Today, it got a little warmer - hint of spring?

  The highest temperature was above the freezing point for the first time this year (?). We can hardly wait for spring to come. But it is mid-January. There are still two months before true spring comes.
  In the morning, I could enjoy a pleasant walk along the Tomakomai river.  Ice covered the surface of the river almost completely with thin snow on it, so the water birds were swimming in the narrow open spaces of cracked ice.
  Tomoko in Sendai sent me an email. She is still in the hospital because this cold weather might affect her lung disease. She attached a photo of her wearing a mask on her mouth and sitting on the bed with a bunch of flowers. I hope she will get better.