In which I am enraptured by the snowfall yet again

[muckefuck]

You know the old joke about why women are so bad at math? Well, it's a wonder Chicagoans can do any arithmetic at all with the weather forecasters we've got. "ZOMG 8 INCHES!" They told us yesterday morning; by afternoon, that had been revised downwards to six. This morning, I don't think there was more than three inches on the ground outside of snowdrifts. It's good, wet, building snow, the kind that makes fantastic snow structures--and has the less positive property of compressing under pedestrians' feet to form an glacier-like mass that will freeze up good and hard tonight.

The wind is scattering it around a bit today, but last night was as calm as an Anglican matriarch and it piled up good and thick on the tree branches. After two burgers and a couple drinks at Big Chicks (I love David to pieces, but he still hasn't gotten the knack of making a good shandy), I went out for a walk by the Lake. Fabulous. I mean that literally: One tree in particular shone as if covered with outrageously full blossoms. I wanted to stay out longer, but I had too much at home to do--none of which got done, of course, because I ended up playing game after game of gomoku while sipping my linden blossom tea.

During my morning break, I went down to the Meadow and found a family of prodigious snow people, obviously the work of a number of strong people working in concert. The largest (considerably taller and wider not only than me but anyone I've done) had a pushbroom mustache made of straw and I was sorely tempted to give one to the more diminutive figure on his left. But they were so well crafted that in the end I decided to leave their hetronormativity inviolate. On the far side was a more average-proportioned figure whose lack of facial features moved me to pity, though not far enough to gift it any.

I know some people are anxious for winter to end, and I would be, too, if that meant easing into a proper spring with fresh green shoots and delicate pastel blossoms. But here it means weeks of cold rain, flooded sidewalks, and oozing sludge before you even see the first robin, so I'm just as happy to have all the dead grass, leaf duff, and dog poop covered up by shiny white snow for a while yet.

Comments

[richardthinks.livejournal.com]

It's snowing like crazy here, and yet the schools are staying open. Usually they close, or go on 2 hour delay and then close (the most aggravating of all alternatives for the working parent, who then can't plan anything).

It's weirdly quiet, but the snow's coming down too intently for me to call it peaceful. This weather always reminds me of Susan Cooper.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Last time we had a serious snowfall, one of the school districts closed down in anticipation of the mess. That one also wasn't nearly as bad as they were making it out to be either, though it was plenty bad enough.

[alcippe.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't have slept in and taken the bus if I'd known how mild the temperature would be or how little snow we'd get. But by the time I realized how nice it was outside it was too late to walk.
I'll walk home tonight, though.

The snow was so beautiful coming down last night. I'm going to miss winter.

[oh-meow.livejournal.com]

What could someone possible mess up doing a shandy? Or does shandy mean something that's not beer+lemonade in the US?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

It's all in the proportions.

[oh-meow.livejournal.com]

Half lemonade, in first, then half lager.
Or you can have a lager top, with 1/5th lemonade.

Ever tried a power-shandy? You have half of a vodka&lemon alcopop (say Smirnoff Ice or something) and half beer. 4-5 pints of that gets you horizontal.

[strongaxe.livejournal.com]

Maybe they were thinking "AOL Inches"?

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

I thought we saw the first robins before spring proper up here in the Frozen North. I certainly see them in March, and that's still winter.