I was going to get myself back in the swinging blog entry mode of things by writing a post about my insane nesting instincts, but today, I cannot.
Today, living in Ross River sucks, to me. Here’s why:
- It has been -50 degrees for like a week and a half. Did you even know that existed? I didn’t! It’s so cold that breathing the outside air stings my lungs. The dog doesn’t get walked, consequently, and then bugs the crap out of everyone inside with her unspent puppy energy. It’s really not her fault; she’s just got cabin fever like the rest of us.
- The cold made one of our truck tires deflate totally flat. This means that even if we survive the frigid trip down the front stairs, we have no way of getting out or about unless by foot. I had to work a few shifts at the library this week that involved my getting dressed up like a marshmallow woman, complete with giant coat big enough to zip up over my belly. The one mechanic in town added our truck tire to the waiting list of other cold-related breakdowns and battery deaths.
- As we cannot drive to the town dump up the hill, our garbage is accumulating. The outside bins are full, the inside box pile is overflowing the counter and when you’re a hormonal pregnant woman on a nesting rampage, garbage clutter does not a happy wife make.
- After countless delays picking up our nursery furniture at the Sears outpost in Whitehorse, we finally arranged for the Yukon’s truck delivery service to haul it all up here. This was to (finally!) be delivered yesterday (after orders were placed in November!) but then of course the delivery truck broke down on the way here, and now the delivery company drivers are too scared to make the 5-hour drive up here until the cold subsides. All I want to do is set up the nursery!
- This failed delivery attempt works out though, for now, because our front door froze shut and then broke. And then in a flash of macho handy genius, the husband removed the doorknob from the inside and couldn’t figure out how to properly reassemble it again. The back door works, so we can still let the dog out to go to the bathroom, but if we do work up the courage to venture out in the cold to do anything, the trek now begins with both stinging cold AND a journey through knee-high snow. Joy!
- I woke up this morning to the beeping of our smoke alarms. This type of beep happens when there is no power going to them electrically, only via battery. There was a power outage, and all I could think was the curse, “What else?” Thankfully, the heat turned on and the furnace revved up again about 10 minutes later. But when the power goes out here, we have no water (as it is pumped electrically from our water tank), no phone service (as we have portable phones) and no wood stove as a backup heat source when the electrically-powered furnace is not being fuelled in -50 weather!
Why do I live here again?

Labels: Ross River, winter