What a difference a day makes...

It was 90 degrees here in the Midwest today. By 9 AM it was clear that the humidity was going to be oppressive. So, despite our preference for wide open windows and fresh breezes, we buttoned up and cranked on the air. As I dozed on the couch this afternoon feeling cool and comfortable after having braved the oven outside to run errands, I contemplated on what it's like to live in Chicago.

Just 5 months ago, we awoke to this scene outside our back patio door. The biggest snowstorm in years had dumped 20-some inches of snow onto the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs. It was a biggie, comparable to the January storm of 1999, which delivered 21.6 inches, and rivaling even the big, BIG snowstorm of 1967, which blessed us with 23 inches (I barely remember this one.) The National Weather Service states that storms dropping as much as 15 inches or more of snow only happen once every 19 years. So 2011 was our lucky year! The fiasco on Lake Shore Drive made national news as dozens of motorists found themselves stranded for hours in the middle of giant drifts. Luckily, we were all home

The view outside our front bay window. This looks like a black and white photo, but the photo was shot in full color. Truly a lovely sight. A blanket of unblemished white covered everything. Pure, unmarred, pristine. Great to look at. Horrible if you have to go anywhere.

So, when I complain about the heat and fuss about how my hair falls flat in the humidity, I should remember that winter's coming.