Still in the deep freeze here. The gauge at my house read -6 this morning. They're talking wind chill today as low as -25. Good day to stay inside.

Speaking of cold, I'll try a Top Ten list of coldest memories, not necessarily in order:

1. The top of Arapaho Basin ski mountain, 1979 or thereabouts. I got off the lift and was immediately, and literally, blown over from a gust coming from the other side of the mountain. They closed the lift after our group got to the top.

2. Mid-afternoon on the West side of Cyclone Stadium in Ames. The lower deck, under the overhang. The last home game of any season. I think I can say that that experience lead to my preference to not go into any non-domed stadium after October 1st (unless there is a luxury box involved).

3. Farm chores. Any winter in the '50's or '60's. Especially taking hay by sled across the fields. And chopping pond ice.

4. Central Iowa. January 1982. Sue and I coming back from our Steamboat ski trip. Our car dies a few miles from Aunt Martha's.

5. Wrigley Field. Early April. Under the overhang in the first deck. With the wind blowing in.

6. AAU youth cross country meet at Scott Community College. Chariots Running Club. Late '80's or early '90's. Possible child abuse.

7. One of the first Winter's in the Century Heights house in the early "90's. The snow drifted so bad at the Heatherstone-Century Heights Avenue intersection that we had to shovel just to get to our own driveway. And the wind!

8. Chicago Winters of 1978-79 and 1979-80. Way too much snow.

9. March baseball games at ND. 1971 in particular. We weren't that good my last year. Just the thought of trying to hit a guy throwin' aspirin tablets in a snow shower still stings my hands.

10. Daddy's burial. Ottumwa. January 1994. Graveside services were brief.

Have I done this list before? If I did, I wonder how many on the list are repeats? What does that say about my memory?

Super Bowl Sunday. There was a time when I went to some parties. Now, I just don't have that much interest, and who wants to start Monday with a hangover? There was a discussion on one radio talk show this past week that considered whether the Monday after the Super Bowl should be made a national holiday. And they were serious.

The Hawkeyes played surprisingly well yesterday and beat a decent Indiana team. Granted, it was in IC, but the Hoosiers have a pretty good record and have won some impressive games. And the earlier game between the teams in Bloomington was essentially a blowout (even though Iowa scored a lot of points in the last few minutes to make the score respectable).

A real neat article in the sports section of the local paper today about my pal Pete. The story was entitled, "My Three Sons", or something to that affect. It was a pretty long piece, with pictures, about sons playing b-ball at Augie, Iowa and at Bettendorf HS. And the parents' travel schedules to see most of the games.

Interesting twist to the end of the Dubai golf tournament. They had to deal with a sand storm. Another example of how you don't fool Mother Nature. You may be able to present a lush, green layout with the liberal use of desalinized water, and imported dirt, but the desert is the desert, and you mix convection currents with sand and trade winds, and you get what you get.

I'm wondering about the effects in the fruit section of the grocery store of the freeze in California a couple of weeks ago. There have been plenty of oranges for sale, at something less than hugely inflated prices. Will they be able to keep a supply going from Florida or South America? I try to eat two fruits a day throughout the year. Apples are almost always available, but I don't expect them to be crisp at this time of year. And I really don't like mooshy apples. Grapes become available irregularly. Now is prime time for oranges. So maybe we'll see shortly what the market does to adjust. I think about these things.

I forgot to add in my comment the other day about the Florida storms that there was a sidebar story about the death of a small flock of whooping cranes (18 of them I think). These were cranes bred last year in Wisconsin and then led South by an ultra-light plane to teach the birds a migration path. Interesting what efforts man might go to to preserve nature (after other men have disregarded it for so long). How can some members of a species (homo sapiens) be so dedicated to preserving life, while others seek only money, power or an after-life with a houseful of virgins?

OK. I need to get back on the bike and the erg machine. A quiet afternoon. Inside. Have a great day.

Be careful out there.