Other-worldly

That's how it looks! Not everywhere. I mean snow is snow, prairie is prairie. But when you get out of town and into the woods (on a weekday especially when there are no snowmobiles to confuse you about being in the wilderness), life around you appears "other-worldly", or even out of this world!

The lack of any sunlight (which has been the case here since December 22nd I believe), has been a bit of a shock to the system....but, hey, I lived in San Francisco during the summer, and you can go for weeks in the fog there too. I've "off-road-hiked-jogged" [ORHJ for short] about 40 miles so far this week...and now that I have a new ORHJ-ing buddy, the small hound, it's become time that I look forward to and enjoy.

Remember all those ice-cocoons I wrote about on the trees that I tried to take pictures of? Well, now they are all blown off the trees from the strong winds. They cover the trail like leaves in the Fall and you either crunch over em' or slip n' slide. But I am telling you---the outside time does so much for your mental fitness.

I've even attempted at getting other people to come with me...but no one wants to go for some reason. It's a bit of a challenge to get the right clothing together. Today it was 23, feels like 14 with the wind chill, but I was fine. Cycling clothing breathes well and I have on several layers. My hands get cold by the end...but they always do. (and thanks to Jamie & Jay and Rick and Jason, I have hand-warmers galore!) People like to "work out" inside though, even on the weekends...so it's just the hound and me. She's good company and likes to go where I go...and she entertains me with all her squirrel, deer and pheasant hunting antics, and she never laughs at me when I almost slip on the ice. [often]

Have a wonderful weekend...this is Joni, reporting live, from her other-worldly world in Marshall, MinneSNOWta.