Down It Goes!

We have had a few cold snaps this winter, nothing extreme though. Last night the temperature dropped to -15C, about as cold as it has been thus far. But last night is just the beginning of a dive, February is going to arrive with plummeting temperatures. On Friday night a low of -29C is predicted. This is going to put our new heating system through its paces! It will be interesting to see just how expensive it is to run the “toaster” (electric furnace), which will take over heating the house at -28C.

Today the sun is shining, the air is frigid and crisp. There is something about sunshine that puts sparkle in a day, no matter how cold it gets. The white blanket that surrounds the house, and houses as far as the eye can see, brings a hush to the day’s occupations.

Life is very quiet just at the moment. I continue to dust, the kitchen is completed, and the living room is in progress. Gardening and preserving, and cooking from scratch, are quite the undertakings. There is always a small project to accomplish, flour to mill, bread to bake, Switchel to make, soups for lunches, dinners, storage container management (not as trivial as one might imagine), and a myriad of other small routine projects that keep it all moving along, to keep us comfortable and well fed.

There are many routine projects that have nothing to do with food. Hanging laundry to dry on racks takes up a lot of valuable floor space in this small house, and it requires two days to wash, hang, dry, fold, and put away. We have a dryer, and have used it twice since we bought it many years ago. Bills, of course, everyone has to deal with bills, in our household that falls to me. There is a lot of juggling when it comes to bill paying, I have to stay on my toes to keep things from falling into the red. I also do things like handle all of the paperwork and subcontracting for home renovations, such as the window upgrades, and the heating system and electrical upgrades. Attila handles executing some of the renovations, such as the garage roof replacement.

Winter seems to be a bare bones season, the necessary gets done, while projects that can wait move in slow motion during the winter months. Attila and I seem to experience our own version of hibernation.

Worldly

Weather

Updated on Tue, Jan 31, 6:25 AM
-14 °C
FEELS LIKE -20
Overcast
Wind 12 N km/h
Humidity 70 %
Visibility 22 km
Sunrise 7:27 AM
Wind gust18 km/h
Pressure 102.3 kPa
Ceiling 9100 m
Sunset 5:15 PM

Quote

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.”
George Bernard Shaw
1856 – 1950

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Joan Lansberry

I hope there are many moments of quiet joy and beauty amidst all the bareness. And warmth!

Sandy

Hi Maggie. We’re having a cold snap too. But the temperatures are manageable because there’s little to no wind. At Christmas we had wind chills of -35 to -45 depending on what part of the state you were in.I hope your heating system works perfectly! Sandy 🙂

Eileen Barton

Hi Maggie, we are experiencing the cold snap here in N.J. plus wind gusts up to 40 mph! I have my window AC wrapped in plastic and it inhales and exhales with the wind. Scared my cat a few minutes ago. LOL Today was pretty cold but I think the worst of it will be arriving tomorrow. Stay warm!