Jill's Journal: Bears seem to have the right idea ...

Last week’s bone-chilling temperatures were certainly not meant for man or beast – or this woman.

Like a bear, I hiberated for three solid days. Fortunately, my work can be done from the comforts of my home – or anywhere there’s internet service – and last week, I took full advantage of the perk.

As did the staff.

Before we closed up shop on Wednesday, I told the crew to take their work with them, as we would be working from our homes the next two days.

Ironically so, not a single staff member begged to work in the office Thursday or Friday despite my direction.

With the weather forecasters encouraging us to stay home if we didn’t have to go out, well, I heeded his advice. There’s not a bone in my body that wanted to experience windchills of 40 to 50 degrees below zero. Not a single one.

On Thursday evening, I peeked my head out my patio door to turn the Christmas lights on. It was only a second or two, but it felt like an hour as the chilly temperatures and brisk breeze had me closing the door in the blink of an eye.

The next evening, I did the same thing, and once again, my opinion of this South Dakota weather hadn’t changed one single ounce. Not a single one.

As the hours wore on Saturday morning, my enthusiasm for packing up the car and heading to Minnesota soon backed up to Sunday. The road conditions, I had convinced myself, surely were not going to be a cake walk and I was not in the mood for a white-knuckle drive, not to mention that as a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan, the noon kick-off against the New York Giants was begging me to stay put.

So, that’s what I did.

I stayed put.

Instead of the anticipated white-knuckle drive to Minnesota, I watched a football game that was very much similar to that. I’m not sure how the Vikings are pulling off these nail-biting victories one after another, but boy oh boy, they’re proving to be a team that you don’t want to tune out until the very last tick of the clock has ticked.

Taking to the road Sunday morning, the interstate and state highways were bone dry, which made conditions just right for a Christmas morning drive to my Minnesota destination.

Our family’s Christmas dinner was tasty as ever, and not having had a bite to eat yet that day, I was ready to dig in. By the time I cleared my plate, there wasn’t an ounce of room in my tummy for a Christmas cookie or any other goodie that graced the table.

After the dishes were done, we doled out the presents and then bellied up to the table for rousing rounds of “Right, Left, Center,” a dice game that brings everyone together and usually produces a bit of banter if one player happens to be “hoarding” his/her quarters and now sharing their wealth with their neighbor to the right or the left of them.

I always want to win the pile of quarters for two reasons: Bragging rights and funds for the laundry. I have to confess, I didn’t win a single game, therefore, upon my return to Brandon on Monday afternoon, a stop by the coin change machine was warranted.

As we close out this year, I’m smart enough to know that winter surely isn’t over yet. If I was a betting woman, I’d bet it all on more snow to fall, more bone-chilling temperatures and South Dakota wind to blow, the ensuing windchills to withstand, and potentially a few more days of working at home.

And that’s why bears have the right idea to hibernate and sleep away the winter months and all that comes with this Midwestern season.