Sunday, February 26, 2012

Amazed

We've been up here almost three years now, and two things still amaze me:

1. Watching the Northern Lights dance and flow across the sky.

2. That I have to look to the south to see the Northern Lights.

;)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Neato

Today is our first workday blizzard of 2012. (We had blizzard-like conditions on Saturday, but it didn't last too long, and what fun are weekend blizzards?! They just ruin our social plans :P)


We like to watch the Environment Canada website for the weather updates. There are general rules set out for when we are allowed to shut the office for the day. We need to hit visibility of .2kms or less AND have sustained winds more than 60 km/hr AND have a windchill of -50 or greater. There are a couple of caveats: we can also close if/when the municipality pulls the water/sewage/snowclearing equipment off the road and/or the taxis give notice that they are going to shut down.


Well, today we hit the trifecta! Quite often, we close because one of the caveats have occurred and management feels that it is no longer safe for people to be trying to get home (either walking or driving). But this afternoon, we legitimately have met all the conditions set out to stay home in our jammies.


Ok, well the jammies thing probably isn't in the official policy, but it is our 'house rule'.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Turning a Corner

I don't know when it happened. Maybe it's been sneaking up on us for just over a month? I don't know.

Suddenly though, we aren't living in the dark. It's damn near daylight on the way to work! Soon I'll be able to cut through the tundra on the way home without risking life and limb.

To top it all off? There was liquid water outside today. Outside, water has two states right now... solid and vapour (as in ice/snow and breath). Even though the thermometer said that it was -29, the sun was warm enough to melt a bit of snow.

Without going out over the Christmas season, it has seemed like a long, cold, dark winter so far. But the forecast says a high of -5 on the weekend, so maybe there is hope that spring isn't too far away.