Forms and Footings and Felines and Fahrenheit

Well, Celsius didn't exactly work with the title. ;-)

It has been pretty cold here the last few days. When the temperature dips down to -19C (-2.2F for our American friends and family), it's time to cover up everything you don't want to be destroyed, including our hole in the ground.  These insulated tarps should keep the frost from going too deep and making the ground harder to work with. 

The first load of lumber arrived and Phil, Ben and Matt built the forms for the footings that will support the deck.  This is the beginning of our house.  Yay!!! :)

This is the pile of rocks that came out of the foundation hole.  Some of them are pretty big. They definitely needed to be blasted out.

We are trying to decide what to do with them.  Maybe line the driveway with them or use a large one for an address marker?  Any other ideas?

Here is the driveway from both angles. You can't really tell from the picture but it is mostly just ice up at the top.  I managed to get the van up there to deliver the tarps.  We were unsure whether it would make it up or not.  Apparently, the snow tires work!

While we were out walking, we kind of got the feeling that we weren't alone. Like we were being watched.

That feeling that someone or something else was there.

I think she thought she was in stealth mode because whenever we looked at her or tried to take her picture, she would look away as if to say, "I'm not here. I'm not following you".

It actually got quite humourous, in that 'you had to be there' kind of way.

Aha, got them!! The picture is kind of grainy but we finally got them all looking in the same direction.  No small feat, as you can imagine.

I've become somewhat obsessed, ahem, interested in watching the weather lately. It is supposed to warm up this weekend and sit right around 0 and even up to +4C (39.2F) for the next little while. That gives us the perfect window to pour concrete (if it doesn't snow). I don't think it needs to be said that -19 isn't exactly concrete pouring weather so this warmer weather is very welcome. It's also a very nice feeling to be able to breathe outside and not have your nostrils stick together.  It can actually hurt to breathe in air that cold. I can hear my Albertan friends and family laughing at me right now.  I know, I've been there when it's -37 and the wind chill adds a 'feels like' -45C. (-49F)  It's cold!! I don't know if it's living close to the water that makes it a wet, bone chilling kind of cold here, but it seems the mercury doesn't have to fall as far to achieve that same sense of extreme cold. I'm not sure if I prefer that to the dry, bone chilling kind of cold of the prairies.  Either way, it makes me long for the long, hot days of summer, relaxing at the beach.  

Summer.  Only 7 months to go!!

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22