a change of plans... it is cold out there

it is cold out there... dam cold
cold as a witches tit in a brass bra cold
cold as a coal miner's pick cold
obnoxiously cold... absurdly cold
stone cold

yesterday on the way home from school I took the boys for a short hike on the Melvin Hazen
even though my black dog Brutus is getting too old to hike... the family still needs to get out into the woods
we did a short loop in the woods without the dog... it was cold

oddly there was no ice on the creek

even though it was freezing cold
there was no sign of freezing
other than some ice crystals on the trail and frozen mushrooms on the rotting logs

the boys did not complain
we were not out there too long

in fact... I was in the car with the engine running as they each rolled down the grass in front of Klingle Mansion

then back in the car and on towards home
the hike before getting home is a shrewd option
once the boys are in the house with their jackets off it is tough to get them outside again
or is it that it is tough to get me outside again?

either way... once we are in... we are in

today I grabbed a coffee at the Diner and worked on my BLURB books before going to the grocery store to grab some of the basics
I dressed for the cold
it was tough to take photos of the passing cyclists with the Pearlizumi Lobster Claw gloves... the hands were warm... but finding the buttons on the camera was awkward


keeping my hands warm outweighed my need to get the shot any better than I did

on my return to home with a bag of groceries bungee-ed to my Cetma front rack I thought to myself... it may be too cold for tomorrow's plans

I had intended to take the boys to school with their bikes with some post school plans
alas no... it is cold... not so cold that they can not ride their bikes
but so cold that they will need to be in ski gear for a bike ride
riding the bikes to the National Christmas Tree and back may make for a better
weekend adventure than a post school ride

too cold and not enough time
it gets dark so early that we would have to race the darkness home

it could be too cold
it could be too rushed


we may still go to the National Christmas Tree
but it will more than likely be in the car