I'm outta here!

I'm off to B.C. tomorrow to visit with my sisters. We try to do this every year but it's been awhile so I'm looking forward to it.

It's always a blast!

Eclipse

We watched the eclipse last night. The earth was passing between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow. Won't happen again until 2010.

Darrell and Jess and Jon and Magan were here. Mal and Darrell were watching Matt Friesen with Ron McClean and Dick Irwin on Hockey Night in Canada.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you had a happy one!

This welcome stone is in the corner by our front door. The snow covered all but the welcome and I thought it looked kind of cute.

Chinooks

We are in the -20's today and tomorrow but by Sunday it is supposed be +1. I googled chinooks and learned that they develope when air is forced to rise over the mountains, losing its moisture, then descends on the other side, warming as it goes down. That forms a warm wind that melts the snow. Since the 1980's winters in southern Alberta have changed to just a few cold snaps. In Calgary, 59% of Christmases have snow, whereas in Edmonton it is 88%. Calgary gets many chinooks because the Bow Valley acts as a funnel for chinook winds.

Interesting facts: In February/92 the temperature in Clareshom hit 24 degrees! Pincher Creek holds the record for a fast change in temperature: from -19 to +22 in 1 hour! Trains have been derailed by chinook winds in that area. Empty semis on Hwy. 3 south of Calgary have been blown over by the winds.

Today we have cold and blowing snow and tomorrow is supposed to be worse, so I'm about ready for a chinook. Bring it on!

Blizzard

Our neighbors went to Mexico last week. We promised to feed the fish and the cat, and shovel the driveway. And then came the blizzard! Their driveway was packed solid. and it was -30.

The snow came out in blocks - perfect for building a fort. Where were my grandchildren when I needed them? Jack would have loved to build a fort!

Done, 1.5 hours later!

Earlier in the week Jon and Jack were with us while Magan attended a seminar. We tried out the old sled and Jack enjoyed it.

Finally...

Finally a bird came to my new feeder! It was a redpoll. You can see the red on top of his head. He came just before a blizzard was forecasted. My other feeder was suddenly very busy with what we call a "feeding frenzy"- 20-30 birds descending at once. I notice when we get a fresh snowfall or the weather gets cold the birds come more often. Now we're down to -30, and the birds need to eat more to keep their body temperature up. Redpolls are in constant danger of dying from hypothermia so they eat constantly to fuel up.

This is a picture of a redpoll from last winter. They are tiny - smaller than sparrows. They come from the Arctic and winter in Canada and the northern states. Their light fluffy bodies allow them to float on the softest snowbanks without sinking beyond its belly.

Hoar frost

Yesterday's fog left hoar frost today. I left grasses in the yard last fall thinking they might look pretty in the winter. And they do!

I also set our Christmas tree on the deck. The treetop looked gorgeous against the sky.

Even the old dried-up sunflower looks beautiful!