It's also been the coldest winter in 34 years, since 1980.
Our house, built sometime in the early 1830's, as a barn, was converted into a home in 1980. So this has been the coldest winter that this home has ever experienced.
And trust me when I say that we've felt every shivering cold breath of it.
You may remember the last time we spoke, that we were prepping for some major minor renos. Well, they didn't quite go as expected. We couldn't get to where we needed to get with the insulation, without ripping up the floor, which we wern't prepared to do on that day. And so no insulation. Which, in retrospect, was very very bad. (See above about coldest winter.)
And so, without insulation, our house is cold. Our house is not too bad when it's -10C outside. But when it dips to -25C at night, or god forbid, lower then it dips in here too. This morning it was 52 degrees in the house (a chilly 11C) with everything cranking at full. There is nothing to be done, the heater can't keep up when there is -25 degree air seeping in all along the floor. (And holy EFF is the floor ever cold. )
The other day it finally got to me. The cold inside, coupled with the cold outside, coupled with my car's new-found dislike of the cold, and its subsequent refusal to start, two days running (or not running, as the case may be) tipped me over the edge into "sobbing puddle of Mom."
And then Corbie came to me and hugged my leg. Gave it a little pat. "Its ok, Mommy."
Deep breath. Winter won't last forever.
And this morning I looked at the forecast and realized that today, right now, is the coldest that it's going to be for the foreseeable future. I'm only going to get warmer. The house is only going to get warmer. The grass is only going to get greener (once we find it under all the snow.)
And next year, when winter rolls around, we will be better prepared. More insulation. If all goes well, a wood stove, hopefully even two.
And a bloody vacation planned for February, just in case.
But we're all ok. We're alive, we have each other. We have warm blankets and tea and hot water bottles, and the love. We have a (albeit poorly insulated) roof over our heads. All in all, life ain't so bad.
And pretty soon, I'll be gardening. And thanks to the long winter, there is more bunny poop piled up here than you can shake a stick at.
The gardens this year are going to be fab!
Stay warm, peeps, spring is coming!
xoxox
