Friday, January 16, 2009

The joys of a Chicago winter

This morning as I write this, the actual air temperature outside is -22. With the wind chill, it feels like -38. My garage door froze up and I had to close it manually. They cancelled school yesterday and today because it is too dang cold. I'm supposed to take the trash out to the curb, but I find myself pondering if it's really worth it.

So, you know when it's 20 degrees outside, and it feels so cold and you debate whether or not you should let the kids play outside in the snow but they're driving you crazy so you think "30 minutes won't kill them" and you throw them out and they come back later with red cheeks and dripping noses and you make them hot chocolate because you feel a tiny bit guilty? IT'S FORTY DEGREES COLDER THAN THAT. They haven't been able to enjoy the lovely snow, except from our frozen windows that have ICE ON THE INSIDE! Everyone says this is unusually cold (it certainly wasn't this cold last winter), but that doesn't change the fact that I am freezing, and that I have been fondly remembering the brown inversion days in Logan.

On the plus side, since we haven't left the house for two days, I've been focusing on Kevin's potty training and he has made plenty of progress. Yay!

Here's a picture of a bridge near us:

8 comments:

The Kooky Queen--Rachel said...

Man, Lajuanna, I was nice and warm till I read your post and now I have my insides have frostbite. YIKES! Your description of winter there sounds like my frigid 6 months I lived in Siberia. You take off your hat and you get an INSTANT brain freeze. You wrap a scarf around your whole face and by the time you get anywhere, it's a solid sheet and your eyelashes, nose hairs, eyebrows, EVERYTHING has a 4 inch icicle. I hope you survive it!! I wouldn't want to leave my house!!

Juzzme said...

Lajuana! I didn't relize you had a blog now! Took me so long enough to realize it! It'll be nice to keep updated on you guys now :). Today we're at -11, with windchill of -23. They cancelled school for us today also. I'm sure today will be an adventure. ;)

kanaboke said...

ooooh, that picture of the bridge is so beautiful! Such beauty in such gawsh darn Ugly Weather! It's a BALMY 26 degrees here today and "hazy". I'm sending my monkeys out!

Andrea said...

They canceled school here on Friday for the "cold" (-11) weather. "Little a" had an assignment to find two addresses to send a "Flat Stanley" to, so we called her old school up north. (I was totally not thinking.) They had been out of school three days for cold and it was -40 with wind chill. Wow! I was just glad there was someone there to answer the phone. I remember thinking spring was a true miracle after the winter last year. Good luck with the cabin fever.

Carolyn said...

Ooh, those snow days are not worth the pain and suffering. My sister just had a snow day in Virginia for 40 degree weather with a chance of rain. That is more like it.

Sarah H said...

It's kind of nice in a way to have an excuse not the leave the house. Now that it's just normal cold weather I feel I have to get my errands done, which means dragging all the kids around.
Still, though after -20, 20 actually feels warm!

Erin said...

My favorite part of this story is that I can HEAR you speaking and it makes me laugh! You are an excellent story teller, I miss hearing your stories! I can't believe how cold it has been up in your area over the past several weeks. Take care and buy some flavored syrup, you could make snow cones with all those icecubes:o)!

Carolyn said...

Hey, I can't find your email. To get out cat smell, we are bleaching walls, floors, ceilings and then sprinkling laundry detergent before we lay carpet, and using Kilz paint primer. It is supposed to kill odors, bacteria, etc. I hope that helps!
-Carolyn