There was enough snow that more than a few obscenities flew past my lips as I tried to shovel out the driveway. (Between the drifts & what the plows kicked up? Ugh. On the plus side, my arms are going to be way buff by the time swimsuit season hits! Also, did I just say "swimsuit season?")
But a snowpocalypse it was not. (Listen, guys. I know that fake words like "Snowpocalypse" and "Snowmageddon" are completely absurd, but just between us? I kind of love them. There's not a lot to brighten up winter in the midwest, and February is a rotten month for a variety of reasons, and -- I don't care if their origins lie in exaggerations from talking heads who like their weather forecasts with a dab of sensationalism -- they amuse me and add a bit of excitement to the situation.) We didn't get a zillion feet of snow. We didn't get a crippling layer of ice. We didn't have power outages at all, let alone power outages that necessitated the use of the camping lanterns and non-perishable foodstuffs that I'd thoughtfully stocked the pantry with. Ahem.
To recap: enough to keep us from yoga class & a playdate we had scheduled for tomorrow (we only have one 4 wheel drive vehicle and the person with outside-the-house obligations that pay wins the "who gets the truck" debate) but not enough to earn either of us an official "snow day." The upsides? Bob brought me a peppermint mocha from Starbucks and a bunch o' flowers for my shoveling efforts, and I got the following pictures of K from the whole eleven minutes she braved the great outdoors before deeming walking through the snow "too hard."
They're saying this is the 3rd worst snowstorm in recorded Chicago history (after the 1967 and 1999 blizzards). I'm from Northern NY though-- as far as volume of snow is concerned, I've seen worse. The Blizzard of '93 dumped a lot more snow (but I don't think that one hit the Midwest, I think that was a Nor'easter) but what was fierce with this storm was the wind. As much snow as I saw in '93 it wasn't that windy. The snow was coming down a lot harder and there was of course drifting but I think the winds were topping off at about 10 mph with gusts up to 30. Whereas this storm had sustained winds of over 30mph with gusts of 50-60 mph?
ReplyDeleteI totally get what you mean about the names. It's entirely over-the-top, but subtly gratifying, too. I've always loved promises of bad weather and snow cancellations because, at the very least, they add some "excitement" to the day.
ReplyDeleteI must not get out too much, right?
Well, from my side of the world (west side of Chicago), it was bad. My house creaked during the winds, the snow was deep and the wind was a bitch. And I enjoyed every moment while observing from a warm house, in my warm jammies while wearing my warm slippers :)
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of the Starbucks and flowers you received, so cool! And it looks like K enjoyed her 11 minutes in heaven!
I LOVE the pictures of K outside in the snow...her bright hat and the snow frame her face so perfectly! SO CUTE! We actually had a snow day--all the schools closed--but no real snow at our house. :( Kaia wanted to make a snow man. Ah well, we do live in Houston!
ReplyDelete~Carla