Frigid. That pretty much sums up the farmette for the past week. While we stayed cosy and warm in our tiny brick house, others were braving the elements to ring in the New Year. Many Canadian cities either really truncated the celebrations or moved them indoors. We opted to tuck in on the loveseat and watch Rick Mercer freeze his butt off as host of the festivities in Niagara Falls. Even managed to stay awake until midnight. Barely. Rob and I toasted with a wee dram of champers and went off to snooze under the feather duvet at about 12:10.
I can't believe the number of new terms the media and weather people are coming up with to characterize what's happening outside. Last week, the snowstorm that ripped up the eastern seaboard had everyone in a panic to describe it.
Weather bomb, bomb cyclone, bombogenesis....notice how all these are related to something bad that happens during a war? It's like we're in battle against the elements. Which, to a certain extent, I guess, we are.
Here at the farmette while we did suffer the plunging temperatures, we didn't get the wallop of snow that our neighbours on the Bruce Peninsula and on the shore of Lake Huron got. That's okay. We still have a foot and a half on the ground from the week before, so we're not feeling deprived or anything.
But man, it was COLD. Gotta say that while we're made of stern stuff up here in Grey County, when the thermometer regularly dipped below -20C, I could only stand a half-hour outside to do my chores and get a little (very) fresh air. My nostrils stuck together and my cheeks went numb, but my feet were warm, thanks to the wooly, lovely socks I got from Rob for Christmas.
Of course, the felines know how to deal. When the it's a bright, clear day but the brass monkeys are running around without their nads, the place to be is inside, basking on the floor in the sunroom. Or fully covering the hot-air register. Or 'lumping' UNDER the blanket that supposed to protect the grampa chair from, well, cat hair. (We inherited the chair from my maternal grandfather, hence, the "grampa chair".)
I understand that today, we're supposed to be getting some relief from the relentless cold. The forecast is for -8C today and a balmy zero tomorrow. Or they could just be fooling us - as in this Rick Mercer skit from which I still get a giggle.
Until next week, I hope everyone can keep warm, bundle up and stay safe!