A Very Blustery Day

Our first winter in Chicago is proving to be quite, well, wintery. Up until a couple of weeks ago, the Darby family felt like we were dealing with the cold and slush like champs -- we actually have been really, really excited every time we've seen the big flakes falling and watching the puppies play in the snow in the park across the street and bundling the babies up in their fuzzy hats and mittens. If there was no snow, then there would be no reason for me to wear my Hunters. There's nothing like stomping through knee-deep snow in tall boots. But we had no idea what we were in for with the blizzardy conditions that arrived last week. Jeepers.

And this is why Chicago had two snow days in a row.

Because Mack is so, so cute. Yes, that's one reason. But 22 inches of fluffy white stuff is the other one. (Quite a bit more still fell from the sky after I took this photo.)

We had our milk, diapers, and wine, so we had to no reason to leave the house. But of course Mimi and I got the go-go's and ventured out. As did everyone else.
We live on Damen, a fairly busy street where I can never look out the window and not see a car. Quite the opposite after the blizzard. Everyone thought it was so cool to walk down the street instead of the sidewalks. One guy looked at Mimi and me as we were making our way down the street and said, "Did you ever think you'd let your kid play in the middle of Damen?" Honestly we couldn't get down the sidewalks and the street was easier since a few buses and stupid cab drivers attempted to drive and wore down some snow. Here's the side street. Some of those cars are still sitting in their spots and waiting on the warm temps we will have this week to thaw some of the snow (I can't believe I would ever think of 36 degrees as "warm"). It is funny to see people place plastic chairs and paint buckets in their empty spots after they've shoveled out their cars. And don't you dare move those chairs or you can expect to see a very angry person taking a baseball bat to the windshield.

Even after all of this, I still love the snow. Maybe because snow in this quantity is still so new to me, and I'm finally learning how to get around in it. White snow can make almost anything look beautiful and clean. When it all melts and I can see trash and mud and yuck again, I might change my mind.

Mimi loved throwing snow balls at me. In the face. While I was holding our expensive camera.

She kept trying to eat it off her mitten. Yesterday we were walking to ballet, and it took forever because she kept trying to pick up nasty chunks off the sidewalk saying, "I taste it, Mommy!" Yuck.

My Southern friends keep asking me how we're doing our first winter in Chicago and can't believe we're not ready to move back to Tennessee yet. It's not half as bad as you'd think. Southerners sometimes forget that people have been living and working and getting around with children in this weather for a very long time. You still have to run errands. The kids still need to get out of the house. People still run outside in shorts. The Bears still don't wear Under Armour. Okay, that last I just do not get. Anyway, we just put on puffy coats and hats and really cool snow boots, and life goes on.

And this summer when it's 85 degrees with low humidity here I'll be asking you "How can you live in the South?"