weird warm weather

february is usually the short dark dismal month, the month of post holiday/pre-spring doldrums. in fact, i think i like skiing the birkebiner for a million reasons, but chief among them is the way the birkie is an event to anticipate in february, a reason to pray for snow and enjoy the cold winter, a training season to celebrate the wisconsin woods all tucked in under its winter blanket.

so you can imagine it is with reluctance and chagrin that i greet the past 2 weeks of february sunshine and 50+ degree days. as the rest of madison sheds their coats and dusts off their bikes and frisbees, i mourn the loss of the snow for skiing, and fear the effect this weird weather will have on the race. i mean, i'm not angry that it's beautiful outside and spring like, and the sunshine feels good and the biking around town in tshirts feels liberating. it's just that i'm not ready. and neither is the birkebeiner ski race course up in hayward.

in an effort to stay positive about the weather and acknowledge that i will let go of the things i cannot control, i present here a collection of february's warm weather joy:

slop and puddle playing with brooms

sprinting around on melting lake ice, which was great fun until james fell through a fissure

 the sap is running (although less now that the nights don't get below freezing...)
 

selfies at the terrace


ice cream cones in the sunshine
 

a visit to the zoo in short sleeves (where this big boulder was the biggest hit. sorry animals. better luck next time.)


 and here is the ten day forecast for hayward, where the finish line for the birkie is. this is the forecast from last week, and the final weekend listed here (where the temperatures drop again with the promise of some mixed precipitation) reflect the acutal race weekend, in just 4 days.... it's even balmy way up north!


oh, sorry. i was trying to be positive.

check out this picture of these two adorable monkeys. it has nothing to do with the weather, but it is a picture of them in their aprons decorating the cookies they made to give to their teachers, principals, teaching assistants, office secretaries, and student teachers for valentines day. they were so excited, and it made me so happy.