With this being my first winter in Madison, WI I have not done too much exploring. The main culprit to limiting my exploration of the city has been the freezing cold weather. Winter came pretty early in the frozen tundra! By early November, a winter coat was a daily addition to my wardrobe. By December, the snow arrived and it is still present. I have not seen green grass since Turkey Day! In addition to the snow, the temperature has been quite cold. Mostly, I have not left the house without a warm hat, gloves and my coat zipped all the way up! Most of January the temperature was in the single digits or below zero, which does not account for the wind chill. The following description may give you sense of how cold it has been. When my dog, Bailey, barely makes it two feet from the back door to "take care of business" before she wants to turn around to come back in. It is so cold her her, at times she needs to lift up one paw at a time while walking around just to give that paw a break from the cold. She will alternate each paw giving each one adequate time to "warm-up" enough before touching the ground again.
One could imagine that spending too much time outdoors in the winter doesn't happen too often. I thought I was pretty smart purchasing snow pants and a full coverage ski mask. I figured it would be easy to walk Bailey for 20-30 minutes while wearing warm bulky snow pants, ski mask, gloves, hat and boots...well, I was wrong. It was very hard to breath the cold winter air even through the ski mask. Any moisture that accumulated on the fabric froze instantly and my nose and lips would freeze to the fabric. In addition, Bailey would start with her alternating paw walk. I just had to give up the winter walks and be creative with my time.
I've always enjoyed the roar and warm glow of a wood-burning fireplace. Fortunately, the home Tim and I are renting has one in the living room. However, the inviting warmth of the fire could not bring me to build too many fires because that meant venturing outside in the cold for the firewood. Boy, don't I sound lazy and defeated by the cold. But wait, there is more to the story. I learned that keeping the chimney flue closed and having many blankets to snuggle under, to be very romantic. This is what a true Wisconsin winter is all about...snuggle time under a blanket! Enough said! Not quite!
All the snuggles lead to us having a baby!! That's right, I'm pregnant with our first child!! So, what do you think? Frozen Tundra or Winter Wonderland?