February already!

I can't believe how fast January went! With how cold it was, it really should have been a month that felt like it was dragging, but before I knew it, it was over. We had some pretty cold weather too, I'm talking -52C if I don't cover my skin it will freeze in seconds cold, not wimpy I have to wear more than a sweater cold.


And so, as luck would have it, my van suffered the most from the cold. I avoided driving it as much as possible because I know the power steering hose likes to pop off when it's too cold, but sometimes I just need to go out. The week before last Beth was home from school as she was pretty sick, so last week when she was feeling better and had gymnastics, I braved the cold and took her, just to get her out of the house and out of my hair for an hour. Bad choice. It was one of the -50C something days so I kept my van going the whole time we were in the gym. I didn't want to leave the keys in it, so I just kept hitting the remote car start every 10 minutes. My car starter is not one of those fancy ones where you press the button from wherever you happen to be and it beeps to let you know your vehicle started, it's the kind where you pretty much have to be at the driver side door for the car starter to work, so I actually saw it start up every 10 minutes from the door of the gym. I wanted to keep it warm so my power steering would be safe.


No luck.


After gymnastics I buckled the girls in and went to drive away, and had no power steering. Of course I was wedged into a parking spot with one truck in front and a car right behind, and it would have been tough getting out of the spot with power steeering and it was darn near impossible without I tell you. I am pretty darn proud I didn't hit either vehicle actually. It took, no word of a lie, 5 minutes to get out the parking space. Luckily most of the drive home required few hard turns, so although it's really a pain to drive with no power steering, it can be done. Or maybe I am just getting used to it, because it already went on me once this winter and in the past has gone a couple of times every winter since we've owned the van.


Since I was babysitting every day, and Chris was out of town most of the week, the van never made it into the shop until Friday. They put the hose back on, said it was the other end that popped off this time, and ordered us a new hose, which they hope will solve the problem. Luckily they did not charge us for this repair, probably because it had only been in for the same problem a couple weeks earlier. I have no idea what the new hose will cost either. I dread vehicle maintenance bills!

But for now it's working and I can turn a corner with ease. There is no more -50C forcast for the near future so my fingers are crossed that it stays fixed for the rest of this winter, which by the way, is not going as fast as January did.

I dreamed the other night of melting snow. I wish.