A Great Snack!

By | | , ,
16 Comments

It is sunny here this morning. As you can see from the weather information below, our weather is all over the place. Wednesday night is supposed to be -19C, and then the temperatures will swing up again. It has been a bit of a roller coaster through February. We are enjoying a Statutory Holiday today, Family Day. I would have preferred if it had been called something a little more inclusive, such as Kindness Day, or Friendship Day, which would include families and those who are flying solo through life, but the government decided on Family Day, so Family Day it is. Whatever it is called, it is a welcome break in the dead of winter. As I sit here typing, I can hear scratchy noises from down in the basement, with intermittent sharp cracking sounds. That would be Attila. Yesterday he moved the freezer out of the way, and finished installing electrical boxes, so that today he could install the last large stretch of wall with vapour barrier today. After he tapes the vapour barrier he will cut and install the last big sheets of drywall. I will help him carry in the drywall, it is so awkward to … Continue reading →

Brrrr

By | | , , ,
10 Comments

We are experiencing another cold snap, last night the temperature dropped to -20C, wind chill -25C, and tonight it is predicted to fall to -21C, wind chill -25C. In reality it has been a little colder than that here at Mist Cottage, as the thermometer outside the kitchen window reads a little higher than than the outdoor temperature, because it is mounted on the wall of the heated house, where some heat is being given off. We are cozy though. The winter thus far has been mild, so that we have used less than a quarter of our winter fuel oil. Last winter we used 3/4 of a tank, so I suppose there is still time for this winter to catch up! Life is very quiet, which is lovely. The work on the basement insulation has slowed considerably, Attila’s next step is to work on wiring, and that requires shutting off the electricity to the house, to be absolutely safe, so it will be put off until the weather is a little warmer we need our heating system right now. In the meantime, this week he finished the trim and painting on one of the windows in the basement, it … Continue reading →

Robin Hood Is Turning In His Grave

By | | ,
4 Comments

Our hydro bills are increasing at an unbelievable rate. We have new energy efficient windows, maximum insulation in the attic, a newly insulated basement, and have taken many measures to reduce our hydro usage. And we have succeeded reducing the amount of hydro we use. When temperature is considered, January 2020 was on average -5C. January 2019 was on average -10C. This winter January was warmer, and above -7C much of the time, and that means that we used electricity to heat our home much of the time this year. So in theory our hydro usage should have skyrocketed, but instead it dropped by 1.9%, mostly due to the new insulation in the basement. Even though our hydro usage for January, 2020 is slightly less than our usage in January 2019, our bill is 51% higher. In one year, using roughly the same amount of hydro, our bill has increased by 51%. When they privatized our public hydro system, they preached competitive pricing… In the meantime my very small government pension was reduced due to a government “claw back”. I think the claw analogy is apt. Lower income, much higher billing. Robin Hood is turning in his grave. January 2019 … Continue reading →

Kitchen Shelf

By | |
4 Comments

It is cold again, the temperature having dropped to -19C overnight, and now rising. When it gets that cold I begin to feel my age. This is a new phenomena, and a sign of days to come. The thermostat (I love the thermostat) is set to 21.5C, it remains set at that temperature year round. But that does not mean there are no variations in the micro-environment of the house. My relationship with that micro-environment is becoming more intimate as time goes by. When the temperature at night falls as low as -18C, the usual hand crocheted blanket on my bed is not up to protecting my hips from the cold. The only placement for the bed, there are no other options, is against the wall. The walls are poorly insulated. The location of the bed is colder than the temperature on the thermostat. The cold seeps in from the walls, slowly making its way towards the thermostat. Where the cold begins its journey inward at the wall, I lie in slumber. While the blanket provides adequate protection from the cold, there is one exception; my hips. I have little to no fat on my hips, the bones have no … Continue reading →