It's been below freezing for almost all of February, and below zero Fahrenheit for most of the last two weeks. Today it was in the twenties!

Still not an awesome temperature, but it felt so much warmer. We've been hiding inside so long because it is just brutal out there. The treks to the car, or to let the dogs out or fetch the mail, seem to be just enough for me. The kids last a little longer. The dogs somewhere between, depending on how crunchy the ground is, and how badly they need to bathroom or run around.

The kids wanted to get out of the house, so we took some new sledding tubes to the park for some treks down the hill. They loved the sleds going down, but grumbled at how heavy they are coming back up the hill. Despite my best efforts, they continually went down holding on to each other's sled, leading to different kinds of bouncing and slower skids down the snow.

It was nice to get outside, but I'm getting too old (or maybe just cranky) for standing on a snowy hill hiding from the breeze. As much as possible I tried to soak in some of the diffused sun rays, as it is terribly cloudy still. Brightness came from all directions, and found its way to my few square inches of exposed skin, between my hat and mask, and around my glasses.

We returned, tired and hungry, in time for dinner.

Everyone's healthy.