dispatch from the north pole

Brrrr... when I left the house this morning, it was -17F. By the time I arrived on campus, it had reached a balmy -11. I dug out all my warm winter gear from when I lived in MN and WI -- the Sorel boots from high school, the shearling mittens that I wore to shovel my parents' driveway, and my enormous Gore-Tex Eddie Bauer down parka from 1997.
While it certainly is chilly, I feel lucky to have a warm home and proper winter gear. Plus it has made relaxing in front of a fire even nicer.

PSA: If you live in a part of the country that doesn't usually experience low temps and have frigid weather in your forecast, read this. Frozen pipes really suck! Run your taps at a trickle, open up the cabinet doors under your sinks, etc. My upstairs neighbor's pipes burst a couple days ago, and my bathroom has the rustic appearance to prove it.

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Frankie Brown's sheep in sheep's clothing pattern is just too cute. Alas, my first attempt turned out less than cute. I christened him "Robosheep."

So, off with his head!
I've already knit up another head, so all that's left is a bit of embroidery.