Baby, it's cold outside

The celsius scale makes sense: zero for freezing, 100 for boiling. But even after four months in Lyon, it's so strange to read the temperature in celsius. Yesterday's high was 1. That's right, one! Brrrrrr...on any scale, that just sounds cold to this southern gal.

We officially got our first snowfall of the year on Wednesday. Nothing stuck "in town" near the rivers,  although the snowflakes slowly floating down were beautiful. However, the suburbs just a few miles west of town saw several inches of snow. Some of our friends posted a picture of their yard:

Yesterday, the girls reported that it hailed & sleeted a couple of inches at their school. The teenage boys were so excited to see the white stuff -- you couldn't really call it snow -- that they ran outside during a break and made "sleet-balls." (Which, of course, they delightedly threw at all the girls).

Ahhh, the joys of winter. I have to admit there is an excitement in the air, as the days get shorter, the street lights come on sooner, and Christmas decorations start to appear in shop windows. Even as I complain on one hand about the weather, on the other hand it's energizing. After getting bundled up in my thick winter clothing, briskly walking down the streets of Lyon, I'm stimulated by the crisp air. I think I'm ready for a winter wonderland!