Cold cold and more cold

Well, it's hard to think of anything more to say this week than s***, it's cold out there. Reportedly, this is worse than the big cold spell of 1963 and but probably won't equal the one of 1956. Brrrrrr is all we have to say. If weather forecasts are correct, we'll be two full weeks under 0C, but we'll have more snow in the next two days.

For two days after the snow, there was no mail. The local paper has been delivered, but usually late in the day. We have a DHL package "out for delivery" since Wednesday; maybe it will arrive next week. There are lots of people with frozen pipes, waiting for the thaw to see how bad their problems will be. Our roofer still hasn't managed to get here to have a look at our snow-melt leak.

Earlier in the week, a neighbor with a 4x4 did some grocery shopping for several families in the area. Milk and lettuce, hooray! Friday we made a slippery trip to Montbron for a bit more grocery shopping and to St. Sornin to pick up more pellets for the heater. These pellets are substantially cheaper than fioul, so we are happy we made this investment.

The last few days have been sunny, which means some of the compacted snow on the roads melts and then turns to ice. It's actually harder to walk now than when the snow was new.

Birds are emptying the feeder within a couple of hours. We can fill it up four times a day if we're paying attention. And we're going through fat balls at a prodigious rate. Woodpeckers visit these also—kind of fun to see them clinging to a ball that's smaller than they are.

This is a view of the back yard through the mezzanine window one afternoon. The cleared path to the left leads to the woodpile which supplies the wood that keeps the kitchen warm. The short path where Pogo is standing leads to the bird feeder. The terrace near the house is relatively snow-free because of the wind currents against the house.

`