First snow December 2009Since this is my second winter in Chicago, I thought I would share my cold weather realizations with my friends from the south. Some of these I really didn't know until I moved here.
1) The only thing worse than a slow person walking in front of you in 7 degree weather, is 2 slow people walking in front of you in 7 degree weather.
2) In case I haven't mentioned it here before, I realized when I moved here that boogers and eye mucous CAN freeze.
3) How does a vegan live in a cold climate? All the warm stuff includes: down, wool, angora, leather. I guess they fleece it up. I have never seen a dressy fleece though....
4) Chicagoans think that setting their thermostat to 65-68 in the winter and the summer is ok. Totally NOT ok.
5) Snow really does glisten :)
6) My dog has excellent slush vision. I will see snow and step on it only to find out its a layer of snow covering a puddle of water. Mona however does not have this problem. She can tell it's slush from 20 feet away. If I could only bring Mona to work in the mornings. Of course slush won't be here again until April or May, as its completely turned to ice now.
7) Shoveling snow is a daily activity here for anyone who owns a house or car. If they miss a day, you will surely hear about it. People have to keep a shovel in their car. And I hear that if you shovel out a parking space then there is a rule about placing a piece of furniture there to hold the space until you return. If you shovel it, its yours. I, of course, do not have this problem as I own nothing except the items in my apartment.
8) It is possible for your car to be ice enclosed, leaving you stranded without a car.
9) Main roadways are completely snow free, but still white in the winter due to the salt. And salt ruins shoes and pant hems. Alley ways are full of snow and look like Narnia. I prefer them!
10) It gets A LOT colder after it snows
11) No matter how many days in a row you see snow falling, its always beautiful.
Sounds like a winter wonderland up there!
ReplyDeleteQuestions and comments
ReplyDelete4) So what temp do you think your thermostat should be set at? Ours is between 65-67 in the winter. In the summer it's much higher though (like 78ish?)
5) It does glisten, like it's sprinkled with glitter. I love that.
6) Mona is like a superdog.
8) If this happened to me then I would take it as a sign that it is definitely too cold for me to be anywhere but a hot bath or under a blanket.
11) I believe that. When it snows here I try to watch as long as I can b/c I know I need to enjoy it while it lasts!
To address #3 more properly: I was at marshalls last month when I wrote this (buying warm gear) and I was looking for products made without animal parts. It proved to be difficult, and while I am not a vegan, I try to be conscious about buying in general. You have no idea how many animal things go into what we consume, it is sad.
ReplyDelete#4)70 degrees in the winter, 78 in the summer would please me
#5)On Thursday, January 7th 2010, it snowed iridescent glitter, I kid you not!