Three months and a day without frost...

^{Chunk of ice found in the cats'bowl at 8:00 this morning...}

The last time it froze as I remember was in the morning of June 23^rd.
My neighbour Jacques told me he woke up to find ice on his car. He lives half a kilometer downhill from my former place, close to the Salmon river, which is 3 km from its source at the Marble Mountain when it reaches the bridge.

^{At N D des Bois, June 23rd.}
Up every two hours or so to pee, I brought out my thermometer, thus keeping track during the night of the falling temperature. At 4:00 am it reached -5ºC and it kept being that cold way after sunrise. The pic is from 8:00 am.

^{Ti-Caille as a living scarf on this cold morning. I really look like at crackpot on that picture. Mind you I might be one after all!}

Moving on

I finally decided on a plan concerning the building of my future "home". Since I am in the so-called "Green Zone", I can only build what they call a bush shelter, which has to be 20 m² or 215 sq. ft. or 14'8" x 14'8", which is not big. It's equal to a good size bedroom. The rule/by-law also says one is only allowed to one floor. They think of everything... I am gonna try to cheat on that one. The attic would be my bedroom in a pyramidal shaped roof with a skyligth topping it.
It is not fixed though. I could change my mind...

^{Jack, my collegue doing the mortar in the basement. I thought this looked like some sort of chinese sculpture in the making.}
After having spent the summer scraping and painting this immense tin roof, I am now starting the project of insolating the basement of the same house which I painted the roof over the summer. It is so damped down there all year long and especially bone-chilling during the winter months. I told M that she will recover the cost of doing it within the first winter, which is true considering the climbing oil costs.
Doing it would radically change the humidity level and the comfort in the house. I ma at my third experience in doing basement insolation to be able to affirm this.
It's been hot and humid this week. However at this altitude - even though it is at the same latitude as Montreal downtown - the temperature is very pleasant. Tuesday and Wednesday night, a white mist stayed at the soil level. One could hardly see the cow grazing in the fields. Moreover a persistent in the valleys during the daytime renders the landscapes very inspiring.