Really. Very. Cold.

The temperature was in the single digits when we woke up this morning. It was, I think, the coldest point of a strong cold snap that should linger for a few days. For my friend Will in Minnesota, or Jim, in Wisconsin, that's probably not that cold. But here in Delaware, single digits are rare.

I added a visit to the point at Cape Henlopen to my morning round of errands, to see if it had been cold enough, long enough, for the Delaware Bay to develop any ice. I'd found mini-floes on the beach at the Cape in February of 2007 after a similar cold snap.

The ice was not quite as extensive today. It looked more like a giant Slushie (the crushed-ice drink they used to sell at 7-11 when I was a kid).

It has warmed up a bit, but remains colder than is comfortable. We ate dinner tonight in a restaurant with large, plate-glass windows. They were not designed for this sort of weather and radiated cold into the restaurant. We kept our coats on; some folks only removed their gloves when the food came to the table.

This weather is better suited to curled up in front of a roaring fire, with a cat on your lap or perhaps a dog at your feet. A warm drink, and a good book. If only we had snow...