Walk Like a Penguin...No, Really!

It's that wonderful time of year for us northern-tier-staters. Below zero temps, followed immediately by thaws that create roof-annoying/destroying ice dams; snow and ice storms and plenty of shoveling. Pretty consistently throughout the winter though, the ice is the icky stuff - both to drive and walk on. 

This week's public service announcement: walk like a penguin when you are navigating sidewalks and roads that may be icy - I say "may" because snow loves to hide tricksy black ice underneath it. This walking style will save many a fall, bad bruise or broken bone.

Or be like me and just snowshoe!

Dells of the Eau Claire River County Park, Aniwa

Celebrating Winter Solstice

THE SHORTEST DAY
By Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen,
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing, behind us — listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight
This shortest day
As promise wakens in the sleeping land.
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year, and every year.
Welcome Yule!

How to Listen to Beethoven's Fifth

I recently saw this video (that has been around since 2018). While the little characters are cartoon line riders, they remind me of capped and scarfed sledders hitting the hills. Hilarious!

Snowmageddon (eyeroll) Season is About to Begin

It's Minnesota. It's November. We are on the verge of our yearly winter wonderland.

I LOLed when I ran into this lovely sarcastic and very funny graphic about regional reactions to snow. It gets at the core of all the silly snowmageddon hype that swirls around the weather as we get to winter.

Growing up in Green Bay and living in Wisconsin most of my life, snow is just a thing you live with.

The happiest people live with it well. For the active-love-to-be outside-happy people, there’re snow angels; skiing; snowshoeing; sledding; tobagganing; skating; hockey; and lots of fine shoveling. For less active happy-hygge-hibernaters, there’re tons of reading; writing; thinking; contemplating; stoked up fires; slipping outside for a moment in sub-zero temps to throw boiling water up in the air so it crystallizes as it falls; driving along "snow-peeping" at white-covered hills, trees and structures; ice falls; nestling in to wait out blizzards.

I guess I've been one of the happy ones. I love the cold crisp, allergy-less and bug-less air; dressing in layers (you can always add layers to stay warm; you can never take enough off in hot weather to get cool); snowshoeing on trails broken by deer; stretching my muscles cross country skiing with the requisite post-workout hot cocoa or tea.

Here's to winter - and to you - wherever you are during the next 4 months. May you find happiness in flakes and cold - or warm temps as the case may be. I just feel lucky to take mine cold!