Winter Has Arrived 2022!

Well, the moment some of us had been waiting for; the first douse of our first winter hit on November 2, 2022. What a glorious view down the beautiful driveway. Absolutely magnificent with the snow covered cedar tree lined driveway. So quickly winter hit, like a switch over night. Last week before Halloween, we were all wondering when winter might arrive. Tire shops throughout Lloydminster were storing warehouses full of tires and wheels for customers as winter just did not want to come.

Well, it is definitely here now. 30-40cm on the first snowfall of the year, and another 20-30cm due on Nov 5. Good thing we picked up that 3 stage Troybilt snowblower from Costco in Edmonton a few weeks ago to help with that first winter planning. Yep, we are winter ready. Actually with the cold weather, we are finding draft points around the house which is a good thing so we can seal them up. (Lisa has been doing an awesome job!)

Winterizing here is a big job especially with the new home. Always a new surprise, right?!?

Our truck had the big swap of tires so now we fit right in with our Dodge Ram truck and studded tires! On a side note, we want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people in Lloyd and surrounding towns/hamlets who say thanks, give a wave etc when you let them in on the road, etc. It has been so nice to have that simple wave of thanks from so many. Small town folks I guess.

The dogs absolutely LOVE the snow during our first winter here. However letting them out to do their business has been an adventure. NO, you are not going out to just lie down in the snow silly, go do what you need to! Doug seems to have found a way to roll his bone in the snow and make a snowball. Luke just basks in the cold white powder!

Speaking of powder… it is just that. The first snow was powder which was nice considering we were used to wet snow if we got any in BC.

Christmas lights were hung along the front of the house before Halloween, when it was still decently warm out. Over 100ft of house in the front, lol, it was funny. We should have measured before buying our lights perhaps. How many trips can one make to Canadian Tire to get another box of lights! (actually only twice, but it felt like so many more)

December In Streamstown Has Spoken!

Well, we have progressed into our first December; 1 month into our first winter in Streamstown, Alberta. We have had some seriously cold days, but, it is actually not as bad as you might think. Yes, the extreme cold keeps you in those days, but it is just a “dry cold”. It is more the wind if there is any that makes it challenging.

On the morning of December 6 we had our first winter “no water in the house” moment. One of the little pipes in the pump house that fed the pressure gauge and switch was taking a beating from a draft we missed along the side of the door. The temperatures overnight reached -36 +wind chill so that little pipe just gave up on us. We thawed out the pipe and then off to home depot for some weather stripping/sealer. Neighbour Kevin and Colin put up the weather stripping that afternoon in the balmy -34 outdoors, lol, (speedo weather around here) and problem solved. (holding screws and a drill is a little challenging when it is that cold)

It has been a long time since we have experienced snow and cold weather like this. Everything is so wintery here and with the Christmas season approaching, it just feels so right. Regrets? NONE folks, we love it! So far our first winter has been awesome!

Here is a shocker….   the city of Lloydminster has no idea how to clear snow and ice, it is amazing considering where it is located. We figured they would but they don’t. Instead of just leaving a snow pack on the road, they clear off the snow to leave an inch of ice but then don’t deal with the ice; ie: sand or salt. Some of the streets in Lloydminster you could literally put ice skates on and go, no joke. We have already started to learn about which streets to avoid here in our first month of winter.

Now, the rural areas outside of Lloydminster, like us in rural Streamstown and throughout Vermilion River County, the roads are pretty clear of snow and ice. They know what is what in the county. We are on a school bus route so if the bus is running, we are prioritized. CHA-CHING!

The province of Alberta actually does an amazing job on Hwy 16 which connects Lloydminster to Prince Rupert in BC. For those unaware of the environmental challenges, it gets very windy here, so there is a lot of drifting snow. Being primarily flat land creates many issues along the Hwy 16 or any roadway here in the open spaces. When we drove to Edmonton last week to do our Christmas Costco run, lol, the roads were completely clear, but, the plows and sanders were out making sure the blowing snow stayed off the road. CUDOS to Alberta road crews, thank you!

Coyotes Very Active in our First Winter – December 9, 2022

Well, had to put something up because it was eeeeeeeeery around here last night as our first winter progresses. Sarah and Payton left last night and are gone for the weekend so Lisa and I were alone with Luke and Sam last night. Luke started growling and barking sometime around 3-4am. OHHHHH, the coyotes last night were very active. All you could hear was the crying and howling of the coyotes, and of course, Luke making it well known to everyone he is not liking any part of it. Rural Living in our First Winter is a true adventure!