Cold!

Today we planned to go ice skating again, after the great fun we had last week. But when we got downtown, the rink was covered in snow and a sign told us we weren't allowed to skate! I guess those who decide such things felt the the record-breaking cold temperatures warranted the closing of the ice rink! Too cold to ice skate? I guess so. Well, I had been warned. When I told friends I planned to go today they informed me of the weather forecast and suggested I might want to go next week instead. Wise friends.

But we did have a good time. Something about getting out in the fresh air, in different surroundings... just feels good. And we did see some ice sculptures that sparkled in the cold air. Pretty!



I told the children who were with me (One son, one daughter this time) that even though we didn't do any skating today, I thought we needed hot chocolate anyway. We did, after all, walk out in the cold. Besides, I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I was hungry. So we got a hot dog for me across the street from the rink, in a place so warm and moist that my camera (and our glasses) fogged up and took forever to clear. Once we warmed up, we went to my friend's coffee place a block down, and got some of his made from scratch hot chocolate with a dash of cayenne. That warmed us up. Another friend stopped in while we were there who I hadn't seen in months! It was great to see her and do some catching up! And I met a photographer there who gave me some helpful tips about my little camera. Very nice!




So we had a good time, us three. When we got home, I needed to fix a supper that warmed and filled us without taking too much of my time or energy to prepare. Lentils! Oh, we had the best supper! Hot lentil soup - simple, quick, hot, economical, and deliciously filling - with slices of whole grain bread spread with real butter! We ate this while watching a movie in front of the fire. What a good evening together!





I sent some of the lentil soup to work with Husband this evening. I hope it fills him there again, and I hope he stays safe on the slippery roads. The strong cold makes the roads much slipperier than they appear. (Is "slipperier" a word? "much more slippery"? You know what I mean.) There were a lot of cars sliding into the median on the expressways today, and even the roads around town were slicker than you'd expect.


Tonight the temperatures are predicted to be below zero, with "dangerous" wind chills. The furnace in the house here is having a hard time keeping up with the need for heat, and the temperature in the house right now is 66 degrees. (Outside is minus 7.) This morning the indoor temperature was 60 degrees. I have been wishing all day for more firewood. We have only enough to last tonight and maybe to start a fire tomorrow, but not enough to last several days through this cold snap, let alone through the rest of the winter. We're using the auxiliary heat strip on the heat pump to keep the house warm. It uses a lot of electricity and we don't like to use it except on the coldest days. It's kind of expensive. But we have it when we do need it, and that's good. I just love the feel of a wood fire heating up the house and am wishing, that's all.

So anyway, we had a really nice day, not ice skating, drinking cocoa with pepper, meeting old and new friends, and being together as a family with warm, wholesome food.

Sigh... good day. Now it's time to close it and rest under warm blankets.

Hope your day is good as well.

(pics: ice sculptures downtown with flowers frozen in them; Son and Daughter sipping their hot chocolate; friend Josh at his coffee house; lentil soup with onions; bread; snow-covered turnaround on one of our slippery roads today)