Clear skies and a chance of...

I think I have hit a new low. Temperature-wise.
When I got back this morning the temperature was 18F. I'm not sure what it was when I left in the dark an hour and a half earlier.
The most significant thing limiting my ride was gloves. I needed mittens. My hands haven't hurt so bad since I was a kid playing  bare-handed in the snow. It took quite a while to get the ache out. The last half of the ride I had my fingers and thumb pulled back into a ball over the palm of the glove. My finger tips are still quite cool. I've thought of digging out my trigger-finger mittens to make it easier to shift.
That's another thing I noticed. The bike shifts differently. Sort of a hesitation. It feels like I almost have to coax the chain to move. And with my wimple on it's hard to hear the derailleur. 
Oh yeah! My head. The wimple isn't quite what I need. It's not thick enough on top. Everywhere else I wear four layers. Except my head. And the helmet hardly counts as a layer. I've got to work on that. My head was really cold when I got home. I knew I was thinking weird but I just wanted to lay down in front of the heater. Later I forced myself to make a hot cup of Caro. Tea is next - you know, Lindenblueten and Melissen-Mischung.
But, all in all, it was invigorating to be out on the bike on a clear cold day. Much better than rain.