Faces of January

 

Janus is the ancient Roman god of beginnings, transitions, doorways, and endings, famously depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions—one to the past, one to the future—symbolizing change, duality, and passage (past to future, war to peace, etc.). 

 

January is named after the Roman god Janus, who is depicted with two faces, You can imagine the classic face, but it's also like a Picasso face. You can read more about Janus on Wikipedia, here.

So here we are in January, marking new beginnings and transitions. Didn't we just wish each other Peace On Earth and Best wishes for the New Year?  Yet there are still wars and plagues, they don't take a holiday, and chaos has been working overtime, with Venezuela and ICE in Minneapolis.  And still, the Epstein Files...And the 5th  Anniversary of January6.

 

Here, the colorful holiday lights have been taken down, there are evergreens in the alleys. The trees can make shelters for birds and other animals in the winter. There is no need to throw them away.

Right now, the streets and sidewalks are clear of snow.  As the weather people say, it is seasonably cold today, but it was quite warm for the season a few days ago.  The rain on January 8th was torrential! There was flooding in  Chicago.

 

 But there is plenty of winter left. The daylight may be increasing after the December Solstice, but the coldest temperatures of the year come in January. We could get blizzards, snow squalls,   ice storms, freezing rain, sleet and graupel. Even thundersnow!  

January is the many faces of winter---gray and cold, sometimes dazzling blue sky and sun on snow..

 

We are making transitons, the overcast gray sky and the calls of geese, heard not seen.

People are thinking of gardens and green leaves.

December Solstice, 2025

 

 

 Now it's December and winter is here. Meteorological winter began on December 1. Astronomical winter will begin with the solstice on December 21. Crowds will gather at Stonehenge and other historical sites to celebrate the shortest day, and the return of longer days. 

The year turns, and we begin again.

You can read more about the December Solstice here, from EarthSky 2025 December solstice: All you need to know,

Season's Greetings to all, this is the season of light.  Amid wars and plagues, climate change and political uncertainties, may this also be a season of hope, and peace.

Snows of November

 Now it's  December, the end of the Hurricane season, and the beginning of Meterological Winter.

There is snow on the ground in the Chicago area from the snowstorm on Saturday,  and record high totals for the month of November. Nearly 9 inches of snow fell at O’Hare Airport---the most snow to fall on a single day in November in the area’s recorded history! More snow is expected Monday. 

The snow totals were higher further south with areas reporting as much as 11 inches!  That's alot of snow.

 It seems like a winter wonderland now, with the holiday decorations and lights, but Friday was also a leaf-raking day, bags of leaves covered with snow waiting on the curbs, as cars passed by with evergreen trees tied on the roofs.

Now its December, and the Thanksgiving weekend is passed. It's holiday season now. There was a Lights Parade on Michigan Avenue. There will be Holiday trains running.  Festive lights at the Zoo.

Now we get out the Advent calendars. Countdown to the Winter Solstice on December 21! These are the shortest days, now. Then little by little, the light increases again. 

However you celebrate, Happy Holidays!

November Gold

More sun and blue sky, this golden November of falling yellow leaves. And nights of Northern Lights!

Yes November can be quite a gray month, here. Cloudy and cold. Rain, maybe mixed with snow.  

We had a preview of snow in November, here--lake-effect snow-- but not as much as further south. 

And we had winds, too, but not like the winds of November that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago.

But we know those days are coming. We are getting ready. The National Weather Service has been posting Winter Preparedness Tips.

But yesterday, November 15, was a fine fall day! Sun and blue sky, and temps of 70 degrees!  It was a beautiful day for raking leaves. I saw two kids jumping in the leaf piles, just like years ago.

It was also a beautiful day for ICE to leave Chicago. No not all of them, but some have gone to Charlotte, NC, where they are being met with whistles and signs. This is how it is, now.

 

This Fine October

 Sun and blue sky today. It's a fine day for the Chicago Marathon, runners from all over the world. Sailboats are coming in from the Lake for their winter quarters. People are doing their Sunday things on this fine October day.

Halloween decorations are all over---ghosts and skeletons, witches and pumpkins!  

Chicago has been voted again the Best Big City in the country, by Conde-Nast Travel, and it's easy to see why. With Lake Michigan to the East,  stunning views of the skyline,  and world-class architecture, Chicago is second to none.

 And it's a city for all seasons. We do have beautiful Springs here, the first signs of new green on the trees. Tulips on Michigan Avenue, and people's gardens. 

Summer can be hot and humid, but the Lake is a welcome relief.  There are festivals and concerts outside.

Winter may be the most challenging season. Cold, wind, snow and ice. Well  we use ice for hockey and skating rinks. We are tough people here, too.

But I think the Octobers here are the most beautiful. The light! The colored leaves, the new season for concerts and art exhibits. Beseball playoffs, hockey, football for sports fans. 

There is something brash and outspoken about Chicago. We make good trouble. We laugh at the weather. We laugh at would-be dictators. We hold signs and honk car horns at the ICE  men.

September Seasons

Meteorological fall begins on September 1, and Labor Day, the last holiday of summer. Now come the    long shadows of the afternoons, the golden light. the last days of baseball, the last of the tomatoes and zucchinis.  Kids are back in school. It is like a new season.

The September equinox approaches, the start of astronomical fall, on September 22. Days are getting shorter, now.   2 hours, 56 minutes shorter than summer solstice on June 21.

 Because of  our tilted planet, the equinox marks the point at which the sun appears directly overhead at the equator. Day and night are about equal length. You can read more about equinoxes at Space.com.

 

Here, in the Chicago area, there is already a fall like feeling. Bring out the favorite hoodies and sweaters again. Cool, crisp mornings and blankets at night. 

 

And dark so early now!  The streetlights come on a 6:45 pm.

 There are glorious plumes on the ornamental grasses. Milkweed pods are ripening. Asters and goldenrod are blooming The Halloween candy is out at Walgreens, and there are signs for flu shots and the latest  COVID vaccine.

 

But it is still summer! the last few days have been a season of their own. Sun, blue sky, highs in the mid-70's and low 80's . Beautiful weather!  Hoodies and shorts. A jean jacket over a summer dress. 

 

Maybe thunder and rain tonight!

August ending

 Last days of August of 2025, and the sky is cloudless blue. There's a feeling of fall these days, jackets and sweaters in the mornings and evenings.  Gardens are still growing, even overgrown, but there's a change in the green, and some tall plants are flopping over, on the verge of collapse.  There are mums on sale at the Jewel, now, and sunflowers are at their peak.

The Plainfield Tornado was 35 years ago. The most destructive storm to date in the Chicago area. There was no Doppler radar then, no Enhanced Fujita Scale. It was rated an F-5. You can read Tom Skilling's post about it  on Facebook, .here

This  also marks the 20-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, that  made landfall along the  Louisiana coast, as a Category 5 storm and struck the city of New Orleans, causing damage that is still there, today. Kudzu vines covering what remains of small towns. There is a documentary on Netflix to commemorate the anniversary.

Now, in the light of August afternoons, what have we learned about  these kinds of disasters? Where is FEMA now?