Brrr. It's really cold.

I drove into Rimouski to meet friends for coffee this afternoon.  It was cold, about -16°F.  The wind chill was 41° below 0° - temps going down to -20° F tonight. And the wind is howling outside now as I write.

I felt like this was a major adventure. Colder temperatures than I'd ever experienced before - the closest back on a skiing trip to Montana in graduate school days, where the diesel in our old VW Rabbit gelled on the way.


But my venerable Volvo XC wagon's battery cranked up just fine, its snow tires are excellent, and the roads were thankfully clear enough to see road lines, mostly, and I was looking forward to seeing my friends (this was an alternative for skiing today - that wasn't happening).   

And it was a confidence builder for this warm weather denizen. I was all bundled up, with back up blankets, and visibility was fine, in spite of the wind.  Thank goodness for a heavy car. So all was well for my excursion into Rimouski and back.

I was glad to learn that none of them ski in these conditions and actually the local ski centers would be closed.

Fortunately, so far the power is on.  We actually have robust power that’s not likely to be impacted by trees here and since we’re next to the main highway, which supports a major trunk line for power, that's a good thing.  Hydro-Quebec is proactive around keeping the power on.  Our largest outage (one of very few) was one last summer when a nearby transformer malfunctioned. And in this weather, anything in the freezer could go out to the mudroom and be fine!  And we can always melt snow for water on our vintage wood stove, even cook on it, if need be.


The house is warm enough, flannel sheets and comforters are part of the picture, so that’s all good.  The bathtub is filled with water if the power does go out.  One of my coffee friends lost power around 6 pm, but she’s on city water and has an excellent high-efficiency wood stove, so they’ll be fine, I’d think.  She wondered why we couldn’t get water if the power was out. Hmm.  The well pump, of course.
 
This is definitely a polar vortex experience after the mild January that we had here in Quebec.


Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2023 at 12:52 PM

    Lisa, I wish I were one of your companions at the cafe in Rimouski! Wonderful to read, as always. I am whining a bit at the relentless drizzle, clouds, and winds in Portland. But I am determined to get out every day at least. I love your missives. I am glad to see Woody warm and calm indoors. Love to you and Tim. Joe says hi. Joan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa WagnerFebruary 4, 2023 at 2:10 PM

      Glad you enjoy reading about these wintry adventures! Snow is much nicer than gray drizzle in my viewpoint, so my commiserations there. We're all doing fine and Woody is enjoying his brief snow forays, too.

      Delete
  2. GracePlays-Kathy A. StilwellFebruary 5, 2023 at 6:35 AM

    Lisa, what a delightful description of your newest experience with frigid temperatures. My daughter, Mari, in Missouri, has similar feelings regarding severe winter weather having grown up in Florida. Her Wisconsin born mother remembers it all too well. I hope your power stays on and you continue to gain confidence in navigating the climate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa WagnerFebruary 5, 2023 at 9:03 AM

      Definitely a confidence builder! This just seemed remarkably cold…

      Delete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2023 at 9:49 AM

    Lisa, you're a brave brave woman to endure those temperatures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa WagnerFebruary 6, 2023 at 12:44 PM

      I wasn’t out in those temperatures for long! Thank goodness the house, coffee shop, and car were all warm. It was bitterly cold with the wind out there in the short dashes in between house, car, and shop.

      Delete

Post a Comment