The record-breaking two day heat wave that swept over us here in the Quebec portion of Soviet Canuckistan ended late this afternoon.

We Canuckistanis are now deep, deep in mourning. While winter strongly shapes who we are, that does not mean that we embrace it whole-heartedly.

Winter poses special hardships for the spousal unit and I because our home is so isolated here, being at the top of a very steep private road and all. We close our road once the snow gets too deep for our vehicles and snowmobile in and out.

I try to buy a winter's worth of bulky or heavy items before we get snowed in so that it's one less thing we have to wrestle up here through snow and freezing rain. Today was my first expedition.

I don't know about you, but when I'm standing in line at the grocery store check out I like to scope out other people's carts and kind of speculate about them based on what they're buying. Just think of me as Dr. Marn, Grocery Store Psychologist.

Okay, here was my order for today:

First up, 60 cans of cat food and a mountain of kitty litter. Yes, kitty litter. Here I am in the middle of hundreds upon hundreds of acres of forest and I own two cats who insist on using kitty litter.

Fine.

So on top of the 60 cans of cat food I bought three 20 kilogram (close to 45 pound) bags of kitty litter.

What would I think if I saw this in someone else's cart?

"Oh man, there's another one of those eccentric women with 241 cats living in a house that reeks of urine."

Next up, five boxes of Tide, six containers of dish soap, four packages of hand soap, a bottle of Mr. Clean, and two cans of Comet.

Hrm.

"Oh man, eccentric woman with 241 cats AND an obsessive-compulsive cleaning disorder."

Next up, three packages (each containing 24 rolls) of toilet paper, and a dozen boxes of kleenex.

"Yowza. Eccentric woman with 241 cats AND an obsessive-compulsive cleaning disorder, AND bowel and snot-related problems too severe to be contemplated."

While that stuff was running through the cash I went to the beer cooler.

I have my needs.

Next up three two-four of beer. (A two-four for those of you who do not speak fluent Canuckistani, is a case of 24 beer).

"Eccentric woman with 241 cats AND an obsessive-compulsive cleaning disorder, AND bowel and snot-related problems too severe to be contemplated AND serious alcohol issues. SHOULDN'T THIS WOMAN BE IN AN INSTITUTION OF SOME SORT?"

Oh dear.

Fortunately, grocery store clerks have seen it all. The woman at my checkout didn't bat an eye.

That was all I could squeeze into the Marnmobile. I have to go back tomorrow and get more stuff.