This is definitely not my kind of winter. Where I come from, we get both our heating and cooling from the same source, our heat pump. But up here, you need a gas furnace or a boiler to deal with this sort of cold. So indeed, this is not ideal for me. However, this is the sort of winter that I’m going to have to embrace for the next four or five years. I took a position and promotion that came with that sort of commitment. I’m glad to have the opportunity but I sure would prefer a different location. However, I have to say that this region has a lot to offer. When I’m not inside the zone controlled HVAC of the office, I do enjoy this region. It’s just the cold that I’ve had such a tough time with. But now, this is my second full winter and at least my home is much more comfortable. And I’m saving a lot of money on all the heating costs as well. All it took was for me to learn all about the importance of winterizing the house. The home I bought is older. And while structurally very sound, there were plenty of places where the heating was escaping. That also meant the cold was coming in and causing drafts that robbed me of comfort and rang up the heating bills. But after going to the HVAC company’s website, I was able to download a winter prep checklist in order to tighten up my house and at least be comfortable inside this winter. Still, I’m looking forward to the day where I don’t need so much heating and when I do, the heating will come from a heat pump down south.