It's cold....It's Canada!

I’ve been working on a blog post for about 2 weeks now.  It’s not this one.  The post I have been (slowly) working on includes pictures and the thing about me and pictures is…I’m lazy about them.  I’m lazy about taking them and even more lazy about collecting them from my various devices and doing something with them.  So my post is on hold until I can locate all the pictures I’m looking for and the cords needed to get them all on my computer.  (it’s really only one cord but I sound so high tech using plural cords).  I digress, THIS post is about the temperature.

In the past couple of days I have noticed MANY people have updated their facebook status to reflect the cold in their respective cities.  I have also done this on occasion myself and it got me thinking about temperature. 

-30 is cold, no matter where you are if the temperature is -30 it’s cold outside, that goes for -25, -42 etc.  What is really amazing is how quickly we can become use to that cold.  Once upon a time if the temp said -30 I would have said, “It would be better just to stay in today, no need to get out in the cold.”  Now I find myself seeing the -30 forecast and thinking, "This is an acceptable forecast to go outside." 

Today while it is -42 in Ottawa, -30 in Charlottetown, feels like -22 in Calgary, it’s -24 here in Salluit.  After lunch I thought we better get outside, it’s been at least 2 days since we’ve been out of this house.  So I put Reed in his snowsuit and full head warmer thing knit by his grandma.  I dressed in my snow pants, bogs (boots) (which by the way are pretty much the only footwear I have needed while here in the arctic.  They are super warm!) and of course the amautik so Reed could ride in the back while I carry a few groceries we ‘need’.  We were heading to both grocery stores in town, just to see what they had. Between grocery stores I realized….I was sweating.  I had to take my mittens off, and I started to regret my choice for wearing snow pants.   It may have been a better choice to put on my wind breaking splash pants, I’m glad I skipped the scarf. 

Anyway all this to say that how I use to think of -24 or even -42 for that matter has totally changed.  The difference I have noticed between –cold here versus –cold somewhere else in Canada, is style.  It is completely fashionable here to be totally bundled up, snow pants, hat, mittens, huge jacket that makes you look like a walking shapeless huge mass of down and polyester.  Your fitted, burberry-esque  ‘winter’ coat is not gonna cut it.  It’s cold, but it’s Canada, dress warmly and get outside!