it's all relative

      It is very bitter outside at the moment. I am not using the term "bitter" and "very" and together "very bitter" loosely. Oh no. Are you sitting down? You should sit down. It is -32°C (-26°F) with a fierce northwest wind of 48 km/h (30 miles) which makes things feel (don't worry, one doesn't feel for long at this temperature) as though it is -50°C (-58°F)!!! WHAT?!?!?!!! This type cannot POSSIBLY convey the C-C-C-COLD of what that is. Yes, THIS is the place that I live. And I am presently sitting inside, toasty warm, barefooted, feeling incredibly thankful for four walls around me, that the power is working and heat is spouting up through the floor registers.
      This very bitter weather is also helping me to particularly enjoy these photos of 2007's Christmas at the farm in which the temperature hovered just around freezing, the winds were calm and a scarf was optional. Sigh. What was that like? So long ago....

      (There really is no special reason that I took photos of horses who stop at the noses. They would crowd about the fence as I walked by so I rarely got more than a glimpse of their nozzles.)

      Deep down within I really want to go outside. You see, I just bought the most amazing boots this past week. They can withstand temperatures of -75°C (-100°F) and I laughed when I noted this as a feature because just when exactly would someone ever be romping about out of doors if it was a stinkin' -75°C outside? You'd be dead above the knees long before your toes ever knew it! I laughed for another reason (but combined it for succinctness with the aforementioned laugh) and that was that I think this huge pair of boots are the greatest things ever and eight years ago before I moved these thousands of kilometres north I would have probably died of embarrassment in these puppies. Now I think they're cool. So I've got the boots - I really should go outside! Not for long, mind you. Not for an amble in the backwoods alone and away from society and the yellow lights inside of frosty windows. Not for anything longer than ten minutes really. But I should do it. I got the boots for it!
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