Quelques arpents de neiges

For the record, I spent half an hour searching for a rhyme for neiges that would appropriately convey just how friggin cold it is. Minus 21 C with the windchill, which is -6 F for the Yanks.
Ah yes, the windchill. There are no words strong enough to express just how much I hate windchill. Every year I waste several valuable minutes wondering just why, out of all the Commonwealth destinations my parental units might have chosen, we ended up here. Why did the French settlers stay, those many years ago? Historical text after text tells us that the settlers’ numbers were drastically reduced every winter, because of extreme temperatures, no food, impassable routes, and so on. So why do we stay? What are we trying to prove?
And yet, here I remain… Despite the obvious ridiculousness of our winter weather, I love this place. Sigh