I am so tired of this cold weather already. The faucet outside popped a leak and was spewing water for God-knows how many hours. Can't wait to get our next water bill. And the furnace has been running non-stop too - the gas bill will be lovely.

I know that I sound like such a suck, complaining about the cold weather. Especially since I lived in Minnesota for six years and I grew up in Toronto and Ottawa. But, the difference is that I have acclimated to this milder region (well, what used to be a milder region) AND there are so many hills around and a lack of snow removal/sanders/de-icer equipment around that it makes it very stressful trying to get around.

I have driven in horrible snow storms in my life. Storms that would make the roads virtually impassable and driving home from work would take well over 2 hours for a normal 25 minute commute. In Minnesota, it was so cold that often my car would not start (no engine block heater to plug in - nor outdoor outlets at our apartment). But that was ok because I knew eventually I could get the AAA to come (maybe 12 hours later but they'd come) to give me a boost or that the snow ploughs would have the roads cleared by the next day. That just does not happen here.

I had such a hard time of it last winter with the cold weather. And I was so looking forward to a beach vacation that disappeared with the Saab's exploding radiator. I honestly don't know how I will make it through another really cold winter again without some warmth. Maybe I just need to re-invest in some nice wool sweaters and sheep-skin slippers? Whatever the answer is, I need to find it to make it through this winter.