quincy update

What a week. I worked in the shop with the keen eye of a veteran of the field. :*/ Some days are definitely better than others.

There has been a burning desire in Manon to sleep in a quincy. Two weeks ago the task of working up a mound big enough to carve out into a sleeping space turned into a place big enough to sleep the family. Manon tends to focus pointedly when she's motivated. I don't know where that comes from. :P

Last night Conner was over and they got some flax straw as bedding to keep themselves off the floor of the quincy. They rounded up their sleeping gear and opened a breathing hole and filled the angled door with more straw. Having made the mistake of creating meticulously uniform but thin walls in previous incarnations of this dance, the walls of this latest venture were at least an arm length.

The whole thing represented levels of hand balling snow with shovels I have been able to appreciate fully.

Manon had her head right around this sleep over. She had all the bases covered and more. Snacks, flashlights and all the sleeping bags a kid could want. Her focus centered around ensuring Conner would remain stuck comfortably and not require a bail out to the house before morning.

They told stories and laughed for an hour or so while settling into bed. Manon left the light on, hoping Conner would fall asleep before her and then she could turn it off, but Conner eventually leaned over and shut it off himself. Manon was so happy. She had worked hard to make this happen with a sustained and concerted effort that spanned the two weeks or more.

The quincy itself was perfectly regular. they had shaped the outside and then shaped the inside by blocking the door so they could see the light shine through the snow walls to indicate the thickness. Many hours were spent honing their skills and the resulting structure was masterful.

As Manon is drifting off to sleep with a warm heart knowing the job had been well done a patch of snow fell from the ceiling and hit her square in the face. Jolted awake, she touched the ceiling to find that it was heavy and slushy.

It turns out that it was too warm to sleep in a quincy and the thing was doing it's job too well in insulating the kids from the Manitoba winter. Or is this winter? It sure doesn't feel like it. I have to remember to take decent winter gear with me when I head out. It snapped down to -15 last weekend and I was cold! It's a bit surreal.

The people at the weather office are predicting we will surpass the long standing record for the warmest January in 1944 or so, by a wide margin. The rodent population is blooming!
Stay dry.