January...

"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

A kingdom of isolation"

...baby, I am so not the queen.

This morning, I woke up to serious winter in Chicago.  The wind was rattling around the house, gusting, trying to infiltrate our warm little home.  It was still dark, as the nights are long and the days are short.  Getting up to brush my teeth, I had to find the socks that I had shucked off in the night.  After socking up my feet, I shuffled to my slippers over my soft carpet.  I made my way to the bathroom, where it seems about ten degrees colder.  I grabbed my big warm full length red robe, tied it on.  

Heading downstairs quietly, in the dark to let the dog out and start the coffee.  I turned on one lamp, for soft light in the morning dark.  As I settled, slippered, robed, under a blanket on my couch to read in the quiet before the family loudly got up, I thought that the only thing that could make this better would have been a roaring fire to warm up my little nest.

As the sun came up today, I could see that it would be cold.  In the winter, here, when the sun shines, it's always colder than when we have clouds.  We got an inch or so of snow yesterday, fresh powder to be whipped around by the wind.  The houses slept quietly in my neighborhood, steam coming from roof vents as their furnaces kicked on.

The sun gleamed today on the newly fallen snow, showing us the tracks of rabbit visitors in the night to our little garden in the front yard.  We had a few more flurries, but a brilliantly sunny (bitterly cold) day today.

This is January in Chicago.

January in Chicago means a number of things.  Flannel sheets on your beds, along with those extra blankets.  Slippers, socks, robes and blankets litter your living room along with bedrooms and bathrooms.  A hot shower has never felt so good in your life.  The dog is wearing a sweater, and you are wearing layers of undershirts, long underwear and more, attempting to keep your body heat close to your body.  January means salt on your car, shovels at the ready in the garage, preparations for much longer commutes and hopping back in your car while you fill it with gas.

January is full of long cold nights and short cloudy days.  Wind chills that drop into double digit negatives and you learn quickly that lake effect snow is something you are happy affects Indiana.  January means potholes and black ice.  It means ear muffs, gloves and hats.  It means being home bound so much more than you ever thought possible.  January is the sad time when you see the Christmas lights hanging listlessly from houses, no longer to be turned on, waiting until April when it is safe to remove them from the roof.

There are good things about January in Chicago.  When the sun does come out, you have never seen more clear, frigidly beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  You get to snuggle with your loved ones, and  catch up on the TV you don't watch when it's warm.  You find more time to be thankful of your family, and can find more time to share in home bound activities such as baking, coloring, gaming and reading.  Watching the beauty of a snow storm while sipping hot coffee or hot cocoa from the inside, knowing you have nowhere to go.

There is beauty in January in Chicago.  Sometimes, you just have to look a little harder, or turn your head and let it surprise you.