Mid-March, and the morning 3/4 moon in the budding branches. Spring forward! More light in the evenings.
Meanwhile, there is snow and flooding in California. A Nor'easter in the northeast. Here, by the shores of Lake Michigan, where they dyed the Chicago river green for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, there are clouds and blue sky, and snow that melts in the afternoon.
The ground is soft, already the smell of mud, already buds on the branches, already the first brave spring flowers.
I wonder, is St. Patrick's Day really a celebration of returning green?
This year, the vivid greens are a welcome sight--maybe because we haven't had so much snow this year, and mostly overcast days. This winter has been more grays and browns, not so much clear blue sky and bright sun on snow. We long for colors and light.
But Spring is coming. The March equinox is on March 20. Amid all the uncertainty of this world, plagues and wars, politics, and bills and taxes, Spring is coming, sure as sunrise and the changing moon.
It's been kind of undecided around here lately. Sun in the morning, clouds in the afternoon, or clouds in the morning, sun in the afternoon. Some people wearing shorts, others in winter parkas. Some with combinations of both! And while astronomical spring begins on March 20, meteorological spring began on March 1.
And now, the nights of March 6 and 7 bring the March full moon. It could be the last full moon of astronomical winter, or the first full moon of meteorological spring.
It is also known as the Worm Moon, and it has other names---Sugar Moon, Crows Come Back Moon, and the Lenten Moon, names evocative of spring.
The Old Farmer's Almanac has more information about the names of the March Moon. You can read more here.
Yes, the Worm Moon is a good name. Now is the soft ground, the smell of mud and the robins returning.
We have been so fortunate here. The snowstorm of a few days ago missed us. The worst of the snow/rain mix was east and south, a snow globe in Valparaiso! And tornadoes in Indiana and Ohio.
There was so much uncertainty about the storm---where, when, how much snow. So much depends on the storm track, the surface temperature and the snow bands.
Was this the last storm of winter?
The robins are back, and the sparrows who are with us all winter are chirping from the rooftops.
Tonight and tomorrow night, the moon will be full, rising over the trees with fat buds on the branches.
This is Chicago, so winter can linger here. Sleet and snow are still possible tomorrow, or next week, and even in March and April.
But already, there are early signs of spring---
buds on the branches of the hickory tree!
crocuses coming up in the yards!
geese in a line flying north!
The Chicago Auto Show, paczkis for Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday, potted tulips at Walgreens.
And amid news of basketball and hockey, there's first reports of Spring Training baseball.
Pitchers and Catchers Report! Those four words in the gray days of winter--you can almost smell the green grass, feel the warm sun and blue sky---everything is new again...
This is spring in Chicago---buds on the branches, baseball on the radio.
Midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox now. We have gained more than an hour of daylight since the winter solstice.
Sun on melting snow, today, and buds on the bare branches. We are so ready for signs of spring. Stores are stocked with cut flowers and potted tulips, bright-colored orchids for Valentines Day.
If the night sky is clear, you might be able to see the green comet--- a brighter sight in February than in January.
And the full moon rising now is like a beacon in the winter sky. It is the last full moon of meteorological winter. It has many names--the Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Bone Moon. These would be fitting names for the February moon. There would be snow, maybe lots of snow. Food would be scarce at this time.
Native tribes also had other names for this last full moon of winter. According to the Old Farmers' Almanac---
"Names for this month’s Moon have historically had a connection to animals. The Cree traditionally called this the Bald Eagle Moon or Eagle Moon. The Ojibwe Bear Moon and Tlingit Black Bear Moon refer to the time when bear cubs are born. The Dakota also call this the Raccoon Moon, certain Algonquin peoples named it the Groundhog Moon, and the Haida named it Goose Moon."
These are the animals of winter. Imagine a sunny day in February, eagles and geese in the blue sky. But they are also signs of changing season, groundhogs and raccoons breaking hibernation, and bear cubs born for the spring.
Thursday, January 26, 2023
From the Blog Archives---First published on ChicagoNow---1-22-2014
Big snow flashback--the blizzard of 1967
The
blizzard of 1967 is still the largest single snow event in Chicago
history. It was the Big Snow. During 35 hours on January 26-27, a
total of 23 inches of snow fell on the city and suburbs.
Two days
before, on Tuesday, January 24, the temperature was unseasonably mild.
It was a balmy 65 degrees, with rain. Wednesday, temperatures started
dropping. Snow began falling on Thursday, January 26 at 5:02 a.m. and
kept falling until 4 p.m. on Friday, January 27.
According to the Chicago Tribune, there
was little or no advance warning. Thousands of downtown workers were
stranded trying to get home. Both O'Hare and Midway shut down. Hundreds
of CTA busses and thousands of cars were abandoned, blocking the
streets. Roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow. The city came to a
standstill. Long lines formed at grocery stores. There was looting.
There were 26 deaths from the snow, including a 10-year-old girl who was
accidentally caught in the cross-fire between police and looters and a
minister who was run over by a snowplow. Several others died of heart
attacks from shoveling snow.
Drifting, blowing snow piled as high
as 10 feet. Schools were closed for days. As you can see from the
photo above, these kids had a great time.
Could
this be the memory of snow we carry with us, the kind of winters we
remember? A "real" winter? Snow piled higher than cars. Even those
born since then have seen pictures and heard stories about the Great Blizzard of 1967.
Think of it in context of the mid-60's,
too--Lyndon Johnson was President. Richard Daley, Sr. was Mayor. The
Viet Nam War was going on. Martin Luther King, Jr. would speak out
against the war in April of 1967.
The number 1 song on the Billboard charts
for the week of January 26 was "I'm a Believer " by the Monkees. The
Beatles, the Supremes and the Rolling Stones were also popular. Mini
skirts were the latest style.
This was before Woodstock, the first
Moon landing, the '68 Convention. There had been riots on the West
Side the summer before. There were no cell phones, except on Star
Trek, which premiered in 1966. This was before microprocessors and
personal computers. A first class stamp cost 5 cents.
There was a
Woolworth's on State Street, then. And Marshall Fields. Marina City,
built in 1963, was a marvel of modern city living. The Picasso statue in
Daley Plaza would be dedicated in August of 1967.
The Chicago
Cubs roster that year included Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins and Ron
Santo. The Chicago Blackhawks had Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull and Stan
Mikita.
Many winters have passed since then, and blizzards. We have the internet, now. We have Doppler Radar.
Could
the Blizzard of 1967 happen again? Well, call it Snowpocalypse or
Snowmageddon, the Ground Hog Day Blizzard of 2011 brought almost as much
snow as the Blizzard of 1967. A total of 20 inches was reported at
O'Hare.
Because of the state-of-the art forecasting, many downtown
offices closed early, and people were able to get home before the storm
hit. Yet, even with advance warning, cars were still stranded on Lake
Shore Drive. Cell phones ran out of power. Fake Twitter account @RahmEmanuel was tweeting from the hood of a snowplow on Lake Shore Drive. And who could forget the THUNDERSNOW?
Real Rahm Emanuel is the Mayor, now. We are more prepared for snow storms, today. We have snow plows and snowmobiles, snow blowers and snow shovels. We have antifreeze. We have better cell phones.
Chicago Weather Center reports "cumulative seasonal snowfall of 44.8 inches, and counting. That’s 260 percent of Chicago’s normal season-to-date snowfall (17.2 inches) and 122 percent of the city’s normal full-season total of 36.7 inches. In 130 years of official snowfall data, only two winters have had more snow through Jan. 21: 1951-52 with 54.0 inches and 1978-79 with 66.3 inches."
Yes, we're getting some big snow this year. I'd say it's been a real winter, so far! This is one to remember.
January 2023---Day after day of gray, and variations of gray---
January can be a bleak month. Holidays are over, and bills are due. And yes, the plague is still with us. Republicans control the House.
But Chicago has had high temperatures in the 40's--well above average for January. In spite of the Chiberian Express at the end of December, winter so far has not been bad. I've even been doing some yard work.
And there is much to look forward to--a little more daylight every day now, after the winter solstice.
And the Lunar New Year is coming on January 22--it will be the year of the rabbit. In Chinese astrology, the rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity. Rabbit years can be kinder and gentler than tiger years, like the one just ending. Here's hope there may be more kindness and healing this year.
And there is a comet in the predawn sky--Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)---visible now, and brightening. This comet was last seen in our inner solar system 50,000 years ago!
Here is an article from Astronomy Magazine with information on how and where to see the comet.
And, here is an article from Sky and Telescope with more information.
You will have to be up early to see the comet, but wouldn't it be worth
it just to catch a glimpse of this rare green comet in the predawn sky? The last time it was in this neighborhood, there was no human civilization. It was here before Stonehenge, or the Pyramids, before Homer, Galileo, and Shakespeare, before Chinese scholars painted comets on silk.
And this is not a just a one night phenomenon, like a lunar eclipse. If the sky is cloudy tonight, maybe another night will be clear sky. Weather permitting, one night we can see it, too.
Day after day of overcast gray. I'm wearing colors today! Magenta, mustard and spring grass green...
After the chiberian express of my last post, and wind chills of -30 and -40 below, temperatures have warmed to 30's and 40's--the ice in the water bowl on the porch for the possums and raccoons is liquid water again.
And the holidays are holiday sales, now. The alleys have a few discarded trees, some with tinsel still clinging to them. Such a sad thing to see---decorated and admired, and then thrown away.
Why not save them through the winter? They can become shelter for the sparrows and squirrels, even hibernating ladybugs. They are trees--they spent their lives outside in the rain and sun and weather.
I hope you didn't get an unexpected gift of COVID this year. Whatever variant is with us these days, the plague hasn't gone away. You can still get the bivalent booster, and it's free!
I am heartened by the response to what happened to Demar Hamlin-- instead of insisting the players "go on with the game, " and "win this for Demar" the players and coaches of both teams did not return to the field. The game was postponed, perhaps indefinitely. Something has changed. We are all praying for his recovery.
I hope the new year brings you the gift of better days to come, of the miracle in the ordinary, of beginning again.
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