-11 is the new -3

We were to bed early last night, and after a good, long night of sleep it was up a bit before 7 (on a Saturday - scandalous to some of our friends, I know) and time for some cereal. When I came out of the bedroom and caught a glimpse outside, I thought, "Colder out today."

You know how it is - there's a particular look to things when it's cold.
The blue of the sky, perhaps? The way smoke rises into the sky? The ice on the lake in the distance? I checked Yahoo weather a short time ago. The forecast was for a low of -3 Celsius, but the reading at O'Hare at 6:51 this mornings was -11. Hmmm.

But we are cozy in our home, thanks to the generators parked in our driveway. 3 of them, I think. Or is it four. Forgive the streaky windows at this time of year: here's a look at what is letting us live here.
Conrad finds the constant thrum difficult to sleep with, and he's using ear plugs. I fall asleep to them easily - they are white noise to me, and I can be lulled easily. We leave for Vancouver on Tuesday, and we can expect the generators to be in place until after our departure.

Meanwhile, it's 7:41, and - shockingly - this man has not gone back to bed until time to go to swim practice!