Let It Snow...

I had intended to make this post about a wine and art show that I was invited to last Friday in Geneva, Il. Plans changed with the "blizzard of 2011". Couldn't resist posting pictures of both the wrath and beauty of mother nature. Major highways closed. Chicago in the state of emergency. Twenty inches of snow - enough to make it almost impossible to open both my front and back door. 

It's amazing how beautiful and frightening mother nature can be. Last evening in the height of the storm, my husband suggested we talk a walk. Bundled in snow suits, goggles, mittens and gloves we set out to walk around the neighborhood. So quiet, dark and beatiful. Snow falling - no one around - wondering what people were doing to cope with the weather. Now mind you, my husband won't take a walk with me when the weather is nice, so this was an opportunity I couldn't resist, even though my brain was saying, "stay warm and cozy on the couch"! We felt like little kids out where they shouldn't be. Why, I even felt an arm around my shoulders and waist - a quick snuggle. Thank you mother nature for this small, sweet moment. You're not all that bad.

When we returned home, my youngest called from his apartment in the city. He told us that all the power was out on one of the main streets a few blocks from where he lived and that he and his roommates took a walk as well, trying to take in the eerieness of the city in a blizzard. He said it felt like the "end of days" and there was an excitement in his voice. To be young and living on your own with good friends and to experience the good and bad of making your home in Chicago. He'll always remember what he did on the "blizzard of 2011". Again, thanks mother nature for giving him these memories.

Love all the little vignettes around my home as I ventured out this morning. The snow has stopped and the sun is peeking out. And as much as I'd rather be on a white sandy beach instead of a white snowy driveway, I know that soon this will be over and these random areas of calm, white snow and peaceful spots give me time to reflect on how lucky I am to even just "be" to enjoy the beauty and wrath of mother nature. I'm warm and safe and have heat and comfort food. I'm surrounded by all the conveniences to make a blizzard pass without much discomfort. Many are not.  I think of the animals that need shelter and food, but most importantly the humans that are in shelters or out on the streets or the elderly who are alone in their homes without family or friends. Grab a shovel and help someone dig out, run some groceries to an elderly neighbor, volunteer at your local shelter and feed the birds. My husband informed me that after shoveling for a good part of the morning and helping a neighbor with his sidewalk that he even made a path for the abandoned cat that has found a home under our porch. We've tried in vain to capture it and find it a good home but with no luck. I'm touched by his act of kindness to all creatures. Thank you mother nature. Enjoy the photos!

An old bike that my youngest son found and left near our fence. It's marked "Fun Bike"

The looooooooong driveway waiting to be cleared.