Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Yup, brrrrrr. I am in the Yukon for Christmas with my daughter. It was 11C when I left Victoria. It was -37C when I got here on Friday. Brrrrr. I refused to buy another winter coat, having one in storage on the other side of the country, and not needing one in Victoria. So I borrowed one, but it's a little snug so I have taken to wearing several layers instead. For just going from car to building it isn't too bad, but I would not want to be walking far with my layers of clothes. I remember this kind of cold, of course, having done 3 years in the territories and 5 in Labrador where the weather is even worse. The house my daughter is living in has heat included, but does not provide the renters with access to the thermostat. So when it gets colder, you can't crank the heat. It isn't freezing in here, but definitely chilly. I have 4 layers on at the moment...they have a fireplace but have been having difficulty getting any firewood delivered, as everyone is backed up on orders or out of wood altogether and not delivering until February. We've been burning pallets and buying firelogs at the store/gas station.


I am really enjoying spending time with my daughter. She is working today and tomorrow, but is then off until I go back. We want to go sledding in the Carcross Desert at some point when the temps go up to something a little more reasonable, like -20C or so. It is supposed to get up to -17C on Christmas Day - I can do that.


I had a potluck with some old friends on my birthday, just one friend with her kids came, but that was okay. It was great to catch up with her and she was taking off for Costa Rica the following day. The others I still have time to see. I'm going out for lunch with a couple of them today, along with my daughter. I drove my daughter to work in the cold dark morning so I could have the car.


The roads are completely covered in ice and snow, and won't see daylight until spring. They rarely plow and folks just keep driving over the new snow. They don't get much all at once, and rarely with any wind, so it is straight down packed snow. When they do plow, they scrape close to bottom, but just on some streets, so the rest you have a huge drop to the road, sometimes 6 -10 inches. The same from some driveways. I think the city is in cahoots with the truck and jeep sales to sell more 4-wheel drive vehicles, but that is just my conspiracy theory. My other theory is that they don't give a shit, and don't care if you do, and will tell you to go back to where you came from if you do. It was the same mess in Yellowknife. Someone I met who worked in that dept tried to convince me it just wasn't in the budget for snow clearing. Um, you  have winter 9 months of the year, and it isn't in the budget? What is? hedge trimming in the 6 weeks a year that something grows? Stupid answer.

Let's just say I am looking forward to returning to Vancouver Island to warm up again next week. I have to start packing right away to move into a cabin in the woods for a few months. I don't own much, so it shouldn't take too long. I am truly looking forward to the cabin in the woods, by a lake. It's in Sooke, which is a pretty area for sure. There is a natural hot spring nearby that feeds a 2-person hot tub out on the deck. I just turn on the taps to fill it and drain it when I'm done. I can't wait to soak in that under the stars at night. There is also a wood stove, something else I'm looking forward to. There are tons of windows in this place, unlike my current dungeon. It has been interesting figuring out what is important in a rental and what isn't, and how it differs between people, in different locations, and the place I am in life. I hated that I had no privacy at my current apartment, mostly because of the nosy Brit who gossiped, complained and smoked endlessly while she paced the parking lot, on the phone or talking to anyone who passed by. I also hated that I got almost no sunlight and needed lights on all day just to get around. The new place is flooded with light, and has an awesome view of the lake. Spring will be on its way before I know it, and flowers begin to bloom in February and March in southern Vancouver Island.


I have decided to hunker down in the cabin for 4 months while I hopefully await visa paperwork to go through on a job I am interviewing for next month. I have passed all of the rounds of questions and interview screening so far, and will do a full interview with the employer the third week of January, after which they will either offer me a job or thank me for my time. I'm hoping for the offer, of course.  There is a lengthy visa application to go through, so they guesstimated it might take 2-4 months.


For now, I am bundled up to enjoy winter in the Yukon. It could be a whole other ball game this time next  year.