Caught in a lie.

Remember I said it was cold out? I lied.  Now it's cold!

Okay, so this morning environment canada says it's -49 C.  And we are supposed to hit -50 a couple of times over the next few days.  That kinda sucks.

I walked to town yesterday.  I should tell you what this invoves, for those of you in balmier climates.  First I have to make sure there is plenty of wood in the stove and turn the stove right down and hope and pray that it's still warm in here when we get home.  Then I have to put on my mukluks, my snowpants (thanks Scott's grandparents for the awesome 1970something snowsuits), two neck warmers, my scarf, my toque, my parka, and my mitts...with extra mitts stored in the inside pocket of the parka.  Then I have to tie my poor dogs up outside (though yesterday I couldn't make the clasp on Milo's chain work so he got to stay inside (lucky dog)) making sure they have plenty of straw.  Then I had to come back inside to warm my toes and fingers up again before I left.  I took the long way into town, fearing being frozen to death should I fall on the steep hill involved in the short cut and not be able to get up.  The first 1/3 or so of the walk was quite pleasant but then coming down the hill and to the river there was ice fog and I could feel the temperature drop quite a bit.  I can barely see because I have so much of my face covered by my toque and my neck warmer and my furry parka hood and it's all covered in frost by then, including the strands of hair that came free and immediately froze to my face.  I do notice as I'm crossing the river that there are dozens of new cracks...and big cracks, too.  Some of them I can see down several feet.  I walked faster than one is supposed to walk when it's that cold out until I reached the other side.  I only saw one other person on my entire walk to the school.  A lady was walking her dog down by the river.  No cars either.  It's too cold to be driving. 

A sad note on my walk.  On Saturday some folks from Sunnydale mounted a huge (15 feet?) Inukshuk made of ice blocks in the middle part of the ice bridge.  On my walk over I noticed it had been knocked down.  I saw Holly in the library (where I was working), who orchestrated the building and moving of the monument and he said there were parts of somebody's tail lights around the pile of broken ice.  So someone did it on purpose!!!! It would have been such a welcome sight for the mushers to arrive to during the Quest. 

Anyways, it's too cold.  I'm staying inside today.  Do you blame me? 

05:06 - Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - post comment