The Winter of Our Discontent

One snowstorm here, another snowstorm there. They've been called Snowmageddon, Snowicane, Winter Wallop. Gale force winds and limited to no visibility. Drifts abound, snow piled above my head. Slush, sleet, icicles and ice. Sand, salt and brine. More than seventy inches fallen this season already. For the first time in weeks, grass had been seen as the permafrost receded, only to be covered by yesterday's storm contribution.

Seriously, what else is new?

I understand Punxsutawney Phil resides a few counties over, but I didn't think this close proximity to a famous whistle-pig would mean we'd be stuck with Bill Murray and the darling Andie McDowell in a Groundhog Day-like set of circumstances.

Fare Thee Well (Rewritten)

An unfamiliar weather pattern - rain - greeted me as we parted our ways at the door, gentle drops trying their best to melt the stubborn snow. Inside the taxi, a heady air freshener and the faint smell of tobacco crowded my sinuses as we bounced over potholes and puddles toward home. Rivulets of rain refracted streetlights and squiggled paths down the car window as the same in tears found their way down flushed cheeks to my collar. Once home, rooms dark and large, a half-unpacked overnight bag sagged against a disheveled couch.

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

                                                                                               --Washington Irving

Onesie

Apparently I moved to the North Pole, because it is snowing yet again, this time just a powdered sugar dusting on a giant white(ish) cake. Although the novelty has certainly worn off, the falling flakes against a blackened sky still brought a softened serenity to my return commute home.

With Gus visiting his parents, I returned to an empty home. One toothbrush and one teacup, one side of the banter silenced and one side of the bed cold, yet now three pillows and the couch to myself. Despite being teased as having the tenacity of a honey badger, I am also often found to be scared of my own shadow. Tonight, door locks will be double-checked and a "night light" left on, just in case.

GBL

The incredibly unbeautiful days that follow significant snowfall have begun, when the cycle of melt and freeze and a graying of the sky high piles begins. The ugly snow frustrates and complicates simple daily tasks like walking, parking and feeding meters, which jut out of snow piles just out of my reach. With another four to eight inches predicted for early next week, I can only look longingly at sandals and sun dresses and pray our world thaws soon. Gus and I have joked that our lives of late have taken on the mantra of the "Jersey Shore" cast with their days of "Gym, Tan, Laundry," although in our case tanning has replaced with, perhaps, blizzards.

The Olympic Winter Games have begun and I'm glued to the television. Currently, my attention is given to a speed skating qualifying race between a Canadian and New Zealander, a sport I don't give a thought to but every four years. The Olympics are one of those periods in life similar to the weeks of the Tour de France where, when the games finish, I wonder what on earth I used to do with my time.

During commercials and the biathlon, I'm devouring The Glass Castle: A Memoir, the retelling of one woman's nearly unbelievable childhood. Jeannette Walls' stories affect me deeply, frustrating, uplifting, inspiring, and for me, rather reassuring that there is someone in this world with quite a bit more crazy in her closet than me. Without a doubt one of the most unforgettable personal stories I have ever read.

Sun and Snow

Here are a few final photos from the day following the blizzard:

 

  

  

Blizzard

As of 5:30 PM, pictures of the blizzard so far:

Snow:

Snow:

 

And more snow:

Our car:

 

Outside bedroom window:

Snow Day

In a veritable dream come true, my office - actually the entire university - is closed today! Last evening, Mayor Nutter strongly encouraged city business to let employees stay home and closed all city offices, and Penn followed suit. By a stroke of luck, Gus is also off today in exchange for his call shift over the weekend, so we are braving the storm together.

Overnight, only another seven inches accumulated and sleet is falling now, but an additional two feet of snow are predicted for today in addition to strong winds and white out conditions. Indeed, the Winter Storm Warning has been lifted, but has been replaced with an ominous Blizzard Warning, in effect until midnight. Keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose power!

The car is parked on the street so the driveway can be easily plowed when all has fallen. Gus bought what he could from our poor, bedraggled Whole Foods (two giant snow storms and the Super Bowl have completely depleted its stores) and the heater is cranked. There's nothing left to do but stay warm and watch the drama unfold.

Evidence

The storm:

In detail:

 

The aftermath:

 

 

Concord

The blizzard dubbed "Snowmageddon" by President Obama has passed into the frigid Atlantic, leaving a full two feet of snow for us to wonder at and dig out from under. Alone at home and unable to leave, contained by four angular walls and kept company by radio personalities and the whistling wind outside. Neighbors have dug labyrinth paths on sidewalks as snow plows scrape to spotty cement; neighborhood dogs nose and frolick in soft drifts up to their floppy tails.

As luck would have it, one of my favorite movies, Little Women (1994), is on television tonight. Every time I watch this movie, I see a side of myself in each of the sisters. Jo's bookish creativity and bleeding heart, her sharp tongue and fair idealism. Meg's responsibility and learned lessons in true values, the carried weight of an eldest daughter. Amy, indulged by those that love her and lover of the good life, reluctant yet self-assured. And Beth, sweet Beth, who brings tears to the homesick traveler as she wonders "Why does everyone want to go away? I love being home. But I don't like being left behind."

All the girls, unique and encouraged as such, are guided by the modern wisdom and gentle strength of their mom, "Marmee," much of whose character I see in my own mom, who today celebrates her birthday as I do from afar.

"I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."

                                                                                       -Louisa May Alcott

Re-Blizzard

Sigh. Another storm envelopes a winter-wearied mid-Atlantic. The weather report states:

         "A Winter Storm Warning is in effect. A significant winter storm or hazardous winter weather is occurring, imminent, or likely, and is a threat to life and property. Stay vigilant for severe weather."

Unfortunately, Gus is scheduled for a 24-hour call shift beginning tomorrow at 7:00 AM. Earlier today, he received an email from the hospital stating that, in no uncertain terms, everyone will be showing up for shifts tomorrow regardless of the weather. They are offering free hotel rooms and meals, but Gus has elected to hole up in the call room instead. So, he drove to the hospital tonight to ensure he's on site in time for his shift tomorrow, leaving me to face the prospect of being trapped under two feet of snow alone.

After a 30-minute wait in line at the grocery store, our fridge is stocked and I'm planning to fill tomorrow with a cleaning blitz, an embroidery project and a few good movies.

News

It is a universal human experience to hear disconcerting news about someone you love and find everything else in life instantaneously pale in importance. We received word during the commute home today of a medical concern of a very close family member, but at this point results remain unknown. To see that someone in your family has called again and again on your phone but not left a message rarely results in casual conversation. Following, you go about the patterns of your life - dinner, dishes, television - but, if your mind wanders, it always snaps back to focus on the situation at hand, a guilt chiding you for thoughts found elsewhere.

Tonight, waiting, wondering and praying for a positive and uneventful outcome.

Vironga

Reminiscent of our time in Chicago, last week's snow is still on the ground and a double hit of more white stuff is heading our way. Tonight, my walk back to the car after yoga felt downright balmy, indeed, the ambient temperature had risen to a sweltering 33, giving a slight sweat to the puddle frozen precariously beneath my car door. Given the, apparently, unending winter and a nagging feeling of there's nothing better to do, my cabin fever has translated into an intense focus on myself and my fitness.

Last night it was spinning with a friend, tonight, yoga, after which I stopped by the Rittenhouse Deli for a six-pack of MGD 64, the lowest calorie beer currently on the market. (If there's one thing I'm not, it's a Beer Snob. If it's light, cold and carbonated, I'm happy.) Well, I must be doing something right because, for the first time since moving to Philadelphia, I was asked to show ID in order to buy my ultra-light beer. Maybe it was because their usual female customers have more facial hair than ZZ Top and wouldn't be caught dead drinking anything but a lukewarm forty, but I'd like to think it has something to do with my hard work and subsequent youthful glow of late.

Cheers!