The hills in the distance are still covered with snow, you can see your own breath and the greens are cut into the fairways, but Trailhead Golf Course in Liberty Lake is open for business.

The course has made it a goal to be open every day there isn't snow on the ground this winter. With the milder temperatures of late, the 9-hole track has been open the last two days.

“If you've got that bug, you're going to find a way to play,” Chris Johnston, head golf professional, said.

Trailhead is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Feb. 15, when it will start opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. For $10 you can play all the golf your cold hands and face can stand.

Trailhead regular Edgar Shields, 84, says he plays the course every day that he has the chance.

“The course is playing pretty good, it's a little chilly of course,” he said. “But if there is ice on the pond, I don't mind hitting the water, because then I get a good skip and the ball goes a lot further.”

There are several things to consider when Mother Nature dumps a half-foot of snow on the area.

PETA sent out several tips Monday for pet owners and animal-conscious citizens, because “dogs and other animals can suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze.”

Here are some of PETA's tips:

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.

Baby, it's cold outside - talk about a chilly morning in Spokane and around the region! Spokane got down to just 7 degrees early this morning and Deer Park's temperature dropped to just 1 degree. Burr!!

Today we will see skies finally clear a bit, expect mostly sunny conditions in Spokane, clouds to the west of us and sun to the south and east. We will get up to 28 degrees in Spokane this afternoon and overnight temperatures will be in the mid-teens.

On Friday expect to see a high of 29 degrees. We also have a chance of seeing some light freezing drizzle and snow flurries Friday morning.

This weekend we'll see a bit of a "warm up" with temperatures finally expected to get into the 30's. We'll see a high of 30 on Saturday and 32 on Sunday. We also have a 30% chance of snow showers on Sunday as well.

A more active weather pattern is expected next week. A few weak storm systems could bring snow to the mountains and rain or snow to the valleys early next week. Temperatures will also do some more warming.