Colder than a snowcone at the North Pole

The weather turned nasty here this week, with temperatures dropping rapidly throughout the week. We also got more snow. By mid-week we had more than four inches on the ground. For the first few days of snow shovelling left me feeling sore but by this point, I can be out there for the hour it takes me and I'm fine. Now this doesn't mean I don't want to convince my son to buy a snowblower. :) 

Tuesday was our "warmest" day with a high of -11C (12F) so I went out to get a few groceries, cat food, and to run an errand for my daughter. When I'd unloaded everything at home, I went back out to Value Village (senior's day), and found a pair of blue jeans, a blanket for my bed, and a picture frame, all for less than $13. While I was happy with my deals, I was chatting with one of my favorite clerks and found out she's just been diagnosed with cancer. She hasn't started her treatment just yet, but expects she will in the next few weeks. She's such a nice person, always smiling, helpful with the customers, and I do hope her treatment goes well.

I did make it to Stitch and Chat on Wednesday. There were just two of us there, S & myself. The other regular, Io wasn't there as she wasn't feeling well. We were both working on cross stitch projects, though there was a lot more chatting than cross stitching. S will be with us/me next week before she leaves for a few months in Arizona. Boy, I'd like to be tucked into her suitcase! My warm holiday is still 8 weeks away.

Thursday was Mahjong at the local community center. I initially thought I would attend, but with the temperature hovering around -28C (-18F) I decided I'd rather stay home and bake some banana bread. There was curling to watch too with a men's event being held in Lloydminster (Alberta) and streaming available on You-tube.

D spoke with her doctor that evening and got the results for Eli. He had strep throat. The cause of the seizure was his body's response to his temperature rising to fight the infection. I understand from her discussion with the doctors and my google search, that febrile seizures are not uncommon but, as long as they don't last more than 5 minutes there is little risk to their brains. In fact, according to one article I read, it isn't even recommended to take the child to the emergency department unless the seizure lasts beyond that time period. Yeah no, any seizure would freak me out and in any event, I'd want a diagnosis. Hopefully, he'll never have this experience again.

It reminded me that I had a similar reaction as a small child. I was about four, maybe five years old. Mom and Dad rushed me into the hospital when I had a convulsion, as it was called then, and I was flown by air ambulance to the hospital in Saskatoon. I'm not certain how long I was in the hospital, but am certain it was at least a few days. It was determined that I had contracted rubella and rather than appearing as a rash on my body, it had attacked my internal organs. I was unconscious for quite some time - I do recall waking on the airplane and asking for my mom, and being transferred from the gurney to a bed in the hospital. Mom wasn't with me on the plane but when I did wake fully, she was there. I don't know or remember much more but do know that when the other students got their rubella vaccines in Grade 7, I was exempted. 

It steadily got colder all week, so I stayed home on Friday as well. With several curling games to watch, laundry, housework, and a knitting project on the go, I kept busy (and warm). I wasn't feeling like cooking so ordered in pizza from a nearby restaurant. Don't judge me - there was curling to watch! :)

Today is another day of watching curling, starting a new jigsaw puzzle, and knitting. This is the one I finished last weekend after giving up on another. I quite enjoyed putting it together. 

The cold weather has gotten even colder and the winds are still causing serious windchills. Overnight the temperature was -35C (-31F) with a windchill of -52C(-62F). Brutal! Today our high temperature is expected to reach -31C(-23F). Thankfully, it appears the cold snap will snap on Tuesday and we'll see a return to more seasonal temperatures.

I'll leave you with this photo my brother sent me of the sunrise on Tuesday morning. He has the benefit of living in the country where the buildings don't get in the way of his view.