Winter Medley

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...


It's frigid cold these past few days.  The kind of cold where your face stings and your ears ring, and your fingertips go numb...with gloves.  I'm enjoying the real winter cold even though it's brutal when walking just a few blocks.  I've been drinking lots of hot chocolate, coffee, and tea.  I love bundling up in my new coat, cute hat, snug gloves and my scarf-of-the day.  I cherish the last moment in a cozy warm room before hitting the bracing, but exhilarating, air, or the first moment there that welcomes me back from it.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It feels more like Christmastime than those balmy 50 degree days that Washington sometimes has in December.  At around 4'oclock on a gray, blustery day, it can look quite stark and dreary - those naked, gnarly tree branches in our concrete jungle.  But by 6pm, the holiday lights start to glow from the yards and from the Christmas trees framed in the undressed windows of inviting homes.  I love window-peeping in the urban winter landscape.

Let it snow.  Let it snow.  Let it snow.

It would all be softened by a little snow.  A white soft blanket that would cover the greys and muffle the harsh echoes.  And my guys at Capital Weather Gang are predicting the season's first snowfall will arrive tomorrow. One to two inches - a lit more than a dusting, and likely not lasting.  But that first snowfall is such a thrill.  Every. Single. Time.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

And I've got some holiday cheer, too.  I've been wrapping presents - one of my least favorite things to do, and usually put off until the very last minute.  But this year, I've engaged dear daughter and we're choosing paper and ribbon colors for each gift.  She writes the labels in her darling, newly-learned, uneven handwriting "To: Helena.  From: Grace and Victoria " and my heart melts to watch her grow up right before my eyes.  So present wrapping is not so awful this year, and we're doing a few per night.

Hallelujah!


Hallelujah, indeed!  Tomorrow, we're going to the Kennedy Center for the Messiah concert of the National Symphony Orchestra.  Every part of that last sentence is a superlative!  Such a wonderful treat.

And today, I will say, for the first time in a few days or a few weeks, It's a Wonderful Life.

Fa la la, la la, la, la, la, la.

The Earth's a big blue (white) marble....

WOW!

Such incredible satellite shots of February's historic and massive snowstorm.  And some of the Big Meltdown

When I look at this, I am awed by satellite technology, the weather, and our planet.  And then I think,  I am but so small roaming around my little block of DC - and yet so wrapped up in my personal universe.  And yet, each person roaming around the earth has such a huge butterfly wing effect on each other and on a global scale.

Thanks to JS for the DC-ist links.

Snow: post-mortem

The Blizzards of 2010 (I and II) set me back considerably - home- and work- life and house.  Therefore, it did not get any coverage in my blog (Federal government shut down, and so did La Nouvelle Observatrice)

However, I did find this interesting

Snow in 49 of 50 states!

And my guys over at Capital Weather Geeks...ooops, I mean Gang!...had excellent storm coverage, forecasting, and humorous and fascinating weather trivia.   Here are some 2010 season snow stats for the mid-Atlantic.

haiku (just for fun)

Winter sun rises.
Bright white sparkling snow dazzles.
Blinded by the light.

This is why I LOVE the Capital Weather Gang...

A snowy surprise, 10 years ago today

and this...

Late-week snow potential emerging

and this

FAQ - Snow Lover's Crystal Ball

Snow!

Snow!  These days weather seems so warped - at least from my nostalgic memories of childhood.  And we haven't had a good snow in such a long time.  But a storm blows from the south - with winter weather forecasted from this evening through Sunday morning.  Maybe 6-12 inches!!  Haven't heard that in a while!  I'm not much for sensationalized, exaggerated forecasts.  In fact, I think they get people all wound up over nothing (and then we are inured when a weather event does actually happen).  But I think this one could be a good one!! (Note to self - must get gas and cash).

A few more thoughts on this particular snowstorm.