High: 71/ Low: 45

Well, we survived. We endured and persevered through our two very difficult months of winter. And believe me, they weren't easy! Several friends lost pipes in the unusual freezing temps, we went through our entire pile of wood making fires, I used a Christmas gift card to buy a new winter jacket (that I wore for a whole 3 weeks) and our gas bills were higher than normal. It was pretty rough! (Do you catch the hint of sarcasm in my typing?)

This week spring has come though! The dreaded month of February has turned into my favorite. With it comes the sunshine, the blooming of trees, the bees in their boxes pollinating, the promise of fresh fruits only a month or so away and the lovely 70 degree weather. Our home page lists our daily highs and lows and those of our Chicago family. We keep them on there to remind ourselves what we are blessed with. Today it says we have a high of 71 and low of 45. In Chicago the temps are ranging from 14-18 degrees today!

It is hard to believe that I grew up a hard core Midwesterner. I drove in white-outs. I scraped my car every day. I had the knee-length down jacket that was able to snap/zip up and cover everything but my eyes. I knew how to work a snow-blower when I was pretty young. I didn't think twice about big, ugly piles of gray snow and slush on the side of the road. My sunglasses lived in the drawer for 5 months straight. I knew the definition (and joy) of the words "Snow Day." Now I'm a big cold weather wimp. Amazing how just 4 short years can completely change your tolerance, I guess it's pretty subjective! California vacation, anyone?

Enjoying some sunshine at our nearby park today.