A Little Snow in Chicago

A relatively quiet week for us with only a short trip to Chicago to liven it up.  Jo needed to attend the Central regional meeting in Chicago from Thursday to Saturday and since she can't move luggage while on her crutches, I tagged along as her trusty luggage handler.  Chicago had its usual mix of lovely winter weather with cold brisk winds, low temperatures and just a bit of snow thrown in to make the trifecta.  We did get to catch up a little with my sister, but given Jo's limited mobility we didn't do as much with her as usual.

The only other fun piece of news was, of course, the artic temperatures we are experiencing this winter.  Some fun facts from the last week:  1) it was warmer in Alaska than here by 40 degrees! (it was in the 30's in Alaska when we were below zero), 2) it has snowed some amount in 70% of the last 55 days, 3) we almost broke the low temperature record for one day set 130 years ago, 4) Lake Michigan is the most iced over it has been in 30 years (and has icebergs floating on it!) and 5) -14 degrees is frigging cold especially in a house with insulation installed in 1919.  On the upside (or downside depending on your perspective), I have set a new low temperature that I'll run at.  When we lived in CT we thought long and hard about going outside to run once the temperatures were around 10 degrees and rarely did.  Now that is standard running temperatures (in other words, I don't even think about whether I should) and my new lowest temperature I have run in has set to -1.  When the normal winter high is in the teens you apparently mentally get more comfortable being out in it - not sure that is the brightest thing for your mind to do, but it is what happens.

Other than that, we have been pretty home bound since Jo is only half way through her "no weight on the right leg" regimen.  She is keeping her spirits (and right leg) up though. 

I didn't take any pictures in Chicago - no reason, just forgot - or of anything else last week.  So I'm including one of a warmer, happier time from the past hoping that it will encourage the weather gods to warm up WI a bit.