Arctic Blast

It's a cold one tonight. Dan had a look at the thermometre an hour after I took this photo and it had dropped to minus 24. That's without the wind of course. So a night inside was on order. We listened to the lovely voice of Neko Case on CBC Radio One's Q. She has a new album coming out by the way. Probably will be worth a listen.

I'm a little worried about our supply of firewood. Mum and Dan kept saying there was nothing to worry about but clearly there is. One big pile has disappeared and we're making short work of the others. And it's kind of hard to be frugal with your primary source of heat; though we do hide out in the kitchen with the woodstove as much as possible.

So we're experiencing a crash course in firewood. Did you know that you should ideally be two years ahead with firewood? So you should be using one year's firewood and have the two next years' firewood curing at the same time. So all the more reason to get a chain saw and probably order a bush cord of wood or two from the woodlot coop. I should have kept track of how much wood we are using. I will have a better idea next winter. Get ready to do some chopping!

I should also see how much a tank of oil costs because it's a nice backup if we are away. That's another realization. You really shouldn't be going that far. If you do, even for one night, your pipes might freeze. That sounds expensive. But it's another way that living in the city is very different.

Here's some other icy pictures to share. This is the door to the mudroom. This door doesn't technically open into the house since the mudroom is pretty cold but all that ice is pretty disconcerting.

Venture out at your own risk!