LaughAloud

In the Snow

I'm walking around the city of Boston in the slushy snow. Sometimes rain, sometimes fat flakes, sometimes a mix. The ground has wet and slushy snow that crunches underfoot with huge cold puddles at the curbs and corners of streets. The cold air stings my face and refreshes me down to my soul.

I miss this. Big snowy & cold city, walking alone in streets surrounded by people. Side excursions into small parks and alleys most people avoid in the cold and damp. Ducking inside feels cozy rather than too warm and revives for more time out in the world.

I know the winter can get old when you live it for eight months or so out of the year. But even in month eight there are moments of wonder to be found. Every where the weather, the place, the scenery gets old, even miserable there are moments if wonder to be found. But you have to let them happen. Let yourself be open to wonder in whatever place it might find you.

Merry White Christmas!

The view from my parents back porch in Iowa on this White Christmas.

Last Night's Dream of After the End

A permanent winter had fallen upon the world, feet of snow insulating the ground, falling, always falling. Whether because of the extreme winter, or some other disaster, people had begun retreating to underground caves and living there, with some of the old comforts. Hoarding artifacts of the past in the hopes that someday someone would find them. The caves were warm and not so different from our old homes. We had stoves and light, furniture. More like cozy, underground hobbit house than caves.

I am standing in front of a deep stone wall of the cave in which we live. I run my hand over the carvings made by a friend now gone, who had themselves studied the ancient cave paintings. (Who this friend was and what happened to them, I can't quite grasp.) These carvings were done "before" in the hopes of creating a lasting record of our myths and history. The fear being that it would be so long into our future before people again had the luxury to study the past instead of just surviving the future, that only the stone would be sure to survive.

We have an entrance on each end of the cave, tunnels that climb up towards the cold. One entrance collapses. We try to dig it out, to squeeze out towards the light, but it is solid and we are left with only one way out to the world. And this is only the beginning. Other caves begin to collapse, leaving people trapped and dying underground. And the decision is made, for everyone to move out of the caves, away from the last remnants of comfort and technology, of our lost civilization. And we leave the artifacts of our past behind. The books and music and carving on the cave walls. Leave them behind in the hopes that someday people will find the things we left behind and learn of what was in the "before." And out  we go, into the new cold world and try to survive in the new winter.

Delight in Denver

Year in Review #2

The Midwinter Library conference took me to Denver in January this year, which was beautiful and cold and fun. 

 I went to Denver (with my new coat) hoping for cold and snow. I was rewarded. The best day of the conference, was a quiet, early Sunday morning with a beautiful snowfall. Walking all alone, on empty streets to the conference hall, I took pictures and reveled in the quietness created by the snowfall, only the crunch of snow beneath my feet. I miss those mornings, those days, it nice to have at least one while I was in Denver's cold climes. The picture of the Big Blue Bear looking into the Conference center was taken that morning.

I looked back on my twitters to see what I said during the Conference & this one is one I want to  remember: "Please let me keep an open mind about new thing even  when I'm very old."

After the conference I got to stay with my Aunt Mary Em & Uncle Jim outside Denver & have all kinds of  fun adventures in just a few short days. We saw all kinds of wildlife, antelope & deer, along the side of the road and from their front porch. I played with their dog Molly in the snow. We went and checked out a couple areas archery stores. I got to see my cousin and his family,  including meeting the new baby for the first time. My Uncle also, upon finding out my dirty secret (that I might like scotch better than bourbon, which is what all the women in my family drink) introduced me to some delicious scotchs they brought back from Scotland and taught me the "proper" Scotch way to drink it. With just a little water to bring out the full flavors. Over all, it was a fun and full and wonderful visit. How did we manage to pack so much into just two days?

Holiday Adventures 2008

I know, the Holidays were almost, well, a year ago. But I'm writing a series of posts about the highlights of my year anyway. Not because I think you want to know, but because I would like to remember.

Part #1 of my year in review.

We were able to take a nice long vacation over the holidays and see both of our families. It helped that Chip had dropped down to part time while looking for a teaching job, so he had more time off from work than usual. We flew into Des Moines for Christmas and then drove to St. Louis (in a Mustang!) just before The New Year. Here's a little photo album of the highlights.

 

Snowside

Winter, Winter, Not Here

I love this quote Rory put up on her blog the other day:

“Winter is not a season—it’s an occupation."

                        - Sinclair Lewis

The people I talk to in San Diego are always shocked that I am from Miami, especially after listening to my nostalgia for winter.  The look of shock on their face is a slightly different shock than I got while living in a cold place.  I think it contains a bit more horror because not only can they not imagine loving 10 degree weather, often they can't imagine surviving it.

Coping

So, of course the winter I leave Chicago, the first week in December just happens to be the coldest in 100 years.  I know most of you still living there are not excited about this.  I can tell by the emails I receive almost every day (mostly from Smith) complaining about the below zero wind chills and the single digit temperatures.  But I am sad to be missing it. 

Here in San Diego it has been "cold." This means that it gets into the mid to upper sixties during the day and into the low to mid forties most nights.  Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that at night, our apartment has actually been about the same temperature it was during winters in Chicago.  Of course, in Chicago, all the windows were closed and the heat was on, and here the windows are open, but in the end its about the same.  Chip wears pants and a sweatshirt and socks (just like in Chicago) and I wear short sleeves and a skirt or "almost nothing."  And just like in Chicago, my toes have to turn into little ice cubes before it occurs to me to put on socks. 

I'm sure most people would say we should just close the windows and let the temperature get to a "comfortable" level, but what fun would that be?  At least its like a Chicago winter (maybe a mild one) inside our apartment, even if its more like fall outside.

No Fishing No Swimming

I decided I needed a Chicago calendar for 2006 to put up in my cubicle at work.  At first I was thinking of asking someone in Chicago to buy one for me, or to order one online.  But then I thought, why not just have one made with pictures I took of Chicago.  then I could also arrange it so all the pictures were very seasonal, and at least on my calendar, all the seasons would be as they should be.  So, I've been going through all my Chicago pictures, and I found this one that was funny. 

I don't know about you, but this picture sure makes me want to go swimming!