It had to happen. We had a warming trend this afternoon and the temperature finally crept past the depressing singular digit it was - hey, we got to 3° by 2pm! - and the advice of many of my readers. I was feeling much better by the time I was ready to go home this afternoon.

It's an odd thing about the windowless cubicle I work in: there are windows to the outside in my office, but it's pretty easy for me to pass them by during the day and only get to see what it's like out there on my return to the car for the drive home at the end of the day.

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered the fine misting of snow that was falling and had already covered everything.

But the reminders that pals Neil, Steve and Dane gave me (ironically, all barleycentric) lent me made me realize that, hey, ho, Wisconsin's the place for me.

You've gotta like a place where, like my friend, expatriate Dan says, "The weather tries to kill you now and again".