Yes, I'm the same guy who marveled about how beautiful the end-of-December snow looked when it blanketed the yards, rooftops and trees.

At the risk of angering cross country skiers, snowmobile fans and other outdoor enthusiasts, let me state for the record that I like the balmy, 50-degree temperatures of this weekend much better.

Other than the dense fog, which caused a horrific chain-reaction accident outside Madison, it was a gorgeous day to go outside and say goodbye to a bunch of snow and ice dams.

Neighbors were out walking and doing a little midwinter yard work. The only real negative was that the melting snow revealed six weeks' worth of mushy dog waste on the lawn. (It's a lot easier to pick it up when it's frozen). Unsavory as that task was, I was glad to be outside wearing just a sweatshirt in early January.

A walk around the neighborhood revealed a lot of people inside watching football. (It's amazing how clearly you can see HDTV sets from the street). The people who treated the afternoon like a usual, frozen Sunday missed out on a golden day.