Oh, the weather outside is...

[Valka D'Ur]

We often get worse snow and cold than anywhere in the UK in Edmonton, but I've only seen the schools close twice here in my lifetime - for teacher's union strike actions.

When I was young, they just made us bundle up and trudge to school like Antarctic Explorers.

That's how it was in the '70s. The winter of 1972 was when we found out that you really can stuff a dozen kids and one adult in a small car and drive to school (highly illegal of course, but the alternative would have been that all of us would have frozen if we'd had to walk, as we had the farthest to go).

It's -17C here now; -26C with wind chill. If the manager's offer of a space heater is still good, I plan to take him up on it.

 

[Zkribbler]

If the manager's offer of a is still good, I plan to take him up on it.

Who pays for you electricity, you or the landlotd? Space heaters devour electricity.

 

[Patine]

That's how it was in the '70s. The winter of 1972 was when we found out that you really can stuff a dozen kids and one adult in a small car and drive to school (highly illegal of course, but the alternative would have been that all of us would have frozen if we'd had to walk, as we had the farthest to go).

It's -17C here now; -26C with wind chill. If the manager's offer of a space heater is still good, I plan to take him up on it.

It's probably about that here too, given I'm only about 150-200 km almost due north of you. Of course, the Canadian Prairies were not mentioned in the area covered "Great North American Groundhog Day Cold Wave," in the news - maybe because these temperatures aren't necessarily unusual here in late January, early February.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Who pays for you electricity, you or the landlotd? Space heaters devour electricity.

I pay. But he had the maintenance people increase the heat to the first floor, so while I'm currently wrapped up in four layers of clothing (including my fleece housecoat) and my feet are cold, it's not as bad as it could have been. I'm not using a space heater. If it gets too cold, I'll put another blanket on the bed and Maddy and I will try to sleep through it (for some crazy reason she decided to take a nap next to the balcony window; it's a bit colder with the blinds open, but I need the natural light in here as my vision is worse by lamp light).

Current temperature is -21C, with wind chill it's -33C. Tonight it's supposed to get down to -39C (with wind chill). It's snowing and windy outside.

 

[Silurian]

First frost of the winter last night and looks like another tonight with temperature down to -1C. Next week warm again so less sun more clouds and rain.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Environment Canada has just sent an "extreme cold warning" of wind chills from -40 to -45C.

Maddy is currently crawling under the fleece blanket on my bed. That's her "cave" she likes to be in when she gets cold.

 

[CKS]

Well, as promised, St Louis warmed right up. We were up to around 15C today, and I was sweating in shorts and t-shirt when I went skating.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Okay, @hobbsyoyo, you wanted rain. You ready to make a swim for it, or are you sheltered in place?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I'm good where I'm at, flat terrain a ways from the closest wash.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'm good where I'm at, flat terrain a ways from the closest wash.

Yeah, and you aren't in the San Fernando Valley; where the drainage system has lines painted on it so that it can be used for roads most of the time. It's always amusing watching valley folk wade around their submerged cars. It's like they have no memory capacity.

 

[Farm Boy]

Was almost enjoying winter, for a change. On to global warming 100 degree within a week swings! Picked all the **** off my basement floor today, it's going to be flooded as fawk if we get rain tomorrow. One of these years going to have to make enough to seal the outside of the cinderblock foundation. Dream dream dream. Thought about renting a backhoe, then realized I dont' meet permits, then realized I don't know quite exactly where the natural gas line is and don't quite have enough time to fatman bond with the spade to find out.

 

[Silurian]

Yeah, and you aren't in the San Fernando Valley; where the drainage system has lines painted on it so that it can be used for roads most of the time. It's always amusing watching valley folk wade around their submerged cars. It's like they have no memory capacity.

I was involved in the construction of the roads and car parks to a supermarket at the bottom of a steep valley. No one had built there because it flooded. We installed a 3m diameter drain to take the rain but the road was also designed to take water if the drain could not take all the water. The car parks were built on fill so they were about a meter above the road, obviously cars should not park in the temporary drain.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Was almost enjoying winter, for a change. On to global warming 100 degree within a week swings! Picked all the **** off my basement floor today, it's going to be flooded as fawk if we get rain tomorrow. One of these years going to have to make enough to seal the outside of the cinderblock foundation. Dream dream dream. Thought about renting a backhoe, then realized I dont' meet permits, then realized I don't know quite exactly where the natural gas line is and don't quite have enough time to fatman bond with the spade to find out.

If you call your local utility, they will come out and spray paint where the gas and other buried lines are on your lawn for you, free of charge.

I had a friend with a similar basement problem and he was able to temporarily fix it by digging a very small sloped trench around the wall by hand.

 

[Silurian]

If you call your local utility, they will come out and spray paint where the gas and other buried lines are on your lawn for you, free of charge.

I had a friend with a similar basement problem and he was able to temporarily fix it by digging a very small sloped trench around the wall by hand.

When utilities mark out services you still have to dig by hand to confirm there location if you are digging anywhere near them. Gas has been carried in plastic pipes for many years so do not give off radio signals. Metal pipes are also quite difficult to detect because there short length means that they do not pick up long wave radio well and re-transmit it so they can be detected. The utilites will only say the positions they mark are advisory.

 

[Darsnan]

Yesterday morning it was about -18C when I headed out. Today its above freezing, the sun is peaking out, and other than being a little too peoply it was a glorious day on the slopes:

 

[Patine]

Yesterday morning it was about -18C when I headed out. Today its above freezing, the sun is peaking out, and other than being a little too peoply it was a glorious day on the slopes:
View attachment 516749

"Too peoply?" I only see two people, way down the hill. I expected to see a crowd when I scrolled down to see the picture.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

"Too peoply?" I only see two people, way down the hill. I expected to see a crowd when I scrolled down to see the picture.

Those two, plus the poster, makes three people. Three's a crowd.

Well, it hit -40C this morning. Maddy is not pleased with the layer of newspaper I put between the sheet and blanket last night (helps keep body heat in, and my feet were warm rather than freezing). I suspect I'll find confetti there by tonight, but I don't have the heart to make her leave because she needs to keep warm, too.

 

[elmurcis]

Had some week with -10...-20 C, now few days around 0, expecting some ~15 cm of snow this night/tommorow. Some work again to clear roads/walkways around house. Otherwise this has been pretty stable and solid winter with up to 40 cm snow. Well, atleast for 1/2 of small country (400x200 km area). Funny that just ~100 km to west it has been just ~10 cm snow and 100 km to west (next to Baltic sea coast) more - pretty much nothing for weeks.

 

[Darsnan]

"Too peoply?" I only see two people, way down the hill. I expected to see a crowd when I scrolled down to see the picture.

Ninjas.

Lots and lots of ninjas.

Seriously though the peoply part happened shortly after the pic was taken.

Today it was pushing +18C and sunny. Ran roughly 5km in a sweatshirt and sweatpants and felt way overdressed. Definitely not complaining though as tomorrow we return to the freezing mark with a mix of rain and snow.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I had to borrow a heater. It was so cold last night, I actually had to wear my gloves to bed. It's supposed to get down to -45C tonight.