Cold

I can't remember the last time it was this cold for this long. I know that one winter back in the mid-90s it was so cold that the deck and the roof made weird creaking noises at night, and who can forget that hard winter when the thick ice on the roads would thaw, then freeze up again, and didn't disappear fully until spring.
A friend reports that her chickens were squawking at her this morning, as if she were responsible for the cold and could do something about it.
Still: daffodils have appeared in the floral section of the grocery store, the paperwhites I planted in pots weeks ago suddenly started growing and are flowering, and I just spotted snowdrops in bloom while I was outside refilling the bird feeder. And I've even received some gardening catalogs in the mail!
Also, my brother-in-law put our temps in perspective when he informed me that the high temperature -- the high, mind you! -- in his Minnesota town was minus 2. I believe he still rode his bike to work.