Wondering why I haven’t been blogging much lately?

One word: Snow.

Much of my free time these days is spent shovelling and clearing snow from various parts of my property and vehicles. We’ve had a lot of snow this winter. It’s snowing now. It’s supposed to snow overnight and most of tomorrow as well.

When it hasn’t been snowing, the temperature has been plummeting to extreme lows, like minus-25C. So, my partner and I have been snuggling up in the warmest rooms of the house to keep warm.

It is a SAD situation, as in many Quebecers, Canadians and people in northern U.S. states are suffering from seasonal affective disorder — which my colleague Bill Brownstein wrote about in his column for today’s Gazette. You could also call it cabin fever, or simply the winter blues brought on by all of the aforementioned things as well as a lack of sunshine.

Oh, and there’s the high electricity bills those of us who heat our homes with electric baseboards are receiving. My most recent bill for 60 days: $1098. Yes, that includes provincial and federal sales tax. Never mind that I and all the other taxpayers in Quebec actually own Hydro-Quebec — a Crown corporation — and that this province has an endless source of hydro-electricity, and that Hydro-Quebec posts obscenely high profits every year. Hydro-Quebec still keeps raising our rates.

To make matters worse, a long-term forecast released a few days ago said winter will be with us until the end of April, with colder-than-seasonal weather and lots of snow.

Sigh . . .

I’m not California Dreaming, though, what with all the fires and droughts that state has been having.

I’m thinking Arizona. I never hear anything bad, weatherwise, about that state, except it gets stinking hot in the summertime. No prob. I’m looking at Arizona as a winter haven once/if I retire. I’ve read that the northern parts of the state are not too hot — and that some even get some snow in the winter. Which is why I would avoid those parts.

It would be next to impossible for me to move there permanently, given how difficult it is to immigrate to the United States (and vice versa). So, I’d be looking to rent as opposed to buying property. No, I’m not interested in doing the camper thing.

So, I’m wondering what my readers have to say about Arizona. Tell me about the good, the bad and, you know . . .

— Jillian