What Time is It?

Daylight Savings Time. Again. One less hour of sleep. Is it just me or does it bother everyone? Try as I might, I feel like I have jet lag all week without the vacation or flying part. Yes, I know - it means summer is on the way, which is a good thing.  We will be out on our bikes, no jackets, no boots (thanks goodness - this had to be the winter of worn-out boots), enjoying the sunshine - it's just this week that kills me.

Even though presumably it is only one night that we lose an hour, my biorhythm, my cicadian cycle, whatever you want to call it is out of whack. I try to fool my body and my mind by sleeping in an extra hour on the Monday after the time change. It doesn't really help. All I had to show for that was really puffy eyes and a general grogginess that lasts all day long. Plus this morning I was wide awake at 4:00 a.m. old time, 5:00 new time.

My husband tells me there is no such thing as new time and old time - I beg to differ.

There is no answer but to wait out the week. By next weekend, especially if we get some spring weather, all should be restored to the good old summer - time. Then when we go back to Standard Time, yes, we have that extra hour......

Hablamos espanol

One of my neighbors told me about a class he is attending in intermediate Spanish.  It is an interesting group of people, all ages, both men and women.  They are looking for a few more folks to add to the group.  This is a great time to take on a new challenge.

Spanish language students needed for an adult class.

We are six people, intermediate level, seeking to improve our Spanish skills.

We need others to join in order to round out the class; four more ideally.

We meet 9:00 to 11:30 Wednesday at the instructor’s home in Clarendon Hills. Both Spanish conversation and grammar are included.

For more information, contact her via email at carolleehanley1@hotmail.com

Come alone or join with a friend.

The Turning Point

It happens every year - right around my birthday which is tomorrow.  You wake up one morning and hear birds chirping for the first time in a couple of months - not too loudly, just a faint peep.  Then on your morning walk, you spy a cardinal - beautifully red against the sky, the trees bare and recovering from winter - and this winter was really a winter!

It is lighter longer - you look at the clock at 5:15 and exclaim, "It's still light out!"

And today, February 16, my thermometer actually says - 55 degrees - ! 

Not that we are totally out of the woods yet, but it is the sign of things to come.  Maybe some of my crocuses will show their colors soon.....

ROCKET FOUND

Rocket was found and has been re-united with his family - healthy and happy - !

MISSING DOG PLEASE HELP

His name is Rocket -

 We lost him on Tuesday, Feb 8th at 9:30pm and have been searching ever since. We got a confirmed sighting of him in the Western Springs/ La Grange area and he originates in Western Springs. I have been asking people to call the local police department if they have seen him, or they can contact me at 708-259-9963 He is a rescue dog so he is very shy and very frightened. He is wearing a red collar and he is microchipped.
Thank you,
Mary Spagnola
Back Alley Burger
13 South La Grange Road
La Grange, IL 60525

February 10, 2011

Today dawned bright and COLD - it was actual temperature of 4 below this morning when I got up. I took Mitch for a walk, just 6 blocks instead of the customary two miles. I don't know how he can stand the cold on his bare paws, but he troops along beside me and matches my pace on the icy sidewalks.

But it is pretty - we had about 3 more inches of snow over the weekend, so everything is still winter white.  I heard cardinals chirping yesterday - not today though.

The light is so different when February comes - the season is changing a bit, though this winter is really winter - cold and snowy. 

Photos are in front of the house early in the morning of February 9.

Wednesday, February 2

February 2, 2011

THAT was a snowstorm. It was great. I love when the world shuts down for a day or two. No one could get much of anywhere today, Wednesday. Schools were closed, most businesses were closed – even the banks were closed for the day.

Total snowfall at O’Hare (where the records are kept) with 20.2 inches, so we didn’t break the 1967 storm, though we now rank in the upper ten storms.

My husband, Owen was up early with his big snowblower. He was able to get through the deepest drifts and he was helping everyone on the block. The smaller machines could not get through the deepness of this snowfall.


Flights were all cancelled, something like 1300 flights at O’Hare – and you don’t realize how quiet the skies are until you once again hear a plane after a day or two. It was so quiet in the neighborhood – I took Mitch for a walk early in the morning on Wednesday and he had a ball – he loves to romp in – and eat – snow. We met up with all of the neighbors, everyone was out and Mitch got to play with his dog friends Buddy and Rudy. No cars were on the street – it was wonderful.


John Gleason, one of my neighbors sent me the photo of Lizzie’s car stuck in the parking lot behind Palmer’s. He spotted the photo on AOL so she made the home page – I guess she got a ride home…..


And for the first time ever in history, there was no mail today – Wednesday. The trucks simply could not get in. We heard reports of people that were stuck on Lake Shore Drive for hours and hours – one guy reported he had been sitting in his car from 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday till 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Cars were running out of gas, people were being taken to St. Joseph Hospital on snowmobiles. Lake Shore Drive did look just like the Kennedy Expressway in 1967 – we thought it couldn’t happen again, but it did.

The sun shone brightly in the latter part of the day - truly a beautiful sight!

Let’s see – 1967, 1979, 1999, 2011 – 12 years, 20 years, 12 years- so the next huge storm will be in 2031 – you have to have at least one of these in a lifetime!