Prophecy fulfilled. Yesterday's Environment Canada extreme weather alert prepared us for the -16C high yesterday afternoon with a biting wind that influenced our decision to wait out the weather at home rather than venture out into the ravine after a beautifully balmy day on Saturday, but when we came down this morning the temperature had fallen much further. The overnight low was about the lowest we usually experience in the winter.

But by dawn it had risen to -26C. And on the porch there was a tiny red squirrel working away at the peanuts and soon afterward a pair of black squirrels and then a surprise, the rabbit that frequents our backyard showed up on the porch as well. Neither the rabbit nor the lone squirrel beside it seemed to mind one another's company, both busy with peanuts. We knew from experience that the squirrel wouldn't budge from the porch even if we opened the door, but the rabbit would vanish if it so much as became aware of a shadow hovering near.

When we prepared to take Jackie and Jillie out to the backyard to relieve themselves after their long restful night's sleep, we first put woolly sweaters on them. They didn't linger long this morning, soon as business was done with, up they came, gingerly raising one leg after another, the cold penetrating their tiny feet.

We left the house soon afterward to do our grocery shopping. Early, to avoid a shopping crush in the interests of minimizing our exposure. Area hospitals, just like others all across the province, are crying 'full'! and the case numbers continue to rise steeply day by day. When we reached the parking lot in front of the supermarket there were few other cars. 

And that meant we could more or less relax with our shopping, since there were few other shoppers, about equal in number to the store personnel stocking shelves. And the shelves were well stocked but for a few exceptions. On the other hand, all the food items that had been advertised on sale, were glaringly absent; the shelves holding these products were bare of their presence, so in the previous days when the sale was announced, clearly people had streamed in to take advantage of the slashed costs.

Food prices across the board have risen around 5 percent in the last month or so, and it obviously strains many peoples' food budgets, but not ours, thank heavens. But there were some sales I took advantage of, not for us, but for deposit in the Food Bank receptacle; cans of Heinz soups, tins of flaked meat, and cans of tuna. I filled up a bag, it went through the cashier, got repacked and placed in the Food Bank  container, itself brimming over with contributions from shoppers able to share with others, and badly in need of pick up.

A raucous reunion ensued when we returned home to haul our groceries into the house. Jackie and Jillie beside themselves with delight and relief that we hadn't lost our way home, and sniffing about for goodies like cauliflower, their most favourite of all vegetable. I took them back out to the backyard while I was still in my coat, and took with a large carrot snapped into three pieces to leave at the back fence for the rabbit. When I went out again a few hours later they were gone.

Each time Jackie and Jillie ventured out to the back yard they stayed there but a moment before hankering to return to the warmth of the house interior. Making it obvious that with a forecasted high of -20C, it wasn't likely we'd be going out for our usual foray into the ravine to circuit the forest trails. They followed me about the house expectantly in the afternoon as they usually do when routine has it that in mid-afternoon we'd generally leave for the ravine, but it wasn't happening today.

Just as well they're easily consoled. And that consolation comes in the form of a vegetable salad, fresh vegetables cut into small-dog bite-size pieces usually consisting of cucumber, bell pepper, grape tomatoes, sometimes snow peas as well, or green peas and partially microwave-cooked cauliflower florets. We'll wait for tomorrow, when the forecasted high is set for -- believe it or not -- a summery -1C.