Signs of Spring

We enjoyed 74 degree weather on Saint Patrick's Day. Unheard of around here this time of year. We actually broke a record with the temperature! I got excited this weekend when we were poking around in the yard. I actually found some little green shoots peeking out of the ground. It's amazing what some great weather, a lot of sunshine and a few little signs of hope will do for your spirits! It's been a long cold winter. I'm sure we'll have one last blast of cold air... but for now... I'm thinking spring!

Warmer Days

We've been spoiled with slightly warmer than arctic weather the past couple of days. It's amazing how acclimatized you can become. It was hovering around 34 degrees on Friday and I was walking around without gloves or a hat, coat not buttoned. It felt darn near tropical!

Then Saturday it was around 50 degrees. Other than the headache I got from the too-rapid change in temperature, it was fabulous! It was sunny, the snow was melting, it felt like spring.
I ran errands without a coat on. I didn't make Alex wear a hat or mittens. I saw people running in shorts. I'm not ready for that yet, but it made me hopeful.

But I know it's too good to last. It is winter, after all. So I'll just enjoy it while I've got it. Take the pooch and the boy for a walk in the sunshine and through the puddles. And countdown the days till our waterpark getaway! (10 more days!)

CNN causes my mom to freak out

I hate to bump down my peony pictures, but I just have to share this.
My mother called me 90 minutes ago completely convinced we were about to be wiped off the face of the earth because a tornado was heading our way. What was mother's source of said death order? Freaking CNN!

Now, I spent a DECADE in TV news. I worked through blizzards, tornadoes, floods, hail, pestilence, locusts, dogs and cats living together, hurricane force winds, etc... I know where to get my LOCAL WEATHER COVERAGE, and it ISN'T FREAKING CNN!!! Some of my best friends are METEOROLOGISTS. I'm going to turn to them for weather coverage and not to some mo-mo's in Atlanta who don't know MILWAUKEE from PEWAUKEE or even WAUKEE (IOWA... shout out to Mike and Jen!), Summerfest from State Fair, who have never heard of the Hoan Bridge and don't even know who Solomon Juneau was.

I love my mother. I know she was genuinely concerned about my safety. But get a grip woman!!!! You daughter, the one with the Master of Arts in Communications, who has been nominated for an Emmy for breaking news coverage, and who can still find news faster than the average reporter is going to be just fine.

(The previous message is not meant to demean my mom. I typed this with a smile on my face and in my heart.)

Plans on Pause

Some storms blew through here yesterday and the plans to see "Sex and the City" are now on hold. Sara has water in her basement, Therese has an air conditioner on the fritz, and I have humidity hair flop.

The storms last night and today were pretty incredible. We got about 4 inches of rain in about an hour and a half. The river near our house (the Menomonee River) is way over its banks. The creek across the street from us that feeds into the Menomonee looked more like a river last night. Alex's daycare is flooded so he'll be spending part of the day with Sara. (Thanks Sara!)

So we'll have to wait a couple of weeks to try again! At least I have book club to look forward to tomorrow night!

I Love a Good Thunderstorm!

I woke up yesterday morning to a wonderful sound... pounding rain and lots of thunder. Add in dozens of lightning flashes, and that's what I call a good time. I LOVE thunderstorms. Growing up in the Midwest, a good part of my year was spent in storm season. the bulk of those storms happened in spring and summer, but you haven't lived until you've experienced thunder-snow!!!

When I was little, storms used to scare me. I would crawl under the dining room table (which is now my dining room table) with my brother and sister and our dog to hide. It was extra nerve wracking when the power went off... that meant mom digging for candles or flashlights and lighting these crazy oil lamps filled with brightly colored oil. If nature decided to up the ante with tornado conditions, we headed for our musty, creepy, unfinished basement until the all clear was given.

Then as I got older I came to love storms. In high school, I would drive outside of town with a friend of mine looking for a good place to watch a storm. We would find a country road, scout out a safe place to park, and just watch the lightining dance across the sky. A lot of people rip on Illinois for being flat, but those sprawling farm fields make for some great storm watching!

In college I would watch storms from my 8th floor dorm room. I had a single room, since I was an RA. I converted the ledge of my window into a makeshift window seat and just watch the rain fall. A few times, we would sneak up to the top floor of the building (which used to be the hall director apartment, but was closed off because it didn't have enough fire exits) and we'd just sit there and watch a storm. They look pretty amazing from 13 stories up.

So yesterday morning when I awoke to those familiar rumbles and shakes, I have to admit I got a little excited. I tried to share that excitement with Alex, who declared "I don't like that thunder." With every crash and flash, I exclaimed, "Isn't that awesome, buddy?" And finally he started to warm up to the storm. I'll make a thunderstorm lover out of him yet!

F is for Fog

This is what downtown Milwaukee looks like today. I took these from the top of the parking structure on the building where I work. Visibility was less then a block on the drive in today. It was weird to not see any of the familiar tall buildings.