3 cheers for spring!

A week ago, we had a lovely day--warm enough to wash and hang out almost all our winter woollies...or at least all the (mostly handmade) mitts, scarves, and hats that the twins and I had piled up.  The weather has been unpredictable...everything was in use just a few weeks ago.  In fact, it sometimes flurries in May, and our kitchen sink is still dripping, as the ground is still frozen 8 feet down.  While it is warm on top of the soil, there are still reports of properties whose pipes are frozen.  (522 properties without water, last I heard)

All of Winnipeg is rushing around in practically no clothing to enjoy the short season of warmth...and I have finally gotten to wear short sleeves. :)

Here's a series of shots of the warm day, the clothes on the line, and the bits of green as we begin spring.  It's all a celebration for me as I used to wash wool and sweater type things every spring, before twins.  Clean woollies, packed in airy, sunny places and rotated frequently, are best for avoiding moth damage, as per the advice of my Professor husband, who does actually study butterflies and moths for a living...

Right after the twins were born, I tried using the clothes line, but it was too hard.  I had not recovered sufficiently healthwise, and I could not manage carrying heavy things up and down stairs or outside.  I also could not bend and stretch too well, and it's all even harder to do while wearing a baby.  (or two) 

So, the clothesline has not been out in quite a while.  Of course, doing extra spring cleaning was also not on the agenda.

I am surprised by and enjoy small things these days.

The last bit of news was knitting related.  In April, I was surprised by wonderful online pattern sales on Ravelry.  I have no idea why.  I'd done no advertising and only one new pattern in the last several years.  The only different thing was posting those new pdfs from Knit Green and Fiber Gathering.

So, I seized upon the opportunity and decided to do a small notebook ad on Ravelry to see if good sales continued.  As May closes, I can conclude that it did absolutely NOTHING and I have sold almost no patterns in May! 

I am trying to embrace unpredictability.  It goes against my nature, but then, life with almost three year old twins is different from one moment to the next.  (Potty training, for instance, is a truly unpredictable enterprise--different with each kid and from day to day.)  Time to try to enjoy any small positive change...like the first cherry blossoms and flower bulbs blooming this spring.

Drip drip drip

If you're looking at our kitchen faucet and wondering what the green tape sign says, it says..."Please leave water dripping."  I bet for many people reading this, they are totally confused.  Why is a person who cares about environmental issues a little bit, one married to a biology professor, purposely leaving her water dripping?

We're on the risk of frozen pipes list.

In Winnipeg, it is still most definitely feeling like winter.  Yes, the sun is a bit brighter and spring is slowly moving northward. (we hope.)  The ground is still ice and snow covered, and boy, that snow is looking dirty! This morning when I walked the dogs, it was -6F.  Right now, it is -15C, or 5F, with bright sunny skies.

This winter is the coldest Winnipeg has seen in 35 years, and the frost line-that is how deep the frost goes beneath the soil- is at around 8 feet.  (2.5 meters or so)  You might guess, if you were thinking about plumbing, that there are water mains at that depth, and you'd be right.  Water mains are breaking in Winnipeg, and a whole lot of houses in our city do not have water.

Our next door neighbor's pipes are frozen, and she has water because her water line was connected with the neighbor on the other side of her house.  We live on the corner, and our one neighbor has no water and is connected to the other neighbor.  We hope our pipes don't freeze.

In our favor, we have twin two year olds and use a lot of water so it is still flowing!  We run the dishwasher and washing machine every day (potty training, but still using our share of cloth diapers...!) and that has helped.  Then in mid-March, we heard our neighbor had lost water and we started the trickle at the kitchen sink, 24 hours a day.  The city put us on the at-risk list and may compensate us for some of the water loss...but it is a necessary cost, no matter who bears it.  We so don't want to lose water!

If I think about it (and I try not to), this situation begins to sound like one of those bad comedies where things have to be funny so you don't cry--there are businesses and homes here who have been without water for weeks.  The professor talks about our "coy pond" and makes jokes about streams, water falls, and fountains.  In between my sleep deprivation (the boys have had a cold and they just don't sleep through the night) and the dripping water and a sinus headache or two, I think maybe I am feeling a little like I know how people in horrible war time work camp environments might feel.  (just kidding, definitely a first world comment)   I am even more upset now that so many people in the world do not have easy access to clean water...just the threat of it is scary to us.

We collect the water in the pitcher and try to water plants, fill the dog bowl, our water glasses, etc. with it, but we're using a lot of water.  Luckily, we are blessed with a lot of water here in Canada.  Drip drip drip.  Can you hear it running over there at your house?

I so can't wait for spring.  Please drop me a note or leave a comment or something if you can see flowers or the ground or even a melting pattern where you live!