We've had a few days of warm weather and our snow is melting (yayyy!!!!) but next week brings a return of snow and colder weather....
Winter III
Thu, 2009-12-24 11:17
#1
Boom Boom
Winter III
Thu, 2009-12-24 11:21
#2
Boom Boom
saw this beast in the G&M:
article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-frakenblower/article1406303/
excerpt:
"It's not for everybody," Mr. Grundt says. "And I know it goes against the green initiative. But it really works. It takes the snow and blows it right back to where it came from." 
Thu, 2009-12-24 11:26
#3
Boom Boom
and then there's this thing, also environmentally unfriendly:
I guess folks find their own ways of coping with the cold and the snow. I have both a skidoo and a snowblower, and three snow shovels. Our winters are brutal here. 
Thu, 2009-12-24 11:29
#4
Yeah, youtube has video of people who have taken, for example, 350 engines from an old car and put them on a snowblower.
We've yet to have a winter type storm here this year, but I've been keeping an eye on a system coming up out of the States. Right now, the leading edge of the percipitation is falling as freezing rain, and that's on a line roughly following the Ohio turnpike. Behind it is a gap with no percipitation, then rain, and rain and rain all the way down to the Ozarks. I've got to drive out to Skunk's Misery and back tonight, I hope it holds off arrival until tomorrow.
Thu, 2009-12-24 12:00
#5
"Skunk's Misery" (near the Skonk Works) ? The "Ozarks"?
How's Lil Abner and Daisy Mae these days, there in Dogpatch, TP ?
Thu, 2009-12-24 12:04
#6
It's actually called Newry now, it's just west of Glencoe. They changed the name from Skunk's Misery some years back to encourage development.
I prefer Skunk's Misery.
Thu, 2009-12-24 12:27
#7
Boom Boom
I'm grateful we've had a few warm days - means I can get by with just the electric baseboard heaters, no need to burn wood. I guess tonight I'll be back to using the wood furnace as the basement is cold and tomorrow's high is only -4C.
Thu, 2009-12-24 23:55
#8
Ah, I have freshly returned from Skunk's Misery-- and it's Newbury, not Newry, a little town somewhere north of here I've blinked through once, and now have a mental crossover with Newbury, which is why I prefer Skunk's Misery. The ice part of the storm seemed to have hit lake Erie and dissolved, the remnants flowing up the Michigan peninsula instead of crossing the border.
Fri, 2009-12-25 00:36
#9
Ah, I have freshly returned from Skunk's Misery-- and it's Newbury.
According to this, Skunk's Misery is the forest beyond Newbury. Turn left at Dogwood Road and you're in it. 
Fri, 2009-12-25 07:21
#10
I'm grateful we've had a few warm days - means I can get by with just the electric baseboard heaters, no need to burn wood. I guess tonight I'll be back to using the wood furnace as the basement is cold and tomorrow's high is only -4C.
Only in Quebec can one afford to "get by" with electricity. I wish you a really warm Christmas and New Year, Boomer.
Fri, 2009-12-25 07:24
#11
"It's actually called Newry now, it's just west of Glencoe. They changed the name from Skunk's Misery some years back to encourage development. "
Near Glencoe? Colonel Talbot's Scots certainly didn't want the Campbells around either! Safe sailing, TP.
Fri, 2009-12-25 07:47
#12
Sven
saw this beast in the G&M...
I've got a snowblower but, recently, have had two entrepreneurial 13-year old boys working on our driveway. They made flyers and distributed them in the neighborhood, so I called them to give them some business. They have a few things to learn about negotiation (they offered to clean our driveway of the heavy snow that had recently fallen for a total of "five or ten dollars" but the amount of work they had to do -- about two hours' worth -- and, most importantly, the superlative results they delivered merited 15 bucks each). Good to reward personal initiative.
Oh, and another neighor saw the excellent results of their hard work and hired them as well.
Fri, 2009-12-25 08:33
#13
Boom Boom
Only in Quebec can one afford to "get by" with electricity. I wish you a really warm Christmas and New Year, Boomer.
Thanks, George, same to you (and to all babblers!).
My electric bills average out to a bit less than $150/month and this is a fairly big winterized trailer with a basement. I sure can not complain about the electric bills - especially when I live in an isolated part of the province.
Fri, 2009-12-25 10:16
#14
A GOOD 25th TO ALL
Fri, 2009-12-25 11:18
#15
Snowmobiles are a real blight on the environment. Chasing helpless animals, floundering through snow, to their death is as much "sport" as someone ripping apart an ant, alive. This is brutal and disgusting activity.and then there's this thing, also environmentally unfriendly:
I guess folks find their own ways of coping with the cold and the snow. I have both a skidoo and a snowblower, and three snow shovels. Our winters are brutal here.
Fri, 2009-12-25 15:37
#16
Merry rainy Christmas (here around Toronto) to those who celebrate it.
Fri, 2009-12-25 16:01
#17
Near Glencoe? Colonel Talbot's Scots certainly didn't want the Campbells around either! Safe sailing, TP.
When it comes to nomenclature, SW Ontario truly is the land that creativity forgot.
Thanks for that conservation area info, Wilf, I had no idea. It'd be a good outing for my brother and I sometime this spring.
Fri, 2009-12-25 16:07
#18
Boom Boom
Snowmobiles are a real blight on the environment. Chasing helpless animals, floundering through snow, to their death is as much "sport" as someone ripping apart an ant, alive. This is brutal and disgusting activity.
Easy there, fella. I live in an isolated area of Quebec not connected with roads, and skidoos are our only way of getting around in the winter. The roads we do have are not cleared once the supply ship goes into drydock for the winter, usually mid-January. Skidoos offer us the opportunity to visit up and down the coast, as well as getting into the bush to cut firewood and wood for building materials. That said, city slickers who buy these things for recreation sometimes do give skidooers a bad name.
Fri, 2009-12-25 17:04
#19
I wonder how the carbon footprints of snowmobiles and dog teams compare with each other?
Fri, 2009-12-25 17:39
#20
Boom Boom
What would I (or anyone else) do with a dog team the nine months of the year we don't have snow and ice?
ETA: The care and feeding of a skidoo ain't cheap, either - I just paid $800 to get my 2003 Bombardier Touring 380 repaired and equipped with a new cover. New, it cost me $6200.00.
Fri, 2009-12-25 20:11
#21
And that, Boomer, is the price of a new, super-tilt wheelchair (no motor) in the Ontario infirmary market today. More than my 1959 TR-3 two seater sports jobbie, made in England. Drive carefully! 
Fri, 2009-12-25 20:54
#22
Boom Boom
Definitely. I actually just use my snow machine to get around, and to get groceries. Anytime I hit a hidden bump on the trails, it aggravates my hernia. Also my lower back doesn't take well to skidoos. Most folks put 3,000 km every winter on theiir skidoos - it took me three years to reach that figure.
Fri, 2010-01-01 16:59
#23
For weather junkies that might view this in the next while, here's a classic streamer or lake effect snow pattern for the Great Lakes region:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/maps/caon0383?ref=topnav_weathe...
The wind is supposed to come out of the north a bit later tonight, so that big blue streak that hitting yours truly's abode should shift to a more deserving part of the area. Right now, when you step outside, you wonder if there is going to be enough air left to breath, the flakes are that thick.
And, I have no snowblower. But, it's fluffy snow, and my schnoogly woogly has promised to help with the shovelling.
Fri, 2010-01-01 19:53
#24
At the rate the snow is falling, it'll be midnight before shovelling will be worthwhile. Your schnoogly woogly also has plans to build a stock of "improvised snowsive devices" so watch yer back! Mwahaha.
Fri, 2010-01-01 20:12
#25
Midnight tomorrow maybe, my smiffly wiffly. Egads.
Mon, 2010-01-04 10:06
#26
Boom Boom
Here on the Lower North Shore of Quebec, winter is coming later, but staying longer. All our snow from two big storms in December is gone. Today it is 4C, windy, and sunny, after a rainy and windy weekend. We have a tough winter ahead of us, when it finally comes.
Mon, 2010-01-04 17:03
#27
I'd forgotten how much the north shore was subject to the influence of the Atlantic. Heck, even here in the banana belt of 44 degrees latitude, it's 13 degrees C colder. But take heart, only 76 days 'till (calendar) spring. :D
Tue, 2010-02-02 08:29
#28
Boom Boom
Windchill here is at -39C today.
Tue, 2010-02-02 08:33
#29
-28 currently in Saint John and expected to bottom out at -32.
Tue, 2010-02-02 09:11
#30
Boom Boom
I have a bridge/veranda outside my front door, and this summer I'm goingto wall it in to make it a "mud room". The bridge collects too much snow in a normal winter, and is quite a job to move it all, especially when it drifts against the front door. So, I'll eliminate that problem by adding an extension to the house, and just leave a small space outside the entrance as a landing. I plan to add a small wood stove to keep this room warm, and also to let that heat reach into the laundry room which is just inside the current main entrance. The "mud room" will be a place to take off your boots, coats, and to sit down and have a cup of tea and conversation beside a nice warm fire. The bridge and supports are made of treated wood so it should be sturdy enough to add on. No more shovelling snow off the bridge for me (although I only had to do it once this winter so far).
Tue, 2010-02-02 09:20
#31
It's a grey day in Toronto. I have windows in my office, so normally I don't need lights on, but today I do.
I don't mind grey days too much, though - just makes it feel cosier inside. :)
Tue, 2010-02-02 12:03
#32
remind
It is plus 5 here in the Rockies, as per usual for the last 2 months, though some light flakes of snow are making it to the valley floor, from the snow dropping on the mountain tops.
But was just outside giving the morning pail of water to the wild cats in just my slippers and long nighttime tee shirt, without even getting cold, though their feeding station is across the back yard.
Have never ever experienced a totally mild winter like this in northern BC.
Tue, 2010-02-02 14:50
#33
Environment Canada is predicting that New Brunswick will be colder than normal for the next three months.
Tue, 2010-02-02 15:38
#34
I wonder how the carbon footprints of snowmobiles and dog teams compare with each other?
Or snowmobiles versus SUVs, 18 wheelers, dump trucks etc. I saw some native guys ride up along side a bull moose and take him down with a .22 pistol at close range. It was really something to see. And I thought I was a good sled driver until I saw those guys operate. It's like they're born on skidoos.
Tue, 2010-02-02 15:41
#35
ElizaQ
Well Willie saw his shadow this morning so six more weeks of winter! Not that I minded because it was gorgeous and sunny here today. I'm enjoying the winter a lot more this year since I picked up a pair of showshoes and have been trudging about the backroads and trails and getting some good exercise for both body and mind. I went for a bit of a wander today and it was really beautiful and peaceful in a sort of winter wonderland sort of way. I love it when there is fresh snow and everything just sparkles.
Tue, 2010-02-02 18:23
#36
Boom Boom
I wonder how the diversion of the Gulf Strean Current to Greenland instead of across the Atlantic will effect the length and severity of our winter here. We have had only one significant snowfall all winter, and that was before Christmas. We've had plenty of cold weather, though. All along the coast of the LNS, skidoos are sitting idle because there's no snow - and this is bad news foor us, because this is the only time of the year we can travel freely anywhere on the coast and beyond (we have no connecting roads except in Blanc Sablon).
Sun, 2010-02-07 23:48
#37
Refuge
Well Willie saw his shadow this morning so six more weeks of winter! Not that I minded because it was gorgeous and sunny here today. I'm enjoying the winter a lot more this year since I picked up a pair of showshoes and have been trudging about the backroads and trails and getting some good exercise for both body and mind. I went for a bit of a wander today and it was really beautiful and peaceful in a sort of winter wonderland sort of way. I love it when there is fresh snow and everything just sparkles.
Yay! That means an early spring according to statistics (groundhogs are right only 37% of the time so there is about a 2/3 chance of an early spring!). Though concerned about the environment I must admit that I am happy I don't have to be as vigilant about watching the temp for my growing belly to stay warm!
Mon, 2010-02-08 00:29
#38
Boom Boom
No snow in our forecast for the next week - this is beyond weird.
Mon, 2011-02-14 20:52
#39
Boom Boom
It's been a very cold winter this year - totally unlike last year's which was freakishly warm. We've had snow, but not much. I've had my snowblower out six times so far this winter - versus none last year. Yesterday morning the windchill was -40C/F, and -34C today. This winter I have burned an incredible amount of wood - probably 15 cords so far. The new siding and windows help.
(I think we have another weather-related thread open, but this one was easy to find)
Mon, 2011-02-14 22:33
#40
Fifteen cords is incredible indeed , Boomer. Face cords, of course. But that's equivalent to five bush cords. Time to close the windows.
Mon, 2011-02-14 22:36
#41
Boom Boom
It's been really, really cold here this winter, George, since about the first week of January. We had a green Christmas - but almost since then it's just been very cold and very windy. If this keeps up, I may have to dig into my supply of firewood for next year, which I really don't want to do.
Mon, 2011-02-14 22:47
#42
So this one (from the other Winter thread) is history:
An article which explains the effect of mild winters here on Quebec's Lower North Shore with (Google) English translation: Un deuxième hiver sans neige en Basse-Côte-Nord
Mon, 2011-02-14 23:08
#43
Boom Boom
The supply ship Nordik Express has been extended two months because the winter (snow) highway did not develop this year - right now you can go by skidoo almost anywhere on the coast, but the trails are not officially open everywhere. After the experience of last winter when our winter economy completely collapsed resulting in bailouts by the provincial government, I guess community leaders here did not want to see that happen again, and as far as I know (not much - am speculating) asked government at provincial and federal levels to make a deal with the supply ship owners and keep it going until March 8 this year - normally it goes into drydock around January 15.
Not much snow here right now - just very cold. There's enough snow for skidoos, but just barely in some places.
Last winter was mild due to the diversion of the Gulf Stream Current from its normal path to Europe to the East Coast of Canada instead - a complete fluke, I suppose. I'd love to see it again - I hate winter - but I understand the economic ramifications this brings us.
Mon, 2011-02-14 23:10
#44
Fifteen cords is incredible indeed , Boomer. Face cords, of course. But that's equivalent to five bush cords. Time to close the windows.
A friend of mine has a century-old farmhouse that's wood-heated, with a little auxilliary electric heat when it's really bitter outside. The house was built without central heating in mind, but the woodstove in the livingroom does an amazing job of heating the entire house, which is kind of amazing, considering the unrelenting wind that sweeps across the fields in all weather (open farmland, few wind breaks). I can't remember how many bush cords on an average year ... I think it was 3 or 4 last year - they tend to order it based on the previous year's consumption.
When I'm up there, during some of the most miserable weather, the house is generally at 55 degrees C. Not bad at all if you dress for it.
Mon, 2011-02-14 23:18
#45
Boom Boom
I have thermometers on the main floor and in the basement - the house seemed hot today (while it was -35C outside!) so I checked - holy smokes, it read 82F!!!! I quickly turned the thermostat down and stopped adding wood to the furnace (at noon) and didn't need to start it up again until suppertime. I've never had the house that warm before - not even in the summer. 
ETA: I normally keep my house between 65F - 70F all winter.
Mon, 2011-02-14 23:23
#46
Tommy P and I keep the house at about 67F for most of the winter, a little higher when the wind whips up. And we have lots of blankets on the couches, for when we want to snuggle or snooze :)
Mon, 2011-02-14 23:27
#47
Boom Boom
Blankets on the couch are a mainstay for me - even in the summer, as it never gets very warm here. The cool weather all summer makes gardening a challenge, by the way.
Sat, 2011-02-19 12:47
#48
Boom Boom
Feb. 18/2011: Ottawa breaks previous high with 10C
excerpt:
OTTAWA - The Rideau Canal remained closed Saturday after record-breaking weather Friday made it unsafe for use. The National Capital Commission was hopeful cooler weather would permit them to begin grooming the canal for opening "quickly," in time for the last Winterlude weekend.
On a message on their web site, the NCC said that all Winterlude venues were closed in the early morning, but that Confederation Park would open at 9 a.m. Jacaues-Cartier Park was to remain closed.
By noon Friday, the temperature had hit 10 C under sunny skies, shattering the previous record of 7.7 C set in 1981, according to Environment Canada.
(meanwhile, here on the Quebec coast below Labrador, the temperature is currently 0C)
Sat, 2011-02-19 14:14
#49
Boom Boom
Just back from a skidoo ride - trails are in awful condition, not much snow, trails are bare in some places, and no snow on the ice. Made for a very unpleasant ride. As there is no snow or really cold weather in our forecast for the next week, I think communities here on the coast might start cancelling their winter carnivals, same as last year - which was our warmest winter on record.
Sat, 2011-02-19 21:15
#50
We had snow a couple of days ago, and yesterday morning it was -30, so the bike ride to work had extra snort appeal. I phoned the city to get them to plow some (main) routes, but got the brush-off. Hopefully the roads will all be cleared before next week, since we have projected highs of only -14 to -19.
And to think we were above freezing earlier last week.
Sat, 2011-02-19 21:46
#51
Boom Boom
I live right below Labrador and it's warm (was 1C today) and hardly any snow in the bush. Unreal - for February. A few years ago we'd have had over four feet of snow by now. This is our second year in a row with little snowfall.