I'd be inside from October to May if I stayed home because it was cold. I have called into work once when with the windchill it was below-50C. Cold weather isn't a reason not to go to work up here! Schools move recess indoors, but kids are still expected to be there. We get our first freeze in late August and it is not safe to plant anything outside until mid-June, at the earliest.
We burn 10 cords of wood a year between the house and the shop. We have a propane furnace, but it only kicks in when the temperature in the house drops to the point the pipes could freeze. We only use it as a back-up in case we can't get home for some reason. There is a heater on the propane tank as well. Propane turns to a gel at -40C/F.
For our water, we buried the lines six feet underground in an insulated wooden box. There in an insulated shack over the well and pump itself. There is an electric heater in there. It has to stay at about 3C or we won't have water in the house! We have a fan set up that forces heated air into the box around the pipes.
My husband drives a diesel car. When it's cold he often borrows my truck or he has to leave the diesel running all day. At more than -15C it freezes solid in a hurry.
The dogs go through a dozen bales of straw a winter, which costs about 10 times the Southern price up here! Their doghouses are all insulated and stuffed with straw. The old dogs don't go outside for more than a few minutes in really cold weather. I carry water to them several times a day since it freezes so quickly. Their food intake doubles in extreme cold.
Layers are very important for dressing. I find Helly Hansen makes the best base layer underwear, top and bottom. Another layer of wool on top of that. Cotton is deadly in the cold and completely useless. Nothing works as well as well. The new synthetic fibers are nice and light, but in extreme temps you can't beat good ol' wool. I have several down filled parkas. Down insulates very well.
The US Army makes great cold weather gear. I have a pair of flight pants that I've worn at -45C and never been cold in them. They weigh about 15 pounds but they are toasty! The Army also makes Bunny Boots, which are also ridiculously heavy and ugly as sin, but your feet never get cold in them. I love my army surplus dealer! Fashion is irrelevant when your life depends on staying warm!
On my hands I wear a base layer of light gloves, topped with fleece lined leather gauntlet mitts. Can't work dog clasps in mitts so I have to wear the gloves too. If it's very cold, I sometimes put chemical handwarmers inside my mitts.
You have to be careful not to sweat. If you start to sweat, loose a layer. Sweat will kill you if you get stuck in the cold afterwards.
I find the dark harder to deal with than the cold. We get about four hours a day of light in our darkest months. We are up to almost 8 hours again now. I use a light therapy lamp every day while I am getting ready for work.
With the windchill today it's about -20C right now. I'm heading back out to run a second team of dogs now!
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Originally Posted by mike001
I'd call that frigid.
I don't think I could stand it for 10 minutes. I'm just shivering on a day like today. It's around 50 here right now. Yikes!! 
Wind chills are even colder. You do get used to it a bit. When I take the dogs out it takes 5 minutes to get dressed. 
Lacey has sissy feet and can't stay out more than a few minutes or she will be stuck to the ground until spring! 
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