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Post by Haz on Jan 8, 2015 11:29:20 GMT -7
This morning it was minus 29 in Ottawa. Yesterday, with the windchill, it was minus 37. On the radio they said that Ottawa was colder than Mars.
I went out for groceries this morning and found the temperature quite mild. I didn't even need to put on a hat. Of course, I only had to walk across the parking lot to the store. Other people were also saying how nice the weather is.
When you think it is nice at this temperature, that's when you know you have lived here too long.
Haz
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Post by Adele on Jan 8, 2015 22:00:24 GMT -7
I just read something really funny about the cold. This is so true:
December 8: 6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic, we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal-white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.
December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry; we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much by the end of winter that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14: Snow, lovely snow! We had 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Explorer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and two extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like heck. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for five hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but I won't admit it to her. I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
December 20: Electricity's back on, but we had another 14" of the stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.
December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed, and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob, who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think he's is lying.
December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she ... nuts??? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.
December 24: 6." Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch that guy who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his hair. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the snowplow.
December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.
December 26: Still snowed in. Why did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27: Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.
December 28: Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. SHE is driving me crazy!!!
December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. Another 9" predicted.
December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.
January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?
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Post by Adele on Jan 8, 2015 22:02:47 GMT -7
That reminds me of last winter when it reached -10 and I thought the sun felt so nice and was content to go for a walk. Later, when I actually checked the temperature, I was pretty depressed that -10 felt good to me (a California girl).
Anyway, now I am back in CA and already lost all of my resistance to cold and even got out my down coat when it dropped to the low 60's!
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Post by Haz on Jan 9, 2015 8:39:57 GMT -7
That is so true. In the days when I used to shovel, I asked myself why we moved to this God-forsaken country. Then we bought a snow-blower. During a big snowstorm or after the plow, a snow-blower still gives you a workout. I used to get home from work before my husband so I would start clearing the driveway before he got home.
These days we have a season contract with a snow-removal company. We also have our roof shoveled by a separate company. Snow removal is big business in Canada.
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Post by Jane on Jan 13, 2015 4:50:07 GMT -7
We can never cope with snow in the UK. It only takes a few inches for everything to grind to a halt, with schools closed, all transport affected and no one going anywhere.
Jane
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Post by Sophia on Jan 15, 2015 19:39:25 GMT -7
Same in the Netherlands, Jane! Here in Canada it's all part of life  Though thankfully where we live we get VERY little snow, just enough to look forward to spring |
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Post by Haz on Jan 16, 2015 10:26:57 GMT -7
Errol says that I caused a problem for our neighbour across the street. Even though her children were in school, she was a stay-at-home mom. She always waited for her husband to come home and clear their driveway.
I am only 5 foot short with not much meat on my bones.
One day, Errol looked out and saw the neighbour teaching his wife how to use the snowblower. He said I was responsible for her being taught to move the snow. The husband must have told her that if that little thing across the street can handle the big snowblower, she could too.
These days her son clears the snow.
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Post by Sophia on Jan 16, 2015 19:14:03 GMT -7
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Post by Adele on Jan 22, 2015 8:44:23 GMT -7
Haz, that is hilarious. My husband hated the cold more than me, but he would scrape my car for me and I was happy to let him. I usually only cleared enough to see out of a little hole in the front windshield, then hurried in. He did a very thorough job getting lights and everything. We went to CO for Christmas and it was -7 F on the day we left. He scraped my mom's car. We both lived in apartments though in MN, so we never had to shovel a driveway.
My sister was in NY for 5 years and they had a decent sized driveway. Her husband worked way too long of hours for her to half to wait for him to shovel it. She never bought a snow blower and always shoveled it herself, but she was pretty unhappy with NY by the time she left.
Sophie, we'll be going to the Netherlands in two weeks for 16 days. My husband's dad is from there so we'll visit the home town and some other areas. I go there about once per year for work, but I've never been there in Feb. I hope it is not too cold. I heard about them not being able to handle the snow, so hopefully we won't have any!
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Though thankfully where we live we get VERY little snow, just enough to look forward to spring 