Okay, so we’re three days into Spring…
and yet we all woke up to a snowstorm this morning in Chicago.

At least it looks like Spring in my condo as my orchid finally decided to open today
& re-bloom for the first time!!!

Literally.

Temperatures are dropping in Chicago tonight…
and here’s the closest we get to a “waterfall” here in the City.

Frozen gutters… luckily, NOT at my condo building!!!

I love a good snowstorm. Tons of snow. Howling winds.
As long as I’m comfy warm inside! Last night was one of those nights.

But it’s always fun to get up the next morning and see what happened. And start the big clean-up… shoveling, unearthing of cars, etc. Luckily, today is another “Snow Day” for many of us in Chicago. So this morning I bundled up, trekked downstairs and started by uncovering my car.

And I love finding snow in “weird” places. When the wind is so strong, it gets blown around and sticks in some pretty interesting places. Like the security mesh on our building’s basement windows!

But it’s not only OUTside!!! The wind was SO strong last night that the inside lobby vestibule was filled with snow too! Yes, our front door “might” need a better latching system, ya’ think? Unfortunately, the snow removal company had already been there. So most of it was already gone. But some remnants remain to show you where the snow had gotten to… INSIDE our foyer!!! Look at the window ledges on the door… and even better, look on top of the padlock!!!

That’s about 6-feet high INSIDE my building’s foyer!!!

And then again upstairs, on my front porch, where it is fairly well protected. Look how high the snow is sticking to the window frame. And while you’re at it.. look how well the storm window is working in the UP position – yikes!!!

So I’m guessing today was NOT the best day to realize that I never lowered my storm windows?! And now they’re frozen in place with no hope of budging for the next few days! Still watching the snow blow horizontally across my street… and right through my screens piling up little drifts against my window panes!

Today’s warm temps were too seductive and I just “had to” go out for a bike ride. Today’s big melt also creates some big puddles. It may not have been my “cleanest” ride ever, but it was well worth the clean-up that my bike now needs from all the puddle-splatter!

And our version of a Chicago Iceberg!!!

At some point around the Lake Shore Drive S-Curve, the bike path is still closed off as “impassable.” Sure, you could continue on very carefully… if I wanted to carry my bike. But I though it was a clear warning, and a good reason to turn around to head home.

Back closer to home, some of the grassy fields were covered with puddles… err, ponds…
which all created wonderful reflections. Mushy. Squishy. Muddy. Well worth the photo stop… and now my bike shoes need to be cleaned too!!!

Today was also the Winter Solstice which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. So look on the bright side… sure, Winter may just be starting, but the days will be getting longer from now on.

Last Sunday was STUNNING.
Sunny, clear and full of Fall color everywhere you looked.
But with the sudden decline of the weather this week… cold, rain, gusty winds and even snow… I’m pretty sure this is the last of the Fall colors we’ll see this year. I hope you enjoy my Fall photo tour along the lakefront from last Sunday… and that it might keep you “warm” through the frozen months to come!

With a chill in the air & the sun rising, the colors were ablaze this morning. You gotta love the vibrant colors of Fall. The leaves are dropping fast… let’s hope they hang on a bit longer!