Thursday - 342nd

For the first time in what seems like months (but was probably only a couple of weeks), the air didn't bite your face off when you stepped outside. It was a normal winter day -- below freezing, to be sure. But it didn't slap you down and leave you shuddering. The sun was out, the white snow sparkled. Lovely stuff! (No sun in the wee hours of the morning, but it's coming!)

As with everything these days, it's hard to enjoy something when you know people elsewhere are having exactly the opposite experience. Furnaces not running, next storm barrelling through, miserable stuff! The only heartening news is that by next week, people in Texas will climb up from below freezing to near 70F (21C). Here in Wisconsin, we see temperatures that high toward the end of May if we're lucky. 

 

Whatever side effects the vaccination produced in one of us yesterday are gone today. It's like the feel good switch had been turned off for 24 hours and now someone finally flipped it on again. Breakfast, sprightly prepared, in the front room.

The less severe weather has the animals out prancing again. We're trying to feed a new stray cat, but the herd of old timers is onto us and they are not on board with it! And so feeding the newcommer (Pancake) is a challenge. Believe it or not, I spend a good chunk of time watching carefully for a window of opportunity when I can run some food over to her. I always feel like it's her last meal before the herd chases her away permanently and I'm deeply satisfied when I see her finally at the bowl, eating with gusto food that the other cats here take for granted.

(The other animals that come through here daily in search of food include these guys...)

 

 

In the afternoon, Ed and I go skiing and we do the bigger loop, through the edge of the forest, and it is so peaceful and still empty, as if people aren't believing the goodness of the weather just yet.

(driving home, we pause to admire the sky, the snow, all of it...)

And in the evening, Ed cheers Perseverance and I lose myself in cookbooks, looking for new baking ideas. Not a bad way to spend a winter day, don't you think?