Hoar Frost

I hate Minnesota in January. Seriously. It's usually way too cold to do anything outside. You end up feeling like the winter is going to go on forevah! But...the one saving grace is that we occasionally get a January thaw. OH...NOT thaw like, say a nice sirloin...where all ice crystals are gone and it's warm to the touch. NO...not that. Thaw as in your car starts (in the garage) on the first try. Thaw as in, you can walk out to the mailbox without gloves and not lose a finger. Thaw as in you CAN shove the children outside (appropriately dressed of course) and not be arrested for child endangerment. That kind of thaw.

This morning, we got our January thaw. Or what I have come to recognize as a January thaw. That being the first hoar frost of the season. It looks cold because it IS still cold.
Still, if every now and then Mother Nature chose to throw us a bone...or at least a breathtaking picture, maybe we could handle winter with a little more pleasant attitude. Maybe.