The City of Edmonton passed a new "Be Idle Free" bylaw that came into effect January 1, 2013. Although the bylaw is only in effect for schools and hospitals, many condo complexes and organizations like the University of Alberta have had signs made that encourage people to not idle their cars. The City of Edmonton has an informative website that has tips on how to lessen the impact of idling.
Do you need some signs to help winterize your property? Give us a call at 780.426.4676 to talk to our sales staff.