Having A "Cold Day" From Work....

Whoose!   Where did my Coffee go? 

Instead of a "Snow Day, we have been having "Cold Days".   Meaning:  The weather has been so cold here in Iowa that places have shut down!    Schools, and other businesses have been  put on leave because of the bitter cold.   I'm not sure what the current temp is right now, but it should be about -15 o -22 degrees right now.   And it feels like it! 

Insant Snow!

If you breath in deep, you cough!   Your nose freezes up and your eyes water.   If you are out there more than 5 minutes,  your fingers begin to burn and go numb.   Thankfully,  the wind is nearly gone now, but it is supposed to kick back up later.  Simply put...  it is cold!

I would have to say,  this does remind me of the cold days in Alaska and Minnesota.   I can remember some very cold days when I was in those places.   I can't remember if they ever closed the schools because of the cold, though.  Had the cold been one of the reasons for school closings,  they would have never had school during the winter.... especially in Fairbanks!  At least the wind was non-existent there.   In Minnesota, the wind was always your constant companion...  ( not that you wanted it...ever!)  Those wind chills would cut to the bone.

So it is not impossible to imagine that Iowa gets this cold.   They are close to Minnesota, after all.  AND they are part of the interior land mass where air can not be regulated by any large body of water.  In other words:   Super cold winters,  AND super hot summers.   We have experienced both in our short, limited time here in Iowa.  Sometimes, I miss the great lakes simply for that regulating lake effect.  ( of course,  it always brings lots of snow....)

Can you see the lake in the background? 

So,  Cheryl and I are currently at home with the cat.   Pearson has cancelled scoring for today and will open back up tomorrow at noon.   I have not even tried to start the Subie in the current cold.   I figured if there was no need for him to wake up,  then it is probably best to leave him sleep.    Even though the sun is currently out,  it remains extremely cold outside.    Hopefully,  he will start tomorrow as the temps try to climb back up.

Just an illusion. 

In the mean time,  I was enjoying my coffee when I noticed the birds coming to the bird feeder.   The shadow cast by the rising sun created an illusion of a sun rise over a lake.   Perhaps you can see it too.

I figured I would try to capture one of those artsy pictures that look like something that is not entirely real.   I'm not sure how well it will turn out.

Hiro upset he has to entertain us. 

At least the cat enjoyed watching the birds as they fluttered back and forth around the bird feeder.  He was as enchanted with the shadow puppets as well,   Watching both the birds and the shadows they cast onto the wall.    Pretty cool.

Whoa!  What was that? 

I worry a little about the outside cat.  I have not seen him for three days now.  He was out early in the morning in our driveway on our way to work, but he did not hang around to catch a meal nor did I have time to feed him.   Hopefully, he is holed up in a warm and toasty place,  waiting out the cold.   I'll keep an eye out for him if he does decide to show up for some Kibble.  We shall see.

Hope everyone is staying warm.   I'm thankful we did not go out for a run today.  I doubt we would have gone very far and it is possible very little training would have been meaningful.  I probably would have frozen my fingers and toes off!  There is always the weekend...which should be warmer and better anyway.  For now,  warm beverages and some relaxation with the cat.   Thanks for stopping in.