The weather app on my phone said 12 degrees when I rolled out of bed this morning.
It’s supposed to get colder all day, which is a depressing thought to contemplate. Makes me regret the extra hour I slept in this morning during the warmest 60 minutes of the day. For some reason, I did not want to get up. I didn’t make it to the gym and hope to make up for it at noon.
Looking out the window this morning has reminded me of the two or three years I lived in Bismarck, N.D., in the mid-1990s. This time of year in North Dakota, the sun often shines brightly. From the inside looking out, it looks positively dazzling. And then you go outside only to discover it’s 22 below.
As I write this, it’s 18 below in Bismarck, according to the Weather Channel. For me, living through even a couple of North Dakota winters will always help keep cold in perspective.
Sure, it was almost 60 degrees in Muscatine only a few days ago and it feels really cold today. But you won’t complain nearly as much once you’ve lived through 30 consecutive days when the temperature never goes above 0. After a few days or weeks of that, you’re just grateful when your car starts and nothing on it breaks.
I can’t remember it ever being that cold for that long in Iowa. The temperature here may drop into the single digits today, but it’s supposed to be back in the 40s by early next week. And if that were to happen next week in Bismarck, everyone would be running around in shorts and T-shirts.
Brome Hill 
As a current North Dakota resident in my first winter here, I have never realized how good I had it in Muscatine. This winter makes me want to move somewhere were it is warm year round.
Hang in there, Tom. I feel your pain.For you, spring should arrive by, oh, May. If you’re lucky.