novabona: outside, the cold sustains a miniature bobsled run, two hundred feet long, gently meandering among the buildings. kids old and young broadcast cries of amusement park laughter. a currier and ives painting is framed by my bedroom window.

and memories return of mn winters back in the day.

somewhere between super sunday and march madness lies the month of february. whoopee. groundhogs, lovers and presidents aside, it's a pretty useless month. after an incredibly warm ny winter start, february came a-calling with subfreezing temps nonstop.

mind you, i grew up in the frosty reaches of mn, so i feel sheepish puling over positive thermometer readings. but with time i've become acclimated to season long daily thaws. not this month.

february is to winter what august is to summer. so if winter has dog days, these are they. holidays are a dim memory, and sports tickers travail with numbing nothingness waiting for march's marvelous college hoops. it can't come too soon.

meantime, a blog is born. i promise good news [nova bona] for each post.

novabona: 40 degrees is forecast for mid next week.