January 2008

This year in Wisconsin, January lived up to its reputation for cold and snow. Most of the month passed with me busy at work only coming home to shovel snow at odd hours of the night or early morning. I have quickly learned that snow shoveling is easiest if one keeps up. Once car tires have packed the snow onto the driveway, it is much more difficult to remove. And unlike in KC, the sun does not melt the snow away when the season is still so close to the winter solstice.

January started off with a bang thanks to the traditional fireworks display from atop Grandad's Bluff at midnight New Year's Eve. The weather was cooperative this year, and I was able to watch from my driveway.

January was not quite as snowy as December, but still my yard saw just under 20 inches of snow by the end of the month. The icicles from my neighbor's roof looked like they could kill someone (or at least poke someone's eye out i.e. "A Christmas Story".)

While most of the month I was working extra shifts due to a staff shortage, I did get to take one short roadtrip to Wabasha, MN (home of the Grumpy Old Men movie) in order to see the new National Eagle Center. The highlight was when an eagle was fed a dead rat for lunch. It sounded crunchy.

Then all my extra shifts were rewarded with a long weekend off at the end of the month. What to do? Go to Colorado of course. The snow as is typical was phenomenal. The weather was gorgeous (and actually warmer than Wisconsin). It was a much needed and restful vacation.

I went skiing at Copper Mountain, one of my favorites. This year I explored several new and more challenging areas of the mountain that I had never skied before. My legs were pretty sore by the end of the trip, but it was a good feeling. Since my return, I've skied some of the small local hills in Wisconsin. All in all, I've been fairly successful this year in satisfying my appetite for winter activity. I think I'll be ready for spring come April.