Turn that frown upside down
They were happy little snowmen yesterday...
but this is what I found when I went out for a run this morning. What terrors they must have faced during the night (in the form of above freezing temperatures).
Snow day
Yesterday came with a warning of bad weather, the kind of bad weather that I look forward to every winter, the kind that requires shovels, and de-icers, and a fire in the fireplace. Still, the morning dawned clear, and doubted the promises of white-outs and sleet. We went about our usual activities, which on Tuesday means venturing out, and by noon the skies had changed their mind, conforming to every meteorological wish. In the mid-afternoon, home from our errand running, I conceded the wait for dry weather and headed to the basement to run on the treadmill, only to come up 18 minutes later and find inch-long icicles hanging on our picnic table, bird feeders, trees, and grill. That was fast. Jon came home early, the library closed ahead of schedule and my evening meeting was cancelled, so we snuggled in and battened down the hatches. Nothing feels more like family than sitting together in a warm house, listening to ice batter the windows and watching snow accumulating quickly, turning the landscape into a sloppy white mess.
This morning more than half our little village was without power, our birch trees in the back were bent right down to the ground, and had there been school the kids would not have been able to reach the bus steps for all the piles of barely cleared snow in the street. They were kept home, and the joyous giggles of children romping in the snow filled our day. Jon was home, too, and even though he was still working, just having him close is always a nice change in our day. Plus, when he's home for a snow day, lunch break means crazy play in the snow. I have missed winter so much over the past few years, neither the heavy shoveling job this morning nor my sloppy, snowy run this afternoon could diminished my enjoyment of the season.
For the first time in a long time, I am not tired of winter yet.
winter 
{Field trip} Lego Architecture Exhibit at The Henry Ford
We've known about the Lego Architecture exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum for more than three months now, but first the holiday season and then a variety of other things conspired to keep us away. That, and we kept forgetting. But sometimes procrastination can work in our favor, and after putting it off until the very last weekend, we ended up seeing the exhibit on the only day that the designer himself was actually there to lead tours, answer questions, and give autographs. The designer was fascinating, and we learned a lot about his process, and Lego's process as well. Plus he took the time to chat a bit with Calvin, as we were the last people in line for autographs. It wasn't as busy as I thought it might be, and the exhibit was inspiring. Plus, for all of the times that Calvin and I have been there over the past couple of years, Jon had never been to the museumeven once, so this was our chance to show him around.
Legos, field trips, museums