By Selena Randall

Has this winter been good or bad for you? Have you been enjoying the milder temperatures or do you prefer the deep freeze? Are you glad we have had little snow this year or not?

Less snow has meant less use of the snow blowers by our neighbours - I've seen more folks out shovelling this year than last. That's probably a good thing - more exercise, and less gas use. Less snow storms means I've stayed home less though - the roads have been clear so I've been burning the gas to get out and about more for work and for pleasure, and because we've had less days below -30C I've been happier to spend time outside.

Friends of ours have a frozen septic field. Over the last few years there has been enough snow to insulate, but this year, little snow means the ground has frozen deep. The result is that with a family of 6 using the bath and toilet, and with clothes and dishes to wash, they have to get their tank emptied every two weeks because the liquid fraction has nowhere to go. This does provide a good excuse to practise water conservation, but all those tanker movements are using gas of course.

We have noticed the difference in our furnace use during the milder spells. When I work from home I can nudge the thermostat down thanks to a low energy far infrared heater I have fixed to the wall under my desk. Heating people with radiant heat is much more efficient than heating the air around us. On cooler days I need the background heat a little warmer or I get cold fingers.

It's been sunny too - and with the sun lower in the sky in winter, we have welcomed it in - more radiant heat to keep us warm. 

How well things are surviving outside is a different matter. Less snow means less insulation. I've seen bare fields with soil blowing off into the roads. A few weeks ago there was enough soil in the street outside to shovel up and fill a few large garden containers - I was tempted... What this means for our perennial fruit bushes I don't know. How far down has the ground frozen, when will it be warm enough to plant outside - things we just can't know just now.

Despite the cold long winter last year, records show we are getting warmer, spring is coming sooner, and we have more wet spells in winter. We've seen a few of those - and the icy conditions that I'm sure no one wants too much of. Here in Manitoba it's hard to feel concerned about a milder winter, but we should be. Are you?

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