Last week we went to BYU-I in Rexburg to help our granddaughter Alexis get settled in for School.  Sherri and Lexi flew in from Texas and we brought to Rexburg the car her Wardinsky grandparents had given her.  Lexi is deaf and only communicates by sign language and she also has Multiple Sclerosis.  Sherri came to stay for a week to help her get settled and adjusted to her classes and her roommates and the Rexburg Cold.  We really enjoyed spending a couple of days with them during the process.

Lexi has a nice room about a block from the campus.  Her view out the window behind us includes the beautiful Rexburg Temple.  The window faces the South and is great for sunshine.  It felt good to stand by it for the warmth because it was very cold outside,  in single digits I believe.

Lexi is a very sweet girl with a precious spirit.  We loved being able to spend some time with her and her mom because we rarely get to visit their home in Texas.  It was very hard to leave them knowing the challenges Lexi might face in that college environment so far from her home.  But she wanted to come and mingle with students where the Church is strong.  She would love to find a nice RM to marry and have a family.  Our hearts are with her as she bravely takes this step into the unknown.

We returned home from Rexburg to temperatures that were lower in Burley than in Rexburg.  Our magic valley area has been under an inversion for over two weeks.  It has been very cold with 6 - 8 inches of snow on the ground.  Daytime temperatures rarely get into the teens.  Night time temperatures are often single digits and sometimes below zero.  I don't believe I can remember a time while we have lived here, that the snow and cold have stayed so long.

The snow on the table, flowerpots and chairs behind our home.

The thermometer behind our house is registering just above zero, about 3 degrees Fahrenheit.  We have rarely seen the sun during this two week period  as the clouds hang low overhead, and some frosty snow drifts down everyday from those clouds.

New Year's day was pretty much when it all began.  We had heavy fog during the night and the temperatures got down to 10 degrees below zero.  Once the sun burned the fog away, the sky was such a beautiful blue and hoar frost had formed on everything.  I went outside to take a few pictures and the snow crunched loudly under my feet.  I had a hard time keeping my fingers warm and my breath formed puffs steam in the air.  It was the coldest day I have experienced in Idaho for many years.  Anyway, eat your hearts out you poor souls that live in Warmer Climes.

Grampa and Grandma P - Staying inside by the fire and getting cabin fever as we wait for global warming.