An extra 40 degrees

Minnesota weather is so kooky, and I love it.  

To be honest, it's a minor miracle that Miles and Laurel isn't stuffed full of endless posts about the weather.  When I was a kid, after a snowfall, I used to walk around my yard and measure the accumulation with a ruler or yardstick and then calculate the average and write it down.  In the summers, I would record the temperature daily at 2 p.m. and report my findings to the local CBS affiliate.  This station would run citizen weather reports during the 6 p.m. newscast, and I would religiously watch to see if my name and temperature recording was on TV.  (Sometimes it was!) While I have let those charming routines slide, I am still endlessly fascinated by this stuff and could really talk about it all day, given the chance.

Last year at this time, there was nearly two feet of snow on the ground.  I will also remind you of what garments were required to run outside in Minnesota last week at this time:

I think I'm even squinting to shield my eyes from the elements. 

Yesterday?  Nearly 40 degrees.

I think the last time I ran in anything less than full tights in December was last year, in California.

Today brings more of the same - plus some rain, which knocked out all of my city's snowcover last night - and I will gleefully head outside again for a run, possibly even wearing shorts this time. It makes my workout bag so much easier to pack in the morning, and so much lighter to carry!  This is all very strange and feels more like March than December, but even though I am eager to get my snowshoes out this winter, I'll take it.  It's all part of the charms of weather in this fine state.