I think this is the only corner of the country where it is shaping up to be a beautiful day. I'm on the UCLA campus right now and there are clear blue skies over the courtyard where I'm having coffee. It was crisp this morning, but compared to everywhere else there is nothing cold going on here.

I think this is the only corner of the country where it is shaping up to be a beautiful day.

Oh, it's utterly gorgeous here! Just not in any way that makes me want to emerge from the blankets on the inside of the house.

It has passed us now, we are on the warming trend and it should stay above freezing even through the night for the rest of the week.

That was one thing about going down to the Catskills to visit The Relatives. Snow and serious cold are a feature there, everyone (especially the plows) is set up to deal with it, and houses have backup heating if the furnace fails.

I really worry about Georgia and all those places where the houses are often without insulation, people don't have parkas or even own gloves.

My cousin's SO grew up in So Cal, and lives in SC now, and this past Xmas, she didn't know that you let the faucets drip when it's this cold.

she didn't know that you let the faucets drip when it's this cold.

It's driving me nuts letting the kitchen faucet drip. Every time I go in the kitchen, I reach to turn it off, and then remember.

I don't really miss the running, per se, but I miss having just been running.

That makes total sense. I still don't enjoy running so much. but I love feeling that accomplished post-run.

I think this is the only corner of the country where it is shaping up to be a beautiful day.

It is lovely and crisp up here, too. I remember having 8+ days of -65F when I was in middle school - they finally only closed school when the buses couldn't actually operate any more. I don't miss that.

You paid your dues, juliana, so you definitely get to enjoy the temperate weather.

Friends of mine who live just short of the Quebec border point out that you can tell if you're in the REAL North when schools don't have "snow days".

I think it depends on the school district. When I lived in a rural district, it was about 15 miles from the high school to the edge of the district and not much of it was on roads that would see a plow first. We'd see occasional snow days. After I moved into town (and a different school district), snow days were more rare.

On the other hand, I'm trying to wrap my head around closing schools for cold weather. Especially when the low is 5 above zero.

On the other hand, I'm trying to wrap my head around closing schools for cold weather.

Are you an 8 year old with a crappy coat waiting a bus to arrive? We had way more closings for cold than snow because it's really a lot more dangerous for kids.

The buses are generally not heated, either, and in a lot of places kids have to walk a good distance from their stop to home.

That said, we didn't even have a delayed opening here today, which surprised me.