Give cold a chance

I got out for one last ski before the cold really descended this week, a night-time loop at Lester Park here in Duluth. It was Monday night, and the temperature was dropping about six degrees every hour.

The deep cold shut things down around here pretty well for the last three days. It's been very scenic out our window as the "sea smoke" wafts above the few remaining leads of open water on Lake Superior, below clear blue skies.

The dog chose to not sit outside on the porch, stare at the lake and bark for hours. Instead, she sat inside the porch door, stared out at the lake and barked for hours. But she was delighted to go outside for short stretches, to run and jump and dig. Burying bones takes on a whole new meaning when it's snow out there and not dirt.

Dogs are okay, but I think people are too wimpy. All I am saying, is give cold a chance.

Or rather, give yourself a chance. If you're protected from the wind and can cover your nose, ears and chin, it's totally fine to be outside at 30 below zero for 10-15 minutes. Keep moving, enjoy the fresh air.

We can walk from our house to Canal Park, and on the coldest of the days lately I've walked to lunch or meetings at the DeWitt Seitz building, about 10 minutes away.

Even better, get out on your cross country skis. Cold snow is slow, which actually makes it better for cold air, since you're working harder and not experiencing headwinds.

Don't sit inside and bark. Get out and play.