It's nearly 60 degrees on Nov. 21

It's November 21st. I'm sitting on my porch looking over a lawn that is more green than brown. There are still birds singing, and I left the door to the house open because it's nearly 60 degrees. In November! In North Dakota!

Now I grew up in North Dakota and I know as well as the next guy that 60 degrees today can easily be followed by a blizzard this week. We plan to open Papa's Polar Patch five weeks from today. We're not worried about how to host a polar patch without snow, but we have had conversations about how fast sleds will move over grass and stubble compared to a couple of feet of the white stuff

Talk about ironies. We wore snow boots and insulated pants one weekend during Papa's Pumpkin Patch in October, and with the way things look today, we won't need a warming house -- we'll need t-shirts and cold beverages for Papa's Polar Patch next month.

When it starts getting dark at 5 pm, my body says the air is supposed to be crisp and clear, and I should see my breath when I'm outside. Hot chocolate should sound way better than iced tea, and getting ready to go out should be a five-minute process involving several layers, instead of opening the door and well, going out.

Yep, I'm confused. It's November 21st at 4:31 pm. The sun is setting and we're about to go out for a walk without a coat, hat or gloves. Well, all right then.

See you soon,

Papa