One night this past week I went to bed and woke up in Antarctica.  Or so it seems, especially today.  The weather here in Mid-Michigan for the past three days has been severe, to put it in one word.
Snowfall amounts when the last storm was all said and done ranged from eight to twelve inches.  By Friday night main roads were cleared, and then, just in time for the next snowfall, the rest of the secondary roads were plowed yesterday.
It began to snow around eleven last night and came down at a decent clip, with big puffy flakes.  I think we got two or three inches throughout the night, so without a doubt there is at least a foot of snow on the ground.  This is the winter of years past in Michigan.
To top it all off, winds are gusting upwards of forty miles an hour today, with windchills below zero.  This is the type of day where one is better off staying indoors.  Unless they absolutely have to go out.
This is also the type of day where I am even more thankful that we have a home and warm shelter.  I know that there are those who do not, or have insufficient heat.
My daughter complained that it was cold inside today, but I reminded her that although it is not as warm in our house as usual, we are comfortable.  The large bedroom is the warmest, as the furnace for the house is in the basement under that room. 
We have learned from past cold windy days that the living room is the coldest, as it doesn't seem very well insulated, the windows get cold, and you can feel a breeze through the registers down on the floor.  This is the kind of day where we hang blankets and comforters over the windows and the front door to try to keep the cold out and the heat in.
My daughter's bedroom isn't cold, but keeping her door open helps to get more heat in her room.  We have the gas oven on with the door off to get more heat circulated too.
R and daughter and I started a game of Phase 10 in the kitchen today but he got called to go to work.  Because of the strong winds, there will be snow to remove again.
I am really thankful that a little bit of chill is all we have to deal with today.  I know there are many who have no shelter and there is frigid arctic air over much of the US.  I think this may be a December to remember.