dear all of you who don't live in minnesota and never have: it's simply awful here during the winters. i have chiselled steps in the ice that is all the way up to my second story windows so that i can climb down them and then hitch up my dog sled to take me to work. it is so cold here that i have to put blankets over my eight siberian huskies when i bring them in to sleep at night, or else they get too cold. also, target is all sold out of electric blankets, and has been since august, when it first got cold. just so you know. love, me.

to the rest of you, oh my gosh is it gorgeous out right now. the snow is so beautiful on my back yard, and so nice after not having had any up until now. it's just about freezing, which is less fun, because the snow melts and then refreezes as ice, but eh. i just won't hike anywhere. and that means it's warm enough so that i don't (much) have to encourage the dogs to go out, even little tiny near hairless pirate. she keeps warm running around and yapping. and i can stand on the steps and watch them as they run around, and not freeze anything irreplaceable off.

really a quite nice start to the year, weather wise.

okay, now i am being stared at beseechingly by a chihuahua who wishes i'd come to bed. er, i mean, the seventeen huskies wish i'd come keep them warm. yeah, that's the ticket.