Winter Has Come Early to Chicago

[compactelectra]

We are in a dandy cold snap.  It has hardly been above 20 degrees for the last week or so with some below zero wind chills.  They are calling this storm Electra.  When you live in Chicago you have to be prepared for anything.  Forecast is for the same through Christmas.  Plenty of snow to boot.  It snowed earlier this week and just ended with about 6 inches.  It is beautiful.  Outside my office at home.  One of these years I am going to have to put up Christmas lights in those trees (in the fall, of course) just for me to enjoy.

 

[compactelectra]

Good Thing

I have to use up some vacation days so I was off Friday and will be off Monday.  Got the car washed while it was sunny on Friday and did all my errands so I can hole up with some trashy Nora Roberts novels, some good movies and a fire in the fireplace.  Outside the kitchen door this morning.

 

[compactelectra]

Inside Cooking Today

Made a Bolognese sauce and homemade bread.  Outside the front door.  Thank goodness for the snow boys that clear the snow.

 

[compactelectra]

Charlie is Coming For A Visit

At the end of January.  I don't know why he picks this time of year to come to Chicago.  It is beautiful in the summer.  Guess he doesn't get this weather down south.  He asked if he could BBQ when he came.  I told him if he can get to the grill, he is welcome to it.  Here it is buried in snow.

 

[compactelectra]

As I Told Charlie

Good time to get out the fur coat.

 

[compactelectra]

This Is Chicago

In the winter.  As I said, I love all the seasons.  Chicagoans are a hardy lot.  I left Southern California for this!  Real Christmas feeling though.  Shopping on State Street.

 

[danemodsandy]

Wonder What the Difference Is?

Fred,

I'm sort of fascinated to hear that you're just now getting significant snow. Here in Waterloo, IA - pretty much in a straight line a little less than 300 miles West of you - we had snow four times before Thanksgiving, and we've had about eight inches in the past few days. I thought you folks had a lot of lake-effect snow!

At any rate, yours is very pretty. I had today off myself, and put my new GE J 370 range to work making meat loaf and some other goodies. Nice to have a self-cleaner again!

 

[caligula]

Hi Frred.

Your front and back yard looks like a fairyland! I also love the pictures of the transformation of Tarantula Arms. Beautiful! 


 


I must admit downtown Chicago looks quite festive there on State street, even if they are bundled up like Eskom's. I do miss that city, though the nightlife is not what it was in the 1970's.


 


It's snowing  to beat the band here in Northern Pa., at least a foot of new powder! My buddy has a fireplace in the living room, and a wood burning stove near the kitchen, so we are toasty warm inside, but when I go out to walk the dog, about 15 degrees, brrr!


 


Have a very great holiday season and a Happy New Year. I hope to see you in June when I attend the Kirby convention in Cleveland.


 


As always,


 


Alex Taber.

 

[air-waycharlie]

My darling Fred..............

I love the snow for about..................3 days and then I'm back to Charlotte. But you have wonderful automatic thermastats in your house, two great fireplaces and a great kitchen for cooking. Combine that with best friends, lots of food, old movies, Dan at the keyboard, great wine, tons of space for everybody and who would not want to be there?

My work takes me to places that people want to go and I don't even think about it. It can be Phoenix, Paris or Aruba. Tarantula Arms with, "the family", is the best place ever winter, spring, summer or fall!

 

[bee-vac]

Oh my!

I've always wanted to go to Chicago during the winter. The pictures you posted are breathtaking!

 

[kirbysthebest]

I remember Winter in Chicago 79-80

So much snow that they were dumping it in Lake Michigan to get rid of the white stuff. People were shooting each other over parking spaces, and car were being plowed off the loop to clear the road.
We lived further south in the Springfield area where we had 40inches of snow from Thanksgiving to New year. Because we heated with wood out in the middle of nowhere, my step-dad would get up and shovel away from the door about every hour to keep us from being trapped in the house.

Somewhere I have pictures of our two story house where all you can see is the top story sticking out of the snow.


The winter of 80-81 my brother was living in Kankakee when the actual temp was -100. It was so cold that if you could get your car started the belts and tires would just crack off of them.

We moved back to Wichita, though we still get snow and ice. Not like we did in Illinois.

 

[compactelectra]

Just Had The Wood Pile

Replenished this morning.  A seasoned face cord of hickory and cherry wood inside the garage.  I have had wood delivered that is clearly not seasoned (dried out for at least one year) and it doesn't burn well.  This stuff burns beautifully.   Ida doesn't go out in the cold and snow for wood for the fire.  Yes that's snow on the wood.  Will melt and dry out because the garage is above freezing.  That's the sprinkler controller above the wood.  I told the wood man not to worry about covering up the controller - the wood will be gone by spring.  And those sprinklers won't be going until at least April.

[this post was last edited: 12/16/2013-14:37]

 

[compactelectra]

Just A Reminder

Of what Tarantula Arms looks like in the summer when the sprinklers are running.  Fire up that BBQ!  I love the change of seasons!!!  The plant catalogs should start arriving soon.

 

[air-waycharlie]

This reminds me...............

of the last time Deb and I were dancing around your house. Maybe with a bit more practice we can make this happen.....