The meathead pulled up lame, half a mile in this morning. He started lifting his left front paw.

So we turned around.

Well, to be honest, I had underestimated how damm cold it was, too. It didn't look or sound too bad, so I didn't bother pulling on the full Carhartts.

I wasn't pulling up lame, but it was cold enough that I had no problem curtailing the ramble.

Weird time here.

Actually had trouble sleeping last night, because after one of the longer weeks in my recent memory, yes, I am wound up about the Bears/Packers, and somewhat about the Steelers/Jets.

This may be only time in my life when my two favorite teams could meet in the Super Bowl. To be honest, I have a little more faith in the Steelers making it than I do in the Bears.

But we shall see.

Packed in food stuffs for this afternoon, even the kids are excited: Italian beef, hot wings, honey BBQ wings, egg rolls, mozzarella sticks, relish tray, cherry pie and chocolate marshmallow ice cream.

As we turned around, the meathead suddenly forgot his lame foot and strained against the leash.

I found the rabbit he saw. It was starkly visible against the sharp whiteness of the snow cover in a back lawn.

I wondered how a rabbit that allowed himself to be that visible had survived the winter with all the owls, hawks and coyotes around.

Sometimes being lucky is enough.

Back home, it was 4 on my Christmas-gift high-low thermometer.