Heat Wave

The temperature has indeed reached and passed 20 F today. This represents the first occurrence of that milestone in maybe two weeks, after an overnight low of -10 F. I celebrated with skiing at the University Forest, maybe 7-8 miles and 1.5 hours. Chickadees and downy woodpeckers in attendance, numerous deer tracks, and a curious absence of snowshoe hare prints.

Helped me recover from the acute melancholy caused by a bad review of WINTER OAK posted at Amazon.com. I really _must_ learn not to read those damned things. But honestly, folks, if something calls itself "Dark Fantasy," don't complain because it turns grim on you....