Well, I figured since the last time I came to write I just rambled on and on with little expectation and ended up…well…you saw it. With little idea in mind I’m coming here again. It’s Saturday. It’s spring. It feels like freaking early winter. What is this chilly hell?
It is Chicago.
Well guess what? Chicago sucks! That’s right! I said it. Chicago sucks the big old donkey balls on this one. For one. It’s cold. Cold as cold. Second. It’s cold and windy. Third. THE COLD. Seriously. When I first moved here I had it easy. The winters, those winters, were warm-ups. Warm-ups to the hell that is Winter 08-09.
I have never been so sick of snow in my life. Actually, I have never been sick of snow in my life. No matter what, I’ve loved it. Being from Virginia snow is a bit of a rarity and when it does comes it leaves only a dusting which typically melts by the end of the day. We would go to visit the fam in Michigan and I would delight as we came north.
The closer we got, the more signs there were. It would start with a simple flurry as we crossed from Maryland to Pennsylvania. There would be no snow on the ground but the few stray flakes were encouraging. By the time we were settled on the Turnpike there was snow on both sides of the road, a sign of recent plowing that followed through Ohio until we reached the snowy expanse of my father’s home state.
When I moved to Chicago it was one of the things I was looking forward to. I was looking forward to spending a snow-filled winter. I was happy to need boots for the first time in my life. I was glad to be living the lie of a fool! Those winters were nothing. This was a real winter.
Still, the summers!
Oh my Goddess, the summers! There is nothing in comparison to it. That I had not prepared for. I had no idea that I would be giving up 105 average temperature weeks for 75 or jellyfish filled waters for fresh clear lakes. Though, I do miss the vastness of the ocean sometimes. With the lake you can feel the other shore. The ocean is like standing on a horizontal cliff.
In the summer Ed B. and I spend almost every spare moment at the beach. We’ll get off work or get up on Saturday, throw on our swimsuits and head to the nearby beach. We’ve got an umbrella (Hey, I’m Scottish. I burn easy.) but other than that we travel pretty light because it’s a 5 minute walk back to the house. We’ll hang until about 11:00 and then head back home for lunch. Then it’s back to the beach before coming home for bbq, expertly prepared by the hubs.
So now I sit. It is sunny and beautiful but still cold. Now I’m just sick of it! I get your point winter. You are the man! You rule my world with an iron fist. I bow down before your cold fury and give you the outside world until you decide to torment another hemisphere. In the mean time I’m going to look outside, pretend it’s August, and I have the best AC in the world.
