My water system has been a bit vulnerable in the past.  A few freezes in the early years smartened me up and I took measures after that.  Things were good for a long while (except for sediment but that’s another challenge).  All equipment was insulated with heat tapes inside the insulative foam and tape wraps.  Yesterday it all STILL froze up.  I do not know if there is a broken part resulting yet but most likely there is.  Whenever I get a new lesson on dealing with Nature, it comes with a few broken parts for emphasis.  The learning curve, eh?

It is so cold out here right now that even running the stove full-tilt, 24 hours and keeping everything ‘snug’, I still cannot get the house temp past F60/15C….not quite true as last night we got it up around 64 but I can’t seem to get to that today.  I am sitting here with a down vest on with a hot water bottle jammed in there to keep me warm.

But that is NOT the half of it.  Sal went to work today at the post office!  Twelve foot boat going slowly, rolling and pitching in small waves but with a few whitecaps.  Temperature well below freezing.  Survival time in these conditions?  Nasty, brutish and short.  Even the mail plane called to say, “We are not flying today!”

Sal had already left.  Stamps got sold. The public was served.

This weather is rare.  So rare, in fact, we have only once had anything like it.  One winter a vicious Bute (a mainland inlet outflow) hit us so fast that a water overflow we had running at the time froze in mid air!  With, of course, the resulting damage that little surprise caused to the whole system.

As I sat to write this, Sal called, “I am leaving the post office now.  Should be home in half an hour.”  The wind is down a bit.  But the temperature is just as cold.  Maybe colder.  I can see her coming…another picture?  Doesn’t show much but there you have it.

Are we deterred?  Not in the least.  OK, a little bit….kinda…maybe…..it is NOT the cold in itself.  It is NOT the incredible consumption of wood or even the inevitable repairs to be done when we can get to them.  No, the deterrence stems from showers – or lack of showers.  That’s the only thing.  The rest we can handle with hot water bottles and snuggling.  In some ways, it is not all bad……but snuggling without showers can only be indulged for a short time, ya know…