Outside Views.

The bitter cold is starting to get better. By Monday, we'll be at single digits again. I can't wait to have more ability to get out and about. When it's this cold, we prepare for staying home, then snuggle in and wait it out. But this spell has been very long and we're starting to feel a bit antsy. We get to go out today to our weekly Chamber of Commerce Breakfast @ 7:30 am, then we'll head in to the Big City to visit a local radio station that may be our Media Sponsor this year, then we'll head back to our little hamlet to visit one bank to move some funds over to our personal account at another bank, then I'll do the banking for our charity, and after that, we may do a bit of shopping if there is time but if not, we'll find a spot for a quick lunch, then head to our community centre to park downstairs while we attend a workshop for the afternoon upstairs. From there, we'll head home and I'm looking forward to a night without any meetings or work to do. Dh and kids will likely be watching the hockey game downstairs in the theatre room, so I'll either have a hot bubble bath then tuck in for some reading, or skip the bath and snuggle up with my book in the great room. If the game is going well, I like to head down in the 3rd period. If not, I'll stay upstairs, cozy and warm. We've now had 11 games in a row that our Edmonton Oilers have won, so it's been an exciting streak after not a great start to this season. Fingers crossed that we win once again!

I am looking forward to finally getting outside again and heading in to town. Feels like forever. Thankful the roads have been good and though we got snow, as you can see by my photos above. My brother lives on the West Coast and his home is covered in snow today, school is cancelled and no one can drive there. Other than the cold, we're still have a mild Winter in terms of snow, icy roads and closure. 

Wishing you a beautiful day and hope

you don't have too much snow and cold!

~ Chy

Not a Great Start to the Day ....

With the - 82 million degrees outside, we've worked hard all week to make sure that all our systems are functioning just fine. Feeling good about it last night after reading that some community members have had issues with their furnaces or pipes freezing. So it was a bit of a shock this morning to wake up to our daughter quietly but firmly knocking on our door to tell is that they were hearing a banging noise coming from the furnace in the lower level. Ugh! Out of bed we shot and within minutes, we were on the phone to our local heating company. Thankfully, they could come out today. BUT because it's a weekend, the fee will be a bit higher. In the long run, I'd pay anything to make sure the furnace is working and we don't end up with frozen pipes, which would be a bigger issue. It's mystery to us why in 8 years, with a brand new build, that we'd have any issues with the system. When we were in Disneyland in November 2022, our neighbor came in to check on the cottage each day, and one day, found it cooler than it should have been. He discovered our blower fan had died and he was able to replace it for us, warming up the cottage again, and all was well. Different furnace and different issue but still frustrating. 

Liam was our hero today. He arrived about 20 minutes ahead of the predicted time and within a very short time, he had diagnosed the issue. And then a fix, more checking of the system, a hot chocolate while he worked and then he did a walk around outside as well. Reassured us that we've done everything right, we're safe and the system is now just fine. Relieved and thankful for his time.

Tonight, we received alerts on our phones that the power grid across our Province cannot handle the load as everyone tries to stay warm. So we're all being asked to shut off anything that is not essential, gather blankets and candles, and settle down for a night that may include rolling power outages in order to ensure everyone has some power. We've got one lamp on and are currently charging up our phones for the night. Not looking forward to a night of uncertainty but we'll do our best and keep all of us warm. 

Hope wherever you are, you are safe, warm and together.

~ Chy

End of the Freeze.

Our deep freeze has ended, for now. And

the wildlife has emerged from the forest.

Our tree is still up, the icicles are hanging

and we're loving the sun and the warmth.

~ Chy

After the Freeze ....

We had a lovely weekend that ended up being so warm, our jackets were tossed on the deck while we explored our woods, skated for 2 days straight, enjoyed a fire and s'mores, played hockey with our neighbors down the lane and their littles, played our tunes and enjoyed the amazing fresh but warm air. The sun shone and really helped us all forget all about the deep freeze that we are now on the other side of. We created some great memories this weekend! And look forward to more skating this week. 

How was your weekend?

~ Chy

Brrrr ....

It was the Deep Freeze of all

Deep Freeze's! But thankfully

today, it changed. We went

from low's of minus - 48 C,

to a warm high today of - 2C.

Crazy and we hope no more!!

~ Chy

Sunny Cold.

Like a good part of North America, we're in the middle of a deep freeze. Tonight, the temperature is going down to a bone chilling - 40 C and with the windchill, it will be much closer to - 50 C. We're safe, warm and cozy in our house, the fridge and pantry are full of food, bills are paid, the cars are filled with gas .... we're ready for icy Armageddon! By Sunday, the temperatures are supposed to go back to a more balmy seasonal number and by the middle of next week, we'll be sitting at - 1 if not warmer. I'm hoping this is the one and only deep freeze we get all Winter. It's been years since it's been this cold and I'm not a fan. At least we've been able to truly stay home and just, sorry for the pun, chill .... hope you are doing ok in the cold, wherever home is. Stay warm, my dear blog friends.