It was 3 degrees when I woke up this morning and is 11 now heading to the upper teens later this afternoon. It's sunny but we still have strong harsh winds although not quite as bad as yesterday when they went as high as 60 mph at times. We still have the extreme cold warnings and alerts in effect, warnings about frostbite and hypothermia. Last night it was only five degrees warmer here than at the research station at the North Pole. We were at 3 degrees and it was -2 degrees up there. That's crazy to think about. There are little branches here and there in the yards from the gusts along with a bunch of tiny pinecones from the evergreen shrubs that normally wouldn't fall off until spring.

I bundle up in layers to go outside. My goose down long coat really comes in handy when it's bitter out. I put extra food out for the birds to eat.

Yesterday I finished the mystery novel I was reading and started another. It's definitely a bundle up under warm blankets and read a book weekend. It's too bitter to do much beyond the essential chores and hibernate.