We in D.C. aren't the only ones suffering from unseasonably southerly breezes. The poor pond hockey players in Minnesota, it appears, have to settle for some roller blade-based sport:

"In Minnesota, where a water skier in a wetsuit was recently seen on the Mississippi River near St. Paul, ice fishing tournaments have been canceled. The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships -- scheduled for Jan. 19-21 in Minneapolis -- have only a 50-50 chance of being held."

And imagine a winter carnival there relying upon plastic blocks of ice!

". . . organizers of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, scheduled to begin late this month, said the ice is not thick enough to harvest into 1,400 blocks for the ice maze. They may have to switch to plastic blocks."

Shed a tear over a beer this month for our nation's sidelined shinny players.