Change

A sunny morning!

There is a down side though, it is cold! Although it was only -12C when we were out for our walk, the wind chill was -19C. Bundle up!

We still have deep snow on the lawn, and the snow banks are substantial. The daytime thaw leaves puddles that turn into glare ice overnight, so keeping the walkway to the house clear and safe is a bit of work. Attila takes on that task.

Our heating bills have been very, very high. This is due to the extremely cold nights, when the air source heat pump hands over the heating system to “the toaster”, the electric furnace. It uses a huge amount of electricity. As high as our bills are, they are not higher than they would have been with the other backup system we considered, which was a natural gas furnace. That would have required paying to have the service brought into the house, and also paying a monthly fee for service, even if we only used it once or twice per winter. Of course the 2025/2026 winter season has been extremely cold, so our backup system has taken over a lot more than it has any other year since we purchased the house fifteen years ago. The toaster only took over for the heat pump once last winter. You win some, you lose some.

Over twenty years ago I bought a backpack, a treat during an overnight visit to Toronto. It was a Swiss Gear backpack, something that was not available where we lived. I carry a back pack, not a purse. I don’t even own a purse these days. Well, not strictly true, there is an old one from the 1980s hiding somewhere in the closet. The backpack has been with me continuously since it was purchased.

Last summer the zipper on one of the main compartments stopped functioning. The strap is wearing out. So I purchased a very small shoulder pack, which has its pros and cons, more cons than pros I am finding. So, it was time to consider a new backpack. I have a few in the closet, from more than 30 years ago, meant for children, none of them suited to the way I use a backpack.

So I began to look around online at backpacks. There was little use looking around at the local stores, they don’t usually sell high quality items, most of what they stock is of no interest. When purchasing items I want to last, that I use daily, I seek high quality items, and will pay a reasonable price for them. So it is with a backpack.

I ended up looking at what Swiss Gear had to offer, and settled on one of their models which will also serve as carry on luggage on flights. I don’t fly, but one never knows what the future will bring. It is similar to the old backpack, but not exactly the same. This new one may just last me the rest of my life!

The new backpack arrived yesterday. The process of emptying the old, and settling items into the new began. There will be an initial transition period, with tweaking going on constantly, until I settle where things need to be stored in the new.

That was my excitement for February. Life is pretty good when the pinnacle point is getting a new backpack. Drama is highly overrated, addictive, but overrated.

I had a busy day in the kitchen yesterday. I baked bread, made Kombucha, and baked two dozen muffins. Today I am chopping dates and nuts for my breakfasts over the next week or so, and baking hamburger buns.

I’ve been looking at wait times for the cataract surgery I now need, it has been three months since my referral was made. If I understand the information from the Ontario Government, I could be waiting for 181 days or longer to receive a call from the ophthalmologist’s office to arrange an appointment for an pre-surgery assessment. Then I wait for the scheduled appointment. Then there is a long waiting period for the surgery itself.

I needed new glasses at my last visit to the optometrist, who made the referral. The Dr. advised me not to get new glasses at this point. So I am thinking that I’d better get used to my magnifying glass for the next year or so while I wait in Ontario’s long line for health care.

I did call the ophthalmologist’s office to ask what the wait time for the first appointment might be. I was only allowed to leave my name and number on the answering machine. That was weeks ago, there has been no return call, I am not really expecting one.

Attila and I are both on long waiting lists for health care. It is difficult to age gracefully within a disgraceful health care infrastructure.

Worldly

Weather

-7°C
Date: 11:00 AM EST Sunday 1 March 2026
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 103.1 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: -6.5°C
Dew point: -18.0°C
Humidity: 40%
Wind: N 12 km/h
Wind Chill: -12
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“The more progress the human species claims to enjoy, the less ability the infrastructures that sustain human life have, to adapt to the reality of inevitable and unpredictable change beyond our control.”

Me, this morning!