A Yukon Sunday

Force open an eye. Stab around in the dark until I find the curtain and move it aside. Still dark outside, but it is waning. The overly bright cell phone display shows 8:10. The woodstove is still crackling and I roll over for another half hour's slumber.

Soon!

Another Yukon Sunday! From my new bed, near the shower room, I can watch the wood smoke drift lazily passed the window as the groggy morning sun struggles to rise. Although it is 9:00, the sun won’t breach the treetops and shine on my hidden paradise until 11:00, but I will occasionally can see brightness valiantly fighting its way through the pine branches.

The snow may be here to stay for the winter, the forecast shows colder temperatures and more snow coming. While the snow only fell in Whitehorse on Thursday, it must have followed me home that night as it snowed in Tagish Friday. I guess scraping the icy windshield will be the norm for a while.   :-(

This morning`s view out the window at 9:00

Yesterday’s drive on the Tagish Highway

Yesterday I got up in the dark morning and headed out to the community hall to help with the preparations for the kid’s Halloween party. Lots of pumpkins to hollow out for the kid’s carving contest and tables to set up.

Finished pumpkins all lined up.   Big Yukon spider on floor :)      

Sun shines in through the skylight as Kathy scoops out another pumpkin

A mild fall this year I understand, but I see the WeatherNetwork predicting the arrival of colder temperatures and more snow.

It was colder two years ago on Halloween: 

Halloween 2009

The house has come a long way since then.

Temperatures still reach above zero during the daytime, so I guess I better work on my woodpile today while I can still find it! Laura will arrive on November 12th and I need to have the winterization work done to keep the weekends free for roadtrips.

After looking at these old photos of deep snow and cold, I am strangely thinking of the hot springs as the first roadtrip. :-)

I am having no problem keeping the living area warm with the woodstove at the lowest setting. I still use the propane heater as backup even though I am now using the woodstove overnight.

With propane a little costly, I have found an easier and cheaper way of heating shower water. When the woodstove is going full force, it is actually faster than the propane stove.

Well, it is almost noon, the temperature has reached 2 degrees and Tyson is chasing the sunlight across the wall, time to get up and do some work.

Stephen & Tyson