This is a photo of the thermometer in my house this morning, January 16th. When I moved to the north, I expected cold weather. But, I did not anticipate anything quite this cold. There are colder spots on the planet, but none around my house.

And so, the saga of Hoss the Boss dog continues. He has the audacity to want to go outside even when it is -17. And, at 6:22 this morning, with school canceled, I am the only one awake. I had the wonderful idea of having breakfast with someone this morning - the coldest day of the decade. Hoss was ALL AGLOW about heading outside. I can only wish that I could anticipate heaven as much as he anticipates going out. He does the "Hossy Dance" and becomes 75 pounds of wriggling, wiggling dog. His little doggy mind is thinking about rabbits and smells and 15 stops at 15 differnt bushes, and people to bark at, and jerking his owners back and forth. And so it was this morning. But, his perspective was transformed by the reality. It was a strange sight. Hoss displayed his usual exuberance of being outside. But, his outside prance was soon replaced by his tip-toeing around the yard, literally. It is as if a sumo-wrestler put on a tutu and had taken up ballet. Tip, tip, tip we go, delicately, slowly, pirouetting around, till he just stopped. It was obvious that it was uncomfortable for him and that is a bummer. But, one thing is for sure, this trip outside was of a short duration. Hoss usually walks back and forth, back and forth seeking out that one secret spot in the yard. Round and round we go an where we stop only Hoss truly knows. What that particular spot has that all the other yard does not, I don't know. It can sometimes be an agonizingly slow process. Not today. We walked out, danced on tip toes, immediately found the secret spot and headed for the door. The cold weather is aggravating, but there are some benefits.