-Despite a light dusting of snow late yesterday afternoon/evening, the winter continues to be unseasonably warm. Again today we're expecting temperatures close to five degrees above freezing and I'm not sure if it's even gone down to -20 at any point this month. It's just bizarre.
-A few months ago I noticed that our oven didn't seem to be heating evenly. Of course, because it did eventually heat up it took me a while to identify the problem. That the element in the oven continued to operate as normal made the problem even more baffling.
Finally, after months of procrastination we finally called an appliance service company last week and arranged for a visit by a repairman. After quickly describing the problem, the service technician got down to work and began disassembling our oven.
Before long panels were off and he was deep in the gut of the thing, where he found that the oven's second element - which was hidden in the side of the oven away from site - was shot. Fortunately, he had a replacement element on hand and he was able to have the oven back in proper working order in less than an hour.
While we were more than satisfied with the quality of the service call, it seems like a bit of a design weakness to place a replaceable element in a location that requires the oven to be torn apart to reach. That the first element lasted about fifteen years will hopefully mean that this won't be a service call we will need to make again.
-With our newly functioning oven we've both already completed baking projects. Yesterday I made a loaf of bread and Jeannette made a small batch of coconut cookies.
-In addition to regular Sunday cleaning and errands, we'll likely have to make a trip to the grocery store later today. Hurrah!
Cameron - 10
Neil - 0
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
A Few Quick Notes - 628
-Despite technically warmer temperatures on Saturday, both yesterday and today have felt a fair bit warmer. Sadly, neither of these days has been accompanied by the sunnier skies of Saturday.
-Yesterday was Family Day in Saskatchewan. Though I tried talking Jeannette into a day trip to Montana and North Dakota (Plentywood and Williston in particular), we spent most of the holiday cleaning the house. Despite being a little disappointed that we didn't manage an international adventure, I'm quite happy that we did some long-overdue deep cleaning.
-One task I didn't finish yesterday is folding all of the laundry that I did. Guess I should get down to that shortly (and because I've also changed the sheets since then theres even more to fold).
-In most cases I feel as though if I'm not completely unreceptive to ads, I'm relatively unreceptive to ads. There are many companies whose ads I know I've heard thousands of time (if you listen to podcasts you know which companies I'm talking about) that I have no interest in patronizing.
One product, despite the low production qualities of most of its ads, I've long been tempted by is CLR - a product that promises to de-calcify household objects. Even as a child I found this product tempting, though because St. John's has relatively soft water how or when this liquid would be used was never entirely clear.
Since we've lived in Regina the uses for a product that might de-calcify a household objects have become a little clearer.
Since first buying some CLR for Jeannette (so that I could clean our kettle) I've had the pleasure of using this product and observing that it works as advertised and did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was strangely satisfying to finally buy this product after so many years of ads and then find that it works as advertised.
Oddly, I'm not sure that I have similar feelings about many of the other products I've seen ads for on a regular/daily basis for the past 15 years.
Cameron - 6
Neil - 0
-Yesterday was Family Day in Saskatchewan. Though I tried talking Jeannette into a day trip to Montana and North Dakota (Plentywood and Williston in particular), we spent most of the holiday cleaning the house. Despite being a little disappointed that we didn't manage an international adventure, I'm quite happy that we did some long-overdue deep cleaning.
-One task I didn't finish yesterday is folding all of the laundry that I did. Guess I should get down to that shortly (and because I've also changed the sheets since then theres even more to fold).
-In most cases I feel as though if I'm not completely unreceptive to ads, I'm relatively unreceptive to ads. There are many companies whose ads I know I've heard thousands of time (if you listen to podcasts you know which companies I'm talking about) that I have no interest in patronizing.
One product, despite the low production qualities of most of its ads, I've long been tempted by is CLR - a product that promises to de-calcify household objects. Even as a child I found this product tempting, though because St. John's has relatively soft water how or when this liquid would be used was never entirely clear.
Since we've lived in Regina the uses for a product that might de-calcify a household objects have become a little clearer.
Since first buying some CLR for Jeannette (so that I could clean our kettle) I've had the pleasure of using this product and observing that it works as advertised and did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was strangely satisfying to finally buy this product after so many years of ads and then find that it works as advertised.
Oddly, I'm not sure that I have similar feelings about many of the other products I've seen ads for on a regular/daily basis for the past 15 years.
Cameron - 6
Neil - 0
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Winter so far
Somehow, despite the fact it feels as though we just moved here, we are in the midst of our fourth winter in Regina. Under normal circumstances this would mean that at this point in the year we'd be clad head to toe in various thermal garments and be making last-minute trips to the car at 10:30 PM when we realized that we'd not plugged it in.
Instead, because it has been a record breaking winter, we often choosing spring jackets (or on one occasion two nights ago - no jacket) and we haven't even gone so far as to locate our car's block heater cord. On one or two of the colder days I did dig out my ski mask, but that was probably more just to do it than because it was necessary.
Strangely, at least so far, the milder weather has not meant more storms or snow. As of a few days ago, the last time I heard any reporting on the matter, we were well below 10 cm of show for the season. While we don't typically get much snow here, we do typically get a fair bit more than 10 over the course of several months of winter.
And the impact of this minimal total snowfall has been mitigated by several days of temperatures above zero. The past two days have been particularly impactful as they've been accompanied by very clear skies. The effect was such that we now have largish patches of (brown) grass showing.
Despite the mild weather that we've had through the end of January there's still plenty of time for things to take a turn for the worse in February, March and April. Of course, if we're able to maintain the current trajectory I don't think anyone will be complaining.
Instead, because it has been a record breaking winter, we often choosing spring jackets (or on one occasion two nights ago - no jacket) and we haven't even gone so far as to locate our car's block heater cord. On one or two of the colder days I did dig out my ski mask, but that was probably more just to do it than because it was necessary.
Strangely, at least so far, the milder weather has not meant more storms or snow. As of a few days ago, the last time I heard any reporting on the matter, we were well below 10 cm of show for the season. While we don't typically get much snow here, we do typically get a fair bit more than 10 over the course of several months of winter.
And the impact of this minimal total snowfall has been mitigated by several days of temperatures above zero. The past two days have been particularly impactful as they've been accompanied by very clear skies. The effect was such that we now have largish patches of (brown) grass showing.
Despite the mild weather that we've had through the end of January there's still plenty of time for things to take a turn for the worse in February, March and April. Of course, if we're able to maintain the current trajectory I don't think anyone will be complaining.
Sunday, March 08, 2015
A Few Quick Notes 621
-After very cool temperatures just a few days ago, we've moved into a sunny warm patch. Yesterday, and hopefully again today, we'll see temperatures above zero and plenty of melting. Assuming this trend continues as forecast we should see plenty of melting over the next few days.
-Jeannette and I had an incredibly productive and pleasant day yesterday. We began by walking over to the first Farmer's Market of the season. Unfortunately, we were going to buy some lentils and barley and that vendor was absent. From there we made our way to the pet food store and then the downtown shopping district.
After grabbing lunch and taking care of a little downtown shopping we realized that we were just feet and minutes away from a free Regina Symphony Orchestra chamber ensemble concert at the public library. Amazingly, though we arrived only a few minutes before they were to begin we had a great selection of seats to choose from (within just a few minutes after our arrival almost all of the available seats were taken).
After the concert we spoke with a member of Jeannette's book club and her friend who was visiting from Winnipeg. Not only were we able to pick up a little inside information about hot Winnipeg restaurants, we learned a little more about the free concert series at the library.
Once we returned home we hopped in the car and made our way out for an afternoon drive. In our continuing attempt to at least visit many of the towns surrounding Regina we made our way through Pense and Belle Plaine. Unfortunately, the melting snow and muddy streets likely meant that we weren't seeing these towns at their best.
-Hopefully we will head out for a walk along the creek later this afternoon.
-Because I'm a sucker for this kind of thing I'm watching the Manitoba NDP leadership convention as being streamed by CBC. Yesterday I followed the Newfoundland NDP convention via Twitter. I think I'd probably watch/follow almost any delegated convention occurring in Canada - they really make for exciting viewing (whether or not you like the party involved).
-Not having a dishwasher is a real bummer. It seems that we constantly have a sink full of dirty dishes to do - no matter how many sinks full of dishes I've already done. Definitely a bummer.
-Jeannette and I had an incredibly productive and pleasant day yesterday. We began by walking over to the first Farmer's Market of the season. Unfortunately, we were going to buy some lentils and barley and that vendor was absent. From there we made our way to the pet food store and then the downtown shopping district.
After grabbing lunch and taking care of a little downtown shopping we realized that we were just feet and minutes away from a free Regina Symphony Orchestra chamber ensemble concert at the public library. Amazingly, though we arrived only a few minutes before they were to begin we had a great selection of seats to choose from (within just a few minutes after our arrival almost all of the available seats were taken).
After the concert we spoke with a member of Jeannette's book club and her friend who was visiting from Winnipeg. Not only were we able to pick up a little inside information about hot Winnipeg restaurants, we learned a little more about the free concert series at the library.
Once we returned home we hopped in the car and made our way out for an afternoon drive. In our continuing attempt to at least visit many of the towns surrounding Regina we made our way through Pense and Belle Plaine. Unfortunately, the melting snow and muddy streets likely meant that we weren't seeing these towns at their best.
-Hopefully we will head out for a walk along the creek later this afternoon.
-Because I'm a sucker for this kind of thing I'm watching the Manitoba NDP leadership convention as being streamed by CBC. Yesterday I followed the Newfoundland NDP convention via Twitter. I think I'd probably watch/follow almost any delegated convention occurring in Canada - they really make for exciting viewing (whether or not you like the party involved).
-Not having a dishwasher is a real bummer. It seems that we constantly have a sink full of dirty dishes to do - no matter how many sinks full of dishes I've already done. Definitely a bummer.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
A Few Quick Notes 620
-Though a little warmer today, for the past few days we have been waking up to rather frigid temperatures (in the -35 to -40 with wind chill range). Fortunately, these temperatures have decreased rather dramatically as the days have progressed and, typically, by evening we're up to a comfortable -20ish.
-I'm 1/4 in this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win competition. I suspect my only entries will be those I purchased while either traveling to and from Edmonton or while I was in Edmonton. I'll be surprised if I even get a chance to move up to 1/5.
-With ever lengthening days it has been a treat to walk to and from work in full light this past week. Of course, paired with the cold temperatures we've been having, the full sun and bright skies have been a little dissonant.
-Over the past few days Jeannette and I have been somewhat obsessively watching Orphan Black, a show staring Regina native Tatiana Maslany (who also happens to have been in the Newfoundland-filmed movie Grown Up Movie Star alongside one of Kirsten's school friends). Of course, because there aren't all that many episodes currently in existence this will necessarily be a short-lived obsession.
-I'm thinking about trying to drag Jeannette out for a walk along the creek/river today. Aside from the somewhat cool temperatures, it's a perfect day.
Cameron - 14
Neil - 0
-I'm 1/4 in this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win competition. I suspect my only entries will be those I purchased while either traveling to and from Edmonton or while I was in Edmonton. I'll be surprised if I even get a chance to move up to 1/5.
-With ever lengthening days it has been a treat to walk to and from work in full light this past week. Of course, paired with the cold temperatures we've been having, the full sun and bright skies have been a little dissonant.
-Over the past few days Jeannette and I have been somewhat obsessively watching Orphan Black, a show staring Regina native Tatiana Maslany (who also happens to have been in the Newfoundland-filmed movie Grown Up Movie Star alongside one of Kirsten's school friends). Of course, because there aren't all that many episodes currently in existence this will necessarily be a short-lived obsession.
-I'm thinking about trying to drag Jeannette out for a walk along the creek/river today. Aside from the somewhat cool temperatures, it's a perfect day.
Cameron - 14
Neil - 0
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Definitely a storm
I rather prematurely doubted the severity of today's forecast storm.
Soon after my post things really began to pick up.
[Embedded video]
Of course, just as things were picking up we had to head out for my optometry appointment (and a trip to the local Asian grocery store).
Not only was the blowing snow really quite good at reducing visibility, but the cold temperatures (almost -40 with the windchill) and high humidity (about 80%) were causing cars' windows to frost up in a most impressive fashion. I've never experienced anything quite like it.
Normally, when it's this cold the major upside is low humidity (including a low risk of snow). Somehow, we've managed to get everything today.
[Embedded video]
[Embedded video]
Fortunately, the snowing is supposed to stop in a few hours. I guess once it does I will have to head out and take care of some shovelling. Yum!
Cameron - 11
Neil - 0
Soon after my post things really began to pick up.
[Embedded video]
Of course, just as things were picking up we had to head out for my optometry appointment (and a trip to the local Asian grocery store).
Not only was the blowing snow really quite good at reducing visibility, but the cold temperatures (almost -40 with the windchill) and high humidity (about 80%) were causing cars' windows to frost up in a most impressive fashion. I've never experienced anything quite like it.
Normally, when it's this cold the major upside is low humidity (including a low risk of snow). Somehow, we've managed to get everything today.
[Embedded video]
[Embedded video]
Fortunately, the snowing is supposed to stop in a few hours. I guess once it does I will have to head out and take care of some shovelling. Yum!
Cameron - 11
Neil - 0
Big bad snow storm?
So, for the first time this winter in Regina we've been warned that a snow storm may be on our way. Of course, I thought it was supposed to start hours ago and presently it's just begun to snow lightly - so I'm not altogether what this says about the impact of the forecast storm. Is it just a little late?
Of course, one of the things I find funny about this storm is that it is supposed to bring with it 10-15 cm of snow. In other parts of the country this quantity of snow would hardly be worth noticing - particularly during a winter when the eastern portion of the continent has been hit repeatedly with more substantial blasts.
To be a little fairer to this region, even a relatively small amount of snow and wind can make driving, particularly highway driving, quite dangerous. As there is almost nothing to stop snow from blowing once clear streets and highways can instantly, or so it seems, have snow patches that might impact the trajectory of one's vehicle. Even days after a snowfall light and fluffy snow can be blown around in ways that are problematic for drivers.
What makes this storm particularly notable, though, is that it is supposed to be taking place while it is relatively cold (-21ish and with a windchill of -37ish). Normally when it is this cold we don't get all that much snow - and we certainly don't have snowstorms in these conditions.
I guess we will just have to wait and see if the storm does materialize.
Cameron - 9
Neil - 0
Of course, one of the things I find funny about this storm is that it is supposed to bring with it 10-15 cm of snow. In other parts of the country this quantity of snow would hardly be worth noticing - particularly during a winter when the eastern portion of the continent has been hit repeatedly with more substantial blasts.
To be a little fairer to this region, even a relatively small amount of snow and wind can make driving, particularly highway driving, quite dangerous. As there is almost nothing to stop snow from blowing once clear streets and highways can instantly, or so it seems, have snow patches that might impact the trajectory of one's vehicle. Even days after a snowfall light and fluffy snow can be blown around in ways that are problematic for drivers.
What makes this storm particularly notable, though, is that it is supposed to be taking place while it is relatively cold (-21ish and with a windchill of -37ish). Normally when it is this cold we don't get all that much snow - and we certainly don't have snowstorms in these conditions.
I guess we will just have to wait and see if the storm does materialize.
Cameron - 9
Neil - 0
Sunday, February 08, 2015
A Few Quick Notes 619
-We're currently in the midst of a light snow shower. Assuming all goes as planned, I'll probably head out in a few minutes to do a little light shovelling. Of course, depending on the length of this snow shower I may or may not have to head out later tonight to do a little final tidying.
-Fortunately, we've not had all that much snow this winter. And what snow we did have earlier in the winter was reduced dramatically by a warm stretch we had a few weeks ago.
-The Pet Roombaing has continued unabated. And as I've previously reported, each session results in far more hair and dust than seems reasonable given the frequency with which the machine is run. Gross.
-A few days ago Jeannette and I bought about a pound of strawberries. We consumed them in a single sitting last night as the fruit component of a chocolate fondue session. Once we ran out of fruit I switched to crackers (we wouldn't want to waste perfectly good chocolate, would we?).
-At the New Year's Eve party we attended one of the attending families brought a chocolate fountain with them. While the theory is quite similar to chocolate fondue, to get the right consistency for the 'fountain' effect they had to add quite a bit of vegetable oil to the pounds of melted chocolate. It was probably quite good that I saw the prep stage as I think I am quite unlikely to ever take part in any chocolate fountain activities in the future (not that I'd ever taken part in the past - but now I have a good reason).
-At some point I going to have to figure out what we're going to have for dinner. B'ys, it just never ends.
-Hope you're enjoying your blog-off content spurt.
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
-Fortunately, we've not had all that much snow this winter. And what snow we did have earlier in the winter was reduced dramatically by a warm stretch we had a few weeks ago.
-The Pet Roombaing has continued unabated. And as I've previously reported, each session results in far more hair and dust than seems reasonable given the frequency with which the machine is run. Gross.
-A few days ago Jeannette and I bought about a pound of strawberries. We consumed them in a single sitting last night as the fruit component of a chocolate fondue session. Once we ran out of fruit I switched to crackers (we wouldn't want to waste perfectly good chocolate, would we?).
-At the New Year's Eve party we attended one of the attending families brought a chocolate fountain with them. While the theory is quite similar to chocolate fondue, to get the right consistency for the 'fountain' effect they had to add quite a bit of vegetable oil to the pounds of melted chocolate. It was probably quite good that I saw the prep stage as I think I am quite unlikely to ever take part in any chocolate fountain activities in the future (not that I'd ever taken part in the past - but now I have a good reason).
-At some point I going to have to figure out what we're going to have for dinner. B'ys, it just never ends.
-Hope you're enjoying your blog-off content spurt.
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
Saturday, January 31, 2015
A Few Quick Notes 618
-After about a week and a half of unseasonably warm temperatures we've again seen the mercury drop to something approximating the seasonal norm (even if we're still a few degrees above where we normally are). The nasty consequence of the warm weather is that much of the snow that we had on the ground melted and then re-froze as ice and because many people hadn't been completely up to date on their sideway clearing much of this ice is now on sidewalks around Regina. Snowfalls, however slight, since the drop in temperatures have conveniently masked much of the ice making walking even more treacherous than it was when it ice was exposed.
-This morning at about 8:30 I went out for a nice shovelling session. I managed to take care of our shovelling and to also shovel the sidewalks of our neighbours on both sides. Much to my surprise, I think I managed to take care of this shovelling before any humans walked along the sidewalk.
-For dinner tonight we should be having a nice batch of mushroom and barley soup. If I decide to be ambitious we may even have some type of freshly baked bread or dessert to accompany the soup (maybe even both).
-I think that after about a month since we first felt the symptons of a cold Jeannette and I are both back to about 98%. There's a bit more phlegm than either of us would like, but it's not too bad.
-This morning at about 8:30 I went out for a nice shovelling session. I managed to take care of our shovelling and to also shovel the sidewalks of our neighbours on both sides. Much to my surprise, I think I managed to take care of this shovelling before any humans walked along the sidewalk.
-For dinner tonight we should be having a nice batch of mushroom and barley soup. If I decide to be ambitious we may even have some type of freshly baked bread or dessert to accompany the soup (maybe even both).
-I think that after about a month since we first felt the symptons of a cold Jeannette and I are both back to about 98%. There's a bit more phlegm than either of us would like, but it's not too bad.
Friday, January 09, 2015
A Few Quick Notes 617
-After several weeks of unRegina like Winter weather, we've finally moved on to the type of Regina winter weather I've come to know and love - it's about -20 and sunny. As far as I'm concerned this is almost perfect Winter weather. It just doesn't get better than this.
-While doing some supplementary shovelling today (I did the driveway, paths, and sidewalk immediately after the snowfall) I had the pleasure of taking in some of this wonderful Winter weather first hand. Of course, to prepare for the low temperatures I put on my coat, mitts, scarf, face mask, and hat. I was amazed to find that when I came in about 30 minutes later I was really sweating (and at no point did I feel cold).
-A few months ago This American Life began a new spin-off show - Serial. Almost immediately Jeannette and I became rabid listeners. During the run of the show we more or less restricted ourselves to the weekly podcast and the various discussions we would have with each other after each new episode was released.
Now that the podcast's first season has ended but various related stories have been independent news outlets we've gotten sucked into the Serial Reddit vortex. We can seem to spend an entire evening just reading Reddit comments about alternate theories of a 1999 Baltimore murder case. When not reading these comments I am compulsively contemplating my own (or Jeannette's particularly good) theory/ies of the case.
How is it possible that I am spending more time thinking about a 12 episode podcast now that it has ended than I did while it aired? How can I be waiting for new articles from The Intercept, articles that I know will just upset me, with a greater sense of anticipation than I had for new episodes? (I've probably checked for the concluding segment of the Kevin Urick interview 20 times today.)
-At some point soon I may have to start thinking about what to make for dinner tonight. On the other hand, because of our ongoing illnesses it seems likely that neither of us may be as inclined to eat in a timely fashion as we normally might be.
-While doing some supplementary shovelling today (I did the driveway, paths, and sidewalk immediately after the snowfall) I had the pleasure of taking in some of this wonderful Winter weather first hand. Of course, to prepare for the low temperatures I put on my coat, mitts, scarf, face mask, and hat. I was amazed to find that when I came in about 30 minutes later I was really sweating (and at no point did I feel cold).
-A few months ago This American Life began a new spin-off show - Serial. Almost immediately Jeannette and I became rabid listeners. During the run of the show we more or less restricted ourselves to the weekly podcast and the various discussions we would have with each other after each new episode was released.
Now that the podcast's first season has ended but various related stories have been independent news outlets we've gotten sucked into the Serial Reddit vortex. We can seem to spend an entire evening just reading Reddit comments about alternate theories of a 1999 Baltimore murder case. When not reading these comments I am compulsively contemplating my own (or Jeannette's particularly good) theory/ies of the case.
How is it possible that I am spending more time thinking about a 12 episode podcast now that it has ended than I did while it aired? How can I be waiting for new articles from The Intercept, articles that I know will just upset me, with a greater sense of anticipation than I had for new episodes? (I've probably checked for the concluding segment of the Kevin Urick interview 20 times today.)
-At some point soon I may have to start thinking about what to make for dinner tonight. On the other hand, because of our ongoing illnesses it seems likely that neither of us may be as inclined to eat in a timely fashion as we normally might be.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
It was also new snow tire day
Just as the installer was finishing with our new garage door, I was making my way north to our snow tire installation appointment.
This winter, our third in Regina and our third with this car, we decided to switch from the all-season tires that came with the car to dedicated snow tires. Though we hadn't had issues with the tires over the past two winters, we were assuming that as the tires aged/wore they would be less effective in Regina's winter conditions.
Pleasantly, the installation process was quick (even though the vendor, apparently, hadn't properly booked our appointment and then had to squeeze us in). Conveniently, it was also the case that it was snowing on the afternoon of our appointment so I had the pleasure of driving on our old tires to the appointment and then our new tires from the appointment.
Almost as soon as I started driving on the new tires I could feel the difference.
Of course, since the tires were installed we've hardly had any new snow (and for the past few days it has even been above zero).
This winter, our third in Regina and our third with this car, we decided to switch from the all-season tires that came with the car to dedicated snow tires. Though we hadn't had issues with the tires over the past two winters, we were assuming that as the tires aged/wore they would be less effective in Regina's winter conditions.
Pleasantly, the installation process was quick (even though the vendor, apparently, hadn't properly booked our appointment and then had to squeeze us in). Conveniently, it was also the case that it was snowing on the afternoon of our appointment so I had the pleasure of driving on our old tires to the appointment and then our new tires from the appointment.
Almost as soon as I started driving on the new tires I could feel the difference.
Of course, since the tires were installed we've hardly had any new snow (and for the past few days it has even been above zero).
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Spring's arrival is no longer quite so ominous
After a little investigation yesterday morning, I was very happy to learn that all of my sump pump problems could be attributed to user error. I was also happy to learn that we don't have a sump pump with an internally wired switch - so if either the switch or the pump go I can replace the problem part and not the whole operation.
Maybe it was the good news on the sump pump front, but somewhere I found the motivation to finally open up and apply our epoxy crack filling compound. Of course, I'm not sure that the stuff will end up being all that effective as the instructions imply that it works more quickly and effectively when applied to warmer surfaces. Unfortunately, our basement walls aren't all that warm at the moment.
The other good news of the day is that the forecast sun hasn't yet arrived. With sun and higher temperatures we'd really be in the midst of a rather intense melt. The absence of the sun should slow things down somewhat dramatically - which will hopefully allow us to avoid any Spring melt related problems.
On the other hand, because of the location of the snow during last year's thaw we've been keeping the patio and side of the house free of snow and it would be nice to have a rather dramatic melt to provide me some comfort that my work was worth it or the knowledge that no matter how clear I keep the foundation we'll have thaw leakage.
Anyway, no matter what the sun does, we should have at least a little melting today and we should be ready for it. If I'm particularly motivated I may take this opportunity to remove some ice at the base of our driveway.
Maybe it was the good news on the sump pump front, but somewhere I found the motivation to finally open up and apply our epoxy crack filling compound. Of course, I'm not sure that the stuff will end up being all that effective as the instructions imply that it works more quickly and effectively when applied to warmer surfaces. Unfortunately, our basement walls aren't all that warm at the moment.
The other good news of the day is that the forecast sun hasn't yet arrived. With sun and higher temperatures we'd really be in the midst of a rather intense melt. The absence of the sun should slow things down somewhat dramatically - which will hopefully allow us to avoid any Spring melt related problems.
On the other hand, because of the location of the snow during last year's thaw we've been keeping the patio and side of the house free of snow and it would be nice to have a rather dramatic melt to provide me some comfort that my work was worth it or the knowledge that no matter how clear I keep the foundation we'll have thaw leakage.
Anyway, no matter what the sun does, we should have at least a little melting today and we should be ready for it. If I'm particularly motivated I may take this opportunity to remove some ice at the base of our driveway.
Monday, February 17, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 610
-We're just cluing up another slightly overcast, not particularly cold winter's day in Regina. I think there may have been a few flurries at various points throughout the day, or it may have just been blowing snow. It was a little hard to tell and not important enough for me to engage in a serious investigation of the matter.
-I sampled my ginger beer last night. It definitely had a bite, and it was definitely gingery. But I'm not sure it had the bite or ginger flavour I was looking for. My gut is that it basically tastes like carbonated ginger juice.
Fortunately, I've purchased some more ginger and am planning on working on batch two tonight. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the process sorted out or have admitted defeat.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I picked up discounted copies of the first two seasons of The Wire. Apparently Jeannette's incredibly Olympics viewing capabilities don't extend to 10 year old HBO shows - she crashed during the first episode. I, on the other hand, couldn't believe how excited I was to be re-watching the show. Hopefully we'll try again tonight and this time it will stick.
Cameron - 16
Neil - 0
-I sampled my ginger beer last night. It definitely had a bite, and it was definitely gingery. But I'm not sure it had the bite or ginger flavour I was looking for. My gut is that it basically tastes like carbonated ginger juice.
Fortunately, I've purchased some more ginger and am planning on working on batch two tonight. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the process sorted out or have admitted defeat.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I picked up discounted copies of the first two seasons of The Wire. Apparently Jeannette's incredibly Olympics viewing capabilities don't extend to 10 year old HBO shows - she crashed during the first episode. I, on the other hand, couldn't believe how excited I was to be re-watching the show. Hopefully we'll try again tonight and this time it will stick.
Cameron - 16
Neil - 0
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 609
-Today I walked outside and immediately wondered if I even needed a coat. Once I started the car I realized that it was still -16.5, but it was about 10 degrees warmer than the previous morning and certainly enough to feel the difference.
-Apparently today was budget day. I was pleasantly surprised to see that CBC did push back, or at least appeared to, push back Olympics coverage to do some budget coverage.
-I think we may need to head to the grocery store tomorrow after work.
-Over the course of the past few weeks I've been trying to sell Jeannette on the effectiveness of Shirley Temple's performances in her many childhood movie appearances. I think I finally convinced Jeannette that Shirley's movies are still entertaining.
So it definitely felt a little weird when this morning Jeannette emailed me to let me know that Shirley Temple had just died. Definite bummer.
Cameron - 12
Neil - 0
-Apparently today was budget day. I was pleasantly surprised to see that CBC did push back, or at least appeared to, push back Olympics coverage to do some budget coverage.
-I think we may need to head to the grocery store tomorrow after work.
-Over the course of the past few weeks I've been trying to sell Jeannette on the effectiveness of Shirley Temple's performances in her many childhood movie appearances. I think I finally convinced Jeannette that Shirley's movies are still entertaining.
So it definitely felt a little weird when this morning Jeannette emailed me to let me know that Shirley Temple had just died. Definite bummer.
Cameron - 12
Neil - 0
Saturday, February 08, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 608
-Apparently it's -29 with the wind chill at the moment. Because I haven't been outside (except when I reached out to grab the paper this morning) I'll have to take Environment Canada's word for it. Of course, as we're in Regina it's quite sunny.
-Though the Olympics aren't my thing (actually, I quite dislike them), we've been a pretty Olympics oriented house since Jeannette returned home from work yesterday evening.
Because of the time difference I'm not sure if anything but tape-delayed replays will be available this evening. If so, maybe that will be a good thing as most of the available content has already been viewed by the Olympics-watchers of this household.
-While Jeannette's been watching the coverage of the Olympics the cats have been hanging out on the foot of the bed.
Sometimes they were more clearly cuddling.
Has the more or less devolved into an excuse to post cat pics? And, if so, is that a problem?
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
-Though the Olympics aren't my thing (actually, I quite dislike them), we've been a pretty Olympics oriented house since Jeannette returned home from work yesterday evening.
Because of the time difference I'm not sure if anything but tape-delayed replays will be available this evening. If so, maybe that will be a good thing as most of the available content has already been viewed by the Olympics-watchers of this household.
-While Jeannette's been watching the coverage of the Olympics the cats have been hanging out on the foot of the bed.
Sometimes they were more clearly cuddling.
Has the more or less devolved into an excuse to post cat pics? And, if so, is that a problem?
Cameron - 8
Neil - 0
Thursday, February 06, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 607
-Well, as forecast the past few days have been pretty chilly. While we haven't approached the -52 (with wind chill) we had a few weeks ago, that fact that each morning has been below -35 with wind chill hasn't been great. Is it bad that I'm quite looking forward to the -10 that is preliminarily in the forecast for next Wednesday?
-Earlier this week Jeannette returned from a brief trip to Kelowna with an overnight jaunt down to Seattle. While it wasn't exactly hot in either of these locations, I think Jeannette appreciated the break from the consistent -20 that we've been experiencing. I'm starting to think that making a habit of a break at least a few days long each winter might not be a bad idea. I'm not sure that it's necessary to go somewhere beachy - just somewhere that's close to the freezing point.
-I've got the day off tomorrow which means that I should probably head to the local building supply store to pick up some supplies to fix our drier. I'm hoping that I'll only need a single, inexpensive metal tube to make everything right. Of course, if this fix doesn't work I have no idea what to do except hope that the problem will fix itself.
-A few weeks ago while at work I mentioned that Jeannette and I are thinking about getting a freezer for our basement. I'm quite glad I did as one of my co-workers immediately offered her truck to transport the freezer from the store to our house an another has been keeping her eye out for freezer options while in appliance stores. I'm hoping that these actions will mean that we end up with a perfect freezer, rather than the freezer we could get home.
Cameron - 4
Neil - 0
-Earlier this week Jeannette returned from a brief trip to Kelowna with an overnight jaunt down to Seattle. While it wasn't exactly hot in either of these locations, I think Jeannette appreciated the break from the consistent -20 that we've been experiencing. I'm starting to think that making a habit of a break at least a few days long each winter might not be a bad idea. I'm not sure that it's necessary to go somewhere beachy - just somewhere that's close to the freezing point.
-I've got the day off tomorrow which means that I should probably head to the local building supply store to pick up some supplies to fix our drier. I'm hoping that I'll only need a single, inexpensive metal tube to make everything right. Of course, if this fix doesn't work I have no idea what to do except hope that the problem will fix itself.
-A few weeks ago while at work I mentioned that Jeannette and I are thinking about getting a freezer for our basement. I'm quite glad I did as one of my co-workers immediately offered her truck to transport the freezer from the store to our house an another has been keeping her eye out for freezer options while in appliance stores. I'm hoping that these actions will mean that we end up with a perfect freezer, rather than the freezer we could get home.
Cameron - 4
Neil - 0
Sunday, February 02, 2014
A Few Quick Notes 606
-We seem to be in the middle of a multi-day run of temperatures hovering between -14 and -22, and, strangely, the skies are a little more overcast that usual. Though we've had a few flurries we haven't had any real accumulation in weeks.
-Jeannette's in Kelowna visiting family so I've had a relatively low-key, laundry-based weekend. Unfortunately, our drier hasn't been drying the laundry as effectively as it should be. I've done a fair bit of trouble-shooting and I'm still no closer to the truth. Bummer.
-Unless my evening takes a very unexpected turn for the absurd I don't think I'll be watching this evening's Super Bowl.
-While I don't plan on watching the Super Bowl I have been thinking about the scheduling of the event. If they determined the two participating teams weeks ago why are they only playing the game now. Wouldn't it make more sense to play the game the week after the teams have been determined? I guess expecting sense from a sporting event many people watch for the ads or musical performances might be a bit much.
Cameron - 3
Neil - 0
-Jeannette's in Kelowna visiting family so I've had a relatively low-key, laundry-based weekend. Unfortunately, our drier hasn't been drying the laundry as effectively as it should be. I've done a fair bit of trouble-shooting and I'm still no closer to the truth. Bummer.
-Unless my evening takes a very unexpected turn for the absurd I don't think I'll be watching this evening's Super Bowl.
-While I don't plan on watching the Super Bowl I have been thinking about the scheduling of the event. If they determined the two participating teams weeks ago why are they only playing the game now. Wouldn't it make more sense to play the game the week after the teams have been determined? I guess expecting sense from a sporting event many people watch for the ads or musical performances might be a bit much.
Cameron - 3
Neil - 0
Sunday, December 29, 2013
A Few Quick Notes 605
-After temperatures just above zero, we've now dropped into the -20 zone. As surprising as some of you might find it, I actually prefer this temperature because it's much drier and easier to content with while walking.
-I seems that between Friday night and Saturday morning we had a bit of a secret snowfall. Because it was just a few centimetres and because it was almost -40 (with wind chill) I opted to leave it on the ground yesterday. Of course, this means that at some point today I'll have to head out and deal with it. Yum.
-In a rare roll reversal, this morning Jeannette suggested a trip to the grocery store and I suggested that such a trip wasn't necessary. I wonder when this will happen again?
-After nine days off, I'll finally have to head back to work tomorrow. Hopefully my sleep schedule hasn't been too contorted by this break.
-Thanks to our turkey-free lifestyle this holiday season hasn't been too bad for our diets. Aside from an overconsumption of holiday breads, we've managed to eat pretty normally over the past few weeks. I guess this means we won't need to make any sure-not-to-be-followed dieting resolutions for New Year's?
-I seems that between Friday night and Saturday morning we had a bit of a secret snowfall. Because it was just a few centimetres and because it was almost -40 (with wind chill) I opted to leave it on the ground yesterday. Of course, this means that at some point today I'll have to head out and deal with it. Yum.
-In a rare roll reversal, this morning Jeannette suggested a trip to the grocery store and I suggested that such a trip wasn't necessary. I wonder when this will happen again?
-After nine days off, I'll finally have to head back to work tomorrow. Hopefully my sleep schedule hasn't been too contorted by this break.
-Thanks to our turkey-free lifestyle this holiday season hasn't been too bad for our diets. Aside from an overconsumption of holiday breads, we've managed to eat pretty normally over the past few weeks. I guess this means we won't need to make any sure-not-to-be-followed dieting resolutions for New Year's?
Saturday, December 21, 2013
A Few Quick Notes 604
-It has been between about -24 and -21 for the past 24 hours. Of course, the windchill's been dipping into the -33 range, meaning that we've been feeling it a little more than we might have. Amazingly, it doesn't take long for -20 with no windchill to not feel particularly cold - but as soon as you drop that by -10 (either with windchill or pure chilliness) it has a much more effective bite.
-Though we did have a little snow today it wasn't enough to motivate me to head out to shovel. If I had to guess it looks as though maybe less than a centimetre.
-At about lunch today I started to prepare some pea soup in our slow cooker. Unfortunately, I'm now a little nervous that the soup won't be ready for our normal dinner time. I guess it's good that we don't have a strict schedule today and that a delayed dinner shouldn't be much of a problem.
-We're shockingly close to Christmas. I guess because we didn't do much shopping this year, and the shopping we did do had to be done early enough to be mailed across the country, it hasn't really hit me that we're only a few days away from Christmas until now.
-I've really been doing a bad job at blogging this year. Maybe 2014 will be different?
-Though we did have a little snow today it wasn't enough to motivate me to head out to shovel. If I had to guess it looks as though maybe less than a centimetre.
-At about lunch today I started to prepare some pea soup in our slow cooker. Unfortunately, I'm now a little nervous that the soup won't be ready for our normal dinner time. I guess it's good that we don't have a strict schedule today and that a delayed dinner shouldn't be much of a problem.
-We're shockingly close to Christmas. I guess because we didn't do much shopping this year, and the shopping we did do had to be done early enough to be mailed across the country, it hasn't really hit me that we're only a few days away from Christmas until now.
-I've really been doing a bad job at blogging this year. Maybe 2014 will be different?
Sunday, November 17, 2013
It's still snowing
Though there may have been intermittent short breaks, it has more-or-less been snowing since before I woke up yesterday morning. Not only has this meant that my attempts at shovelling were a little less long-lived than I would have hoped, but that I'm witnessing the most substantial snowfall to occur since I moved to Regina.
This may be somewhat surprising for some of you given the reputation for putting on a good winter that Regina has.
It seems rather than having large snowfalls each winter, Regina secures it's "Winter Wonderland" status by having a number of smaller snowfalls that just don't melt until the spring.
Yes, it's entirely possible that the base layer of snow that's been deposited this weekend will actually be around until May (only March if we're lucky). Of course, by the time things start to melt it's likely that several more dumps will have been piled on top, helping to ensure the longevity of the initial dump.
Because we've spent the past weeks in Regina and watched the temperatures and their steady downward trajectory none of these developments are particularly surprising. What is much more surprising to me are the photos of the rest of Canada that seem to suggest that large swaths of the country may only be experience fall-like conditions.
Regina, quickly and silently, has tricked me into considering November a wintery month.
This may be somewhat surprising for some of you given the reputation for putting on a good winter that Regina has.
It seems rather than having large snowfalls each winter, Regina secures it's "Winter Wonderland" status by having a number of smaller snowfalls that just don't melt until the spring.
Yes, it's entirely possible that the base layer of snow that's been deposited this weekend will actually be around until May (only March if we're lucky). Of course, by the time things start to melt it's likely that several more dumps will have been piled on top, helping to ensure the longevity of the initial dump.
Because we've spent the past weeks in Regina and watched the temperatures and their steady downward trajectory none of these developments are particularly surprising. What is much more surprising to me are the photos of the rest of Canada that seem to suggest that large swaths of the country may only be experience fall-like conditions.
Regina, quickly and silently, has tricked me into considering November a wintery month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)