Winter Weather in April

Should I be commenting on sub-freezing Winter weather in Chicago in April?

Well, yes.

Even though I lived in Canada before moving to Chicago, I was raised in Texas where sub-freezing weather is something to be commented upon.

Having been raised in Texas where everything is always "big" and "hot", I can honestly say that I'd much rather shovel snow in Chicago than mow an lawn in Texas.

Really.

Winter in Chicago: The temps seldom rise above freezing for three months and there are long periods when it's below zero (-18C) in Chicago.
Big deal.
Keep some back-up long underpants (in at least two varieties) so that you don't stink during those long cold spells.
Really. Long underpants. Keeping things warm. . . .
Two varieties of long underpants.
Do it!

Snow? Once the snow starts falling, lots of really, really nice Latino guys come out in full force offering to shovel it away for twenty bucks.
Hint: Let them do it.
It's well worth the twenty bucks, especially if it's late at night and there's a heavy snowfall.
Let them do it!
They clear the sidewalks and keep the little ones from hurting themselves on the way to school.
Let them do it!
They do an amazing job; much better than you could ever do with your own snow shovel at 6:00 am.
Let them do it!
You'll also be happily contributing to the local workforce.
Let them do it!

Winter Weather in April?? (Click on this weather pic)
We've been having brutal, I mean, brutal nasty, cold, snowy, windy weather these past few days here in Chicago. I'd already put away my "toasty coat" three weeks ago. (That's my full-length, ugly, goose-down, insulated coat that I purchased in Canada many years ago; the one that'll insulate me against polar-bear hunts as well as Chicago's Michigan Ave. in January)

I refuse to bring out my "toasty-coat" in April. (Besides, it's at the cleaners, being serviced and repaired for next year).

But you know, as I was walking home late last night on April 6th while the bitterly wind howled and my face stung, I really enjoyed the fact that, "I'm not in Texas! - - I'm living up North where it's cold!!"

Every time I encounter cold weather, it just underlines the fact that, "I made it out of Texas."

I don't want to denigrate living in Texas in any way shape or form. Living in Texas is, indeed pleasurable, insouciant, and profitable. All my family lives there and I love, admire, and respect them dearly. And, I love to admit, it's a wonderful place to go home to.

But for a sensitive, thoughtful, artistic, Texan kid from a small town who got a little piano scholarship and later made his way to New York, Toronto, and Chicago; well, Winter Weather in April just underlines the fact that he did, indeed, really made his way AWAY from where sensitive, thoughtful, and artistic kids had to languish in the heat.

It's 28 degrees outside with a brutal wind chill in April . . . .
. . . This sensitive, thoughtful, and artistic, kid from Texas really likes that.