My Saturday

File Under: Colors of Spring

Saturday, I set out to the mall to buy my mom a Mother's day gift. Camera in hand, I decided to snap some pictures of the spring color that was in full view.

These first couple of pictures were taken in my neighborhood. Trees in bloom, the contrasts of the pinks and whites against the pale green was just too pretty to pass up.

Old Orchard is a mall in the suburbs of Chicago. It's an outdoor mall, not very practical for a region whose residents spend months at a time wrapped in layers upon layers of wool, and only leave the house when they must, but it manages to be a successful mall. They do a beautiful job of landscaping it.

The tulips were in full bloom. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. I always go out to Old Orchard in the spring to see the tulips. I was not disappointed with this year's display.

Pretty, huh?

Ah...Spring in Chicago

File Under: Snow? Seriously?

This morning I awoke to snow on the ground. No, I awoke to the sound of buzzing...my cell phone was on vibrate and it was ringing on the table in the hallway outside of my bedroom. By the time I got to it, I had missed a call from Dan. In the mean time, I looked out of my window. The blinds were open and all I saw was white. It had begun to snow overnight and was still snowing at 9:20 am. The ground was covered with about 2 inches of snow. It was wet and slushy so it wasn't going to survive very long but apparently it was enough to be a nuisance in traffic. Dan called me back, he was on his way to the gym and said that driving in it was a bit of a challenge. More for the bus that he saw skid into a bus stop than for him.

I had done everything I needed to do outside yesterday. No reason to leave the house, but at about 1 I decided the worst was over and I ventured out, Again, because of the wetness of the snow, it wasn't much of a challenge to clean. A few swipes and my car was clean, it just slid right off. Driving was fine. I made it to the gym without much delay. When I left, the sun was attempting to come out. By the time I got home, the sun was out and most of the sidewalks were clean.

My hope is that the tulips and crocuses (Joy, is that the proper plural for cruocus?) that are beginning to appear will survive the snow and still bloom in a couple weeks. It would be sad to lose them.

How's the weather where you live?

Today is April 28

File Under: Why?

It's the end of April. The polar ice caps are melting. Global warming is here. Why the fuck did it snow in Chicago today?