Spring 2023 Around The Corner

Spring 2023 is around the corner, but winter is still here on March 5, however it has been somewhat decent. Yes, there have been some colder weeks like this past weekend, but we have also had some weeks that have hovered around the -5 mark. Yes, that is definitely warm for here during the winter months. As we enter March, the snow is still here, with a couple of regular dustings of snow each week and they are just dustings for sure.

Let me say this to everyone….  We have averaged 5-6 days of sunshine per week since moving here. YEP, the sunshine has been absolutely glorious. The 6 months of grey we had every year for the past 20 years is no more. It might be cold here, but all you have to do is put on a toque! The sunshine is amazing. Even on snow days, it will snow overnight, or in the morning and usually clears up for the rest of the day.

For about a week in February we were averaging 0 to 4 degrees during the day, which can wreak a bit of havoc here as at night it plummets to -20 so we have minor melt and then instant freeze. It did give us a bit of hope of a possible early Spring, but apparently, the groundhog who is conspiring with Mother Nature has had other thoughts.

Our current wildlife……
The coyotes are still around at night as you can hear them howling once in a while. Fresh track marks this morning behind the house I guess is the reason for Luke’s bark outburst at midnight last night. Not sure who they belong to, but whatever it was, Luke made sure it knew it needed to leave.

We have two magpies building a brand new hotel out back. Yep, I said hotel. When a magpie builds a nest, it is truly a work of art. They are naturally architects. These nests are massive cone shaped. Their nest is right behind the office window so I have a daily view of them building. Yeah, life is tough, lol…watching magpies building a nest. It is very interesting. They bring sticks/twigs 5 times their own size and the two of them break them into smaller pieces and place them strategically into the nest structure. It is quite the undertaking. We also have a couple of red squirrels that have been tormenting the magpies simply by running through the trees. It has been comical to watch the magpies chasing them off constantly. It should be quite the work of art though when it is finished.

We currently have a completed magpie nest in the trees, but it is apparently abandoned. It is massive and was here before we moved in.

**Sorry about the audio in the video, I was listening to a podcast with Joey Votto while watching the magpies**

Family Updating…..
Payton is adjusting nicely with school and living here and has a best friend already who is very nice. They had a “nail” day on Saturday and sometimes they have had sleepovers. Sarah took a job in Lloydminster actually working with our waste bin removal company. She was headhunted by a few companies and this was the better of the choices for her. The drive is only about 17min each way to and from Lloydminster. Both of them are adapting to Northern Alberta life nicely which is awesome. Sarah’s bestie has even moved to Lloydminster which makes her situation even sweeter for her.  Sarah has also been super excited that she has been able to see the northern lights on multiple occasions here. The skies really are amazing when the northern lights are out! (at the end of our driveway views) Click Picture to Expand to larger size.

Lisa and I are doing well and have been plugging through each day with different projects in the house or for me, work projects.

Of course we can’t forget the beasts protecting the house. Luke, Doug, and Sam! All are good and healthy. Luke is massive (closing in on 100lbs for sure) and his head is level with the counters in the kitchen now so chef beware! Doug and Luke are a pack and love protecting together and barking at the snowflakes falling close to the cows in the adjoining pasture. Sam is happy as long as the treats don’t run out and he is fed a gourmet meal each day. Cats…. simple but so demanding! As we get closer to spring, the dogs spend a bit more time outside enjoying the fresh air. The snow and ice is hard on Doug’s paws, but Luke couldn’t care less. He looks like a polar bear so it must be in his blood.

We have made some decisions on this year. Our priorities have altered a little after the winter months. You get to see what needs to be done first and that is a new garage door, and new windows for the front of the house. We have already done so much to bring the house up to code, but now we need a few things that have shown their ugly face during the colder months.

The garage door is old and beaten up. The opener, the same. So, a new garage door that is actually insulated for cold weather with a quality opener is in the works through JW Garage Doors.

Yesterday we had a gentleman come out from Yellowhead Windows, Doors, and Siding and sit with us to discuss the windows we need to replace. These are not your average regular windows though. They are massive! In the living room, 3 sections, floor to ceiling as you can see from some of the images on our site. We have the same in the dining room, but those ones are a foot off the floor. The current windows are 2 pane and have aluminum insulators. Not working well. Lisa bought thermal curtains for both the living room and dining room which have been amazing at keeping the cold out. You can actually feel the cold draft if you are next to the windows.

Oh, hot update, Magpies are back at work this morning! No weekend until the job is done.

We are sticking with the same size windows as we didn’t want to reconstruct the front of the house and we will keep the same country feel. The new windows will be 3 pane insulated and framed properly in place. We had considered a bay window option for the living room, but, the current brick on the house would have proven to be an issue. Matching the brick to go with the current brick would be a challenge so to have it look aesthetically pleasing, we would need to replace all the brick. There is a lot of brick, new house? No.

So the new windows are a few months away. Of course they can’t do them until we have completed the full thaw and have consistent warmer temperatures. We are looking forward to them, but more so because our living space will be so much more energy efficient and comfortable.

A chuckle we shared, when someone ever needs something done on their house in the area, they just need to call us, WE GOT A GUY! Lol!

The only other thing to get done this year is a new insulated door for the water well pump house. The current one has some draft issues which have caused some issues for the pressure switch on the pump this winter. The neighbour and I need to replace the door for sure before the 2023 Fall Frost. We may also place foam insulate boards on the inside of the pump house, but, the thermostatic heater we had installed has been amazing. It is just that draft through the current door that is causing problems. The door in relation to the pump valves and pressure switch set up is right in line with the draft. We will get’r done!

The Acreage…..
The corrals may be reworked a little and reinforced this spring, but we are thinking we may open them up for the neighbours cows to use our pasture to feed on the tall grass during the summer again this year. His cows loved our acreage and eliminated all the tall grass.

Chickens? Maybe, but not sure yet. We have to look at the barn and see what repairs are needed. It isn’t as simple as just buying chickens. The barn has power but we couldn’t close the doors in the fall. It really needs to be cleaned out as well.

Was thinking about planting some native and healthy berries like the Black Chokeberry bush, Black Elderberry bush and perhaps a Saskatoon Berry tree. We get a good deal of sunshine on the property and as much as a greenhouse is happening in our future, it would be nice to have some fruit bearing bushes on the property. Might as well go with the healthiest of them right?

That is pretty much it until the next time we have any updates…… thinking the big thaw is probably next!