Snowy

We've had a winter storm this week. It's beautiful, the way the snow has blanketed everything in about 10 inches and brings purity to all the ugly winterness, but it's fairly miserable if you want to do anything other than cozying up at home.

It's been snowing a lot this year, which reminds me of being a kid. Is it just wistful memories of snow-filled Christmasses, or is global warming really putting a crimp in winter precipitation?

The sad reality of snow in Chicago is that it's pure white for about 30 minutes, and then it's grey slush as traffic plows through it. And the salt! While I appreciate its qualities for easing my morning commute, it's scary to see the big trucks out constantly, spraying chunks every time it snows. Even after the snow melts and the streets dry, a passing car will kick up dust that lands, salty, on my tongue. Or worse still, the air I breath is saturated with it. My chapped lips taste salty after I walk the few blocks to the train.

When I was a kid, after a big snowfall, I'd go outside with a big mixing bowl and fill it full. I'd pour orange juice or Coke over it, and enjoy my slush. I even remember once at Hannah's house, sweetening milk with sugar and frozen strawberries for our "ice cream." It was such a treat. I loved it so much. I think if I could, I would make my snow slushes still. Adulthood has not cooled my love of slushies.

It verges on tragic, then, what is happening to the environment. Tim reminded me that during wars, warriors would salt the earth to prevent any life taking root after.