Well, the extreme cold banner still decorates the top of the weather website. The cold has arrived and has not left. I've lived at this location for almost 17 years and this was the first winter that the temperature actually dipped to -44C overnight.
On Monday it was -28C at 7am. On Tuesday it was -43C at 8am. On Wednesday it was -34C at 7am and this morning it was -29C. I need not say more. It is extremely cold. 

I could tell without looking at the thermometer. The house creaked as it contracted. The furnace ran constantly. The poor little birds were puffing out their feathers to stay warm. Brrr, glad I'm not a bird.

There are some things that you can experience only when it is cold. Yes, things other than cold fingers and toes. I had five days off work so the actual plan was to get some x-country skiing done but even I was not goofy enough to venture out of the yard in that cold. 

I did venture into the yard though. That was while I was running my vehicle so I knew it would start if I needed it. The bird feeders needed filling each morning after the deer emptied them the night before so while I was out there and dressed like a marshmallow I did a walk about.

The garage is not heated so the windows were wearing a layer of frosty 'lace'. Icicles hung from the eaves troughs; left over from the temperatures that were on the plus side of things last week. The dried flower heads wore caps of snow. Bird imprints and deer tracks were found close to the feeders.

I decided to try a couple science experiments. It was so much fun watching what happens when hot water hits the cold air that I had to try it a few times! If the neighbors were watching, they probably thought that I was a little crazy but who cares. 

I also tried freezing bubbles. I didn't have corn syrup at home to add to the soap solution to strengthen the bubbles but they stayed whole long enough to land on the snow and then roll around like tumbleweeds. I wanted to see crystals form on the spheres but will attempt this again when I can make the proper solution.

Today the sun was shining. It got to a balmy -25C which felt really warm compared to the minus thirties and forties from the past few days. I started up my vehicle and decided to go for a drive to warm it up quicker. I was going to make a pit stop and go for a short hike at my favorite trail but the parking lot hadn't been plowed yet and I couldn't see ditch from road so rather than guessing where the road was, I gave up on the hike idea. 

Instead, I drove a loop to see what was happening on the range road over from my place. It happens to border Elk Island National Park. There were a lot of animal tracks in the fresh snow on the park side of the fence. One lone bison was out foraging for food. 

At the south end of the lake that I live at, there were a lot of deer tracks; probably belonging to the small herd that visit each yard to empty the bird feeders. There were tracks from snowmobiles on the lake surface.

As I pulled into my driveway, I scared off a white tail deer that was half way up my yard. It was headed straight for the bird seed. The chickadees and nuthatches were singing. The redpolls were having a feeding frenzy at the tray feeder. The woodpeckers rested in the old willow tree next door, waiting for their turn at the feeders.

Even though it's cold, life goes on. All I can say is that when it is this cold, I'm grateful that I can go inside, light the wood stove, put my feet up and hunker down waiting for the temperature to be decent enough to enjoy my outdoor activities again. 

Stay warm everyone!

A redpoll waits for a turn at the feeder.

Deer track in the snow on my driveway.

Bison at Elk Island National Park.