If you've never lived in a geographical region that includes actual seasons in its annual line-up, then you can never really appreciate what it means to live through a long, hard winter. You probably watch the footage on TV and think, "It sure looks cold!" Sister, you have no idea. There isn't a way to describe the kind of cold that whips through all your layers of Polar Fleece and still forms icicles on your bones, the kind of wind that feels like razors on your cheeks. And the snow! So much snow! It looks so pretty! Yes, for about 45 seconds. Then your neighbor drives his SUV to Starbucks and all the snow is suddenly filthy and menacing. The plows then begin their maniacal romp through the city, pushing snow every which way, piling snowbanks up so high that you can't see around them until you're most of the way around them and then—oops!—there's another car coming right at you! Or a pedestrian! Every parking lot, from Whole Foods to the elementary school, has lost a good 25% of its parking spaces to the snowbanks created by the plows. There's nowhere to put all that snow! There's nowhere to park! Every street is suddenly a foot or two narrower on each side, making driving down a street with cars parked on both sides a risky endeavor indeed. Oh, and then there's one mild day, and some of the snow melts and forms puddles. Then it gets really really cold again, right away! And all the puddles freeze! So now everything is covered with a sheet of treacherous, evil, rock-hard, dirty ice. And did I mention how cold it is?
But tomorrow is February, and that means that January is over. Hasta la vista, baby.
I lived in Chicago for five years, so I know exactly what you mean. I remember coming to the realization, after a month of below zero temps., that anything above freezing was really quite warm. Meanwhile, here in Seattle, we have sunshine and flowers blooming all over the place. Weird.
Posted by: nina | February 01, 2005 at 05:15 PM