Freeze thaw repeat.

This morning when I went downtown to buy some eggs (the chickens are still on vacation) I was hit with something.

There's a difference of more than 40 degrees Celsius between the temperature I'm trying to keep in my house and the temperature I'm trying to keep out of my house.

And that's not taking into consideration the "wind chill factor".

This morning was one of those dry crunchy snow days. So cold that the snow squeaks when it's stepped on. So cold that the first breath punches you in the upper respiratory tract, leaving you fighting not to cough....for fear of the gasp for air that comes after that cough. So cold that any moisture inside your nasal cavity freezes as you breathe in, thaws as you breathe out, and the exhaled breath freezes your scarf into a solid piece of cardboard which then threatens to beat you in the face with the next gust of wind.

I didn't go out much today.

photo taken of my neighbour's yard two days after the ice storm. That birch tree is taller than the house, but the ice pulled it to the ground. Half of it has bounced back, and half has snapped.