Getting out in it

So on Christmas Eve I was estatic at the thought of the incoming snow storm and how it coincided with time off of work. The prospect of skiing often in fresh snow (possibly two feet of it they were predicting) had me peeking out the window and sighing as the big flakes fell from the sky. But then the snow turned to rain, then the rain froze and coated everything with ice. yuck. By the day after Christmas our back yard was rock hard and skiing seemed like it might be done for awhile. The reports on skinnyski showed that some people were still getting out and trying to be positive. Then we got the dumb cold- not just cold temps outside- those did come too, but I'm talking about the coughing, wheezing, snotting, sore throat type of cold. We spent the week after Christmas in the cave of our house, rarely getting out for more than to grab the paper from the step. It seemed cold and icy and unfriendly out there. This lasted into the new year. Sunday the third dawned sunny, but frigid and I had a horrible attitude about bringing the kids over for their x-c ski lessons at Theodore Wirth park. Jon, uncharacteristically, shared this view. But we felt obligated, and so brought them, and brought our own skies as well. Packed them right into our car along with our pessimism. We got to the park, bundled our kids off to their respective lessons and remarked to ourselves how astonished we were that they didn't complain about the cold at all. And then we stood there outside in the bright sunshine and noted, yes, it was cold, but it wasn't awful cold. And so we skied. On the lovely Judy and Hap trails, named after my very own peeps. And loved it. Even started to think kindly toward Minnesota again. Sure, there never was two feet of snow- it did turn to rain, and then ice- but the trails were fine. Even good. It proved to me once again that a Minnesota winter looks much worse from inside, peering out the frost encrusted windows, than it does from when you are right out in it. Of course it's Wednesday night and I haven't gotten back out there, but I will. And I will love it.