The furnace...

The furnace has been on for a few days here on the prairie.  For contrast, I've been keeping a close eye on the weather in the valley.  While both locations are undoubtedly cooling off, especially after the high temps here in late September, it's obvious that the valley's temperatures are much less extreme.


Although the following illustration shows  the daily low Regina temp in the positive digits over the next few days, we've been getting really hard frosts at night. And, as you can see, it's currently -10 degrees!

I'm thinking that the "showers" in our forecast are only thinly veiled "flurries".  The eastern part of the province has already experienced a significant snowfall.  Blick!

And then there is the valley temperatures - 14 at 8am! That's practically tropical!

All of this puts me to thinking about our central heat source - the fireplace.  I'm glad that we'll have an efficient, highly insulated home because quite frankly having only a fireplace to heat the whole house freaks me out!

Granted, it's not extreme Saskatchewan winters every person consulted said we'll have absolutely no problem heating the entire house with that fireplace (in fact, several said that they have the same fireplace in larger, much less efficient homes and have had to open their windows!). I have to keep that in mind when I think about the winters in NS.  The milder temps combined with knowledge on how to properly, efficiently use the fireplace and everyone reassures me that we'll be completely fine.

Of course, there is always those big windows to help warm the place by soaking in the low winter sun.

I'm also anticipating having to purchase a couple of cords of wood for this first season, so we have heat while I get to work cutting and chopping some of the cut wood around the home stead.  Will be kind of a drag to be out cutting in the middle of winter, but... what can you do?  It'll be great exercise, at the very least!

I can't wait to sit and toast on that big hearth!