It's Wintertime

Hello from the wintery White North! It's been a while since we last posted anything so let's get caught up.

One of the first things our friends and family ask us is "How's the weather so far?" Well, on October 30th we got our first snowfall of the season and it hasn't melted away.

C watches the first few snowflakes coming down

Django says: "What the hell's happening to our yard!"

Temperatures are generally highs of around -2° (celsius) to -5°C and overnight lows dip down to about -15°C. We did have a cold snap around the end of November where we saw overnight lows drop to -30°C. Whoa.

Gulp! Still plenty of room to fall on that thermometer.

All in all we've probably gotten over 2 feet of snow over the past couple months. C and I are adjusting pretty well to it. The absence of any humidity at all helps and the fact that it comes on gradually makes it easier to get used to. Even though we're told it'll get even colder in January and February, we're relieved to not be "crying our little California butts off" here in December. Yet.

Backyard a la mode

"Whoa awesome! Our front yard's gone!"

It looks as if a crack dealer's car blew up in front of our house.

We just got the car "winterized" the weekend before we had the big snowfall. We got snow tires put on, the oil changed, anti-freeze put into the windshield washers and had an engine block heater installed. For those of you unfamiliar with engine block heaters (i.e. anyone from the United States) it's a device you plug in to any electrical outlet (120 VAC) and it keeps your engine block warm so it'll start later. You usually "plug in" when temps drop to -25°C or lower. I could tell when temps were hitting -20° that the car would have a harder time starting so I can imagine it not starting after sitting overnight in -30° cold. In most parking lots around town where people might be leaving their cars for more than a couple hours (like the university or the airport or the casino), you'll see AC power outlets for every parking space. Crazy!

"Honey, do you remember where we parked the car?"

C and I got all excited that we got icicles hanging off of our house. It's just like in the movies! Then we realized that we're probably getting them because there's something wrong with our rain gutters. Oh well. They look so charming!

Probably don't want to stand underneath those things, huh?

It's so cold and dry here that the snow stays powdery for the most part. Except on the rare afternoon when the temps poke above freezing for a few hours. Then the snow melts just enough to be able to pack it together.

Here C and Moxie are building a snowman. First they start with the testicle.

Shoveling the snow wasn't too bad during the first few weeks when it was still powdery and light. But after a couple afternoons of +2°C temps, the snow started to cake into big hunks of icy bricks which were not as easy to wisk away.

Once I figured out which end to use, shoveling became a breeze

The dogs of course love the snow. They love chasing each other around in it and romping through the snowdrifts. I just need to figure out a way to attach a snow shovel to them.

Moxie goes loopy for snow

The pups are getting bigger. We look back at pictures when we first got them and laugh and laugh. We just can't imagine they were ever that small.

Django at 2 months. Bwaahahahahahahaha!

They still need a lot of attention and love but they're so much better behaved than when they were little pups. They love playing fetch and tug-o-war and bite-the-snow-shovel. They'll turn 5 months old on Christmas Eve and they already know sit, lay down, stay (but not for very long), come, roll over, crate (when it's time to go into their dog crates for food and sleepy time) and go-get-me-a-beer. Well... we're still working on that last one.

"I can't feel my dew claws. Can I come in now?"

Allis the cat is doing well too. She's growing as well and likes to ambush the dogs and get them into trouble whenever she can. Although they wrestle and gnaw on and claw at each other a lot, they seem to be careful not to hurt each other. When the day is done though, they're all one big happy wolf pack.

"You can go eat when I'm done using you as a pillow."

"I wonder if I can fit your whole head in my mouth."

The other big news is that C finished her first semester of her MFA program! Woo-hoo! She did an incredible amount of work in that semester and impressed all of her professors. But I'll let her tell you all about it. She did a fantastic job and I'm really proud of her.

C trudges through the snow on her way to class. Luckily there aren't any hills in Regina.

For all of you Expression College students and grads who've had C as a teacher: One night after several exhausting, 12+ hour days of working on homework and preparing for her panel review with all of her professors, she said, "There's so much work. There's just no time for anything else. I'm working all the time. I don't know how those students at Expression did it." Ha ha! Payback's a bitch, ain't it?

Well that's enough for now. From me, C, Allis, Moxie and Django, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas (Hanukka, Kwanzaa, et. al.) and a very happy, healthy New Year! Feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time -- adventure!
R-