weather – Page 2 – Ongoing Letter

heat pump explained (with boiler)

2023-12-29 by Allan

I found this while snooping around on the internet. For those of you who keep hearing about heat pumps but still know nothing about them, this is a pretty good visualization.

A fridge but in reverse? The fascinating science of heat pumps – visualised – The Guardian (newspaper in the UK)

…except that boilers are certainly not the norm here in western Canada. Substitute boiler with heat exchanger.

So I’ve had a heat pump at 520 for over a year now, and it works well. To be honest, though, we still haven’t had much of a winter yet this winter. If / when it ever gets down to -40°C, then we’ll actually put it to the test.

first snow still here

2023-11-072023-10-24 by Allan

The first snow of the season started yesterday. By the time night fell, the cars were covered.

first snow of the season

2023-11-072023-10-23 by Allan

First snow of the season.

It’ll be gone by morning.

first snow, EH, COVID, mudding, and a bunch of other things

2023-10-222023-10-22 by Allan

It’s spitting outside – half snow and half rain. It’s a Sunday today, and I’m ‘taking a day’ (day off).

engine light, cups, snow

2023-04-20 by Allan

I’m at Northside Dodge (now called Gary Moe) having the Chrysler Town and Country diagnosed. The engine light came on a few days ago. So now I have some downtime in the ‘service lounge’. What to do? I should have brought receipts to do finances. At least I have a cup of coffee.

I went to Starbucks today for a Pike Place coffee and brought my own cup. The server poured coffee into a paper cup and then threw the paper cup in the garbage can. I called him on it; he said it was to measure the right amount of coffee. What is the point of bringing my own cup?

It’s snowing again. It started yesterday afternoon while we were working.

spring 2023

2023-04-152023-04-15 by Allan

Spring has sprung.

The deer are eating the tulips for the third year in a row. So this year, before planting a bunch of new bulbs, Floyd and I put up a 6-foot (2m) fence of plastic bird netting. I found some long 1x2s in the garage, pulled the nails out, sharpened the ends with Father’s band saw, and hammered them into the ground. Unfortunately, nightfall had already begun. (I wonder what passers-by would think.)

I went to Peavey Mart to get some gardening supplies. While looking around, I was surprised to see a cat just laying about. Was he protecting the store from mice? After all, he was sitting on a stack of feed, likely a mouse’s dream come true (except for the cat).

Along with spring comes spring cleaning. I’ve finally phased out the old computer and brought in the new. Along with that is also an old sound system I have had for about 15 years, replaced with a very small sound bar.

the heat continues

2021-07-28 by Allan

The air has been smoky here in Southern Alberta for several days of the past few weeks, results of fires burning across BC and so many other places. Even indoors, my eyes have been itchy many days.

another heat wave

2021-07-14 by Allan

A couple of weeks ago we had a heat wave for several days. It reached 38°C and stayed there – without breeze, cloud, or shower of rain. The cooler nights were barely cooler, adding to the present discomfort and that of the next over-heated day, too. I find it very sad that more forest fires are burning than ever before, and hotter to boot. Lytton, BC is 90% gone now due to a sweeping forest fire. This week, beginning today, is said to be just as hot. What do you do to take refuge from this dry deluge? I stuff my feet in a plastic tub of cold water and read on the edge of the tub. I go for bike rides and use the heat to my advantage, not bulking up with protective clothing. The pounds / stone / kg that I put on during COVID is something to try to sweat off this year. We keep the house windows closed all morning which adds to maintaining our cool (in the house). Later in the evening, we might have 1~3 hours of A/C on. Nice & cool, relatively.

wind storm

2021-01-242021-01-14 by Allan

We had a wind storm yesterday. It’s been windy for 6 or 7 weeks with maybe 2 or 3 days of calm. Headaches abound. No sub-zero temperatures. Now this wind. Hopefully it will have blown itself out.

 1/13/2021  9:08 AM     23828819 wind storm, Parkbridge, Lethbridge, AB 20210113_090836 med.mp4
 1/13/2021  9:08 AM     23570363 wind storm, Parkbridge, Lethbridge, AB 20210113_090836 med.wmv
 1/13/2021  9:08 AM      6792223 wind storm, Parkbridge, Lethbridge, AB 20210113_090836 small.mp4
 1/13/2021  9:09 AM     82211396 wind storm, Parkbridge, Lethbridge, AB 20210113_090836.mp4

first shovel

2020-10-24 by Allan

Usually the first use of a shovel is the breaking of ground for some special building or structure of some kind. In this case, the first shovel of the season involved snow.

We had an extended summer until a week ago when things started getting chilly. It is the official start of winter (that is, astronomical winter here in the northern hemisphere) on December 21, 2020. But things certainly do look like winter now.

F has filled the bird feeder with sunflower seeds and put out the suet. I shovelled the driveway this morning. I have two tutoring sessions this weekend, a rare event these days, but everything is online, so I won’t be driving through the driving snow.

It apparently will get down to -20°C tomorrow (Sunday) night. Then, in true southern Alberta fashion, it will get up to +3°C a couple of days later. Welcome to Chinook country.