Closer to Wonderland

When I moved to NOLA, the prospect of not dealing with winter in the traditional Chicago sense was more than appealing. Ice, snow, long underwear, radiators, and drafty apartments were a thing of the past. I aimed to have a sexy little tan when I returned to the North for the holidays(And I do. At least a little.). The snow and the cold get a little depressing after a while. I liked the idea of avoiding the Winter Blues this year.

This year, however, I've suffered from a different strain of the Winter Blues. The weather stayed nice. It never dipped to freezing. It gets brisk for a few days, and then out of nowhere the warmth and humidity are too much for my favorite turtleneck that I've been dying to wear. I'm not begrudging the weater too much, since I do ride my bike to work every day and I don't have gloves or a hat. The other night on my bike ride home, it felt more like late fall to me than winter because leaves were falling and crackling, the temperature was brisk, and the wind was blowing through me.

As a Mid-Westerner, I'm used being prepared to experience all four seasons in the same day. Or just freezing cold at this time of years. It's hard to maintain a consistent temperature in the classrooms, and the teacher likes to keep it cold because she is constantly moving around. The students would rather have it warm. Whenever the cold air kicks on, I wrap my scarf around my neck or put on my jacket. My students used to look at me like I'm crazy. "Molly, what are you doin'?" "Putting my scarf on..." "Why?" I shrugged. "Because I'm cold." "Why don't you just turn the air off?" "......I'm from Chicago....We just deal with layers, and don't mess with the temperature." They're learning not to question my methods.

This year I've suffered from a different variety of the Winter Blues. No snow. No cold weather. The christmas season doesn't feel like the Christmas season because there isn't the brisk smell of cold air and snow, no cheeks flushed red with cold.

Then this morning, my Winter Blues fever broke. I was snuggled into my cozy bed, dreaming about gloves (I really need some good ones for my bike and these were SUPER cool ones that lit up. Oh dream gloves.). My phone woke me up, beeping the annoying sound of three missed texts.
"Snow!"
"It's snowing!"
"What did you do?! It's snowing in NO!"
I couldn't believe it.

Then "away the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!"
Or more appropriately: Away down the hall I ran without socks, threw open the front door and fought the iron work's lock.....
And there it was. The cure for my Winter Blues. Snow. Everywhere. Slush. Most importantly, the smell of winter, the smell of snow, the smell of Christmas. It smelled fresh and new, and cleared my sinuses of all the Blues buildup.

I grinned on my front porch in my pj shorts, sweatshirt, and leg warmers. I wanted to turn on Christmas music and dance in the street. Across the street, the neighbors walked by with their hoods up and their hands in their pockets. I grinned even bigger and waved. They were unresponsive.

I made a big pot of coffee and opened the curtains in the kitchen. The smell of the cold air is slowly permeating the kitchen because I keep opening the door to look at the snow. It's already beginning to melt, but I don't mind. It was just the thing to clear up the winter blues, and get me prepared for Illinois weather.

I can't wait to get back to the Mid-West where the Winter Blues are of a different variety.

I love this time of year. I really do.