The Frozen Tundra of an Asphalt Field

With January edging into February,

our winter weather has finally arrived, 

bringing below freezing winds that swept 

across the plains of area parking lots.

In the early morning dark,

people shuffled from their parked cars

into work, huddled and cringing 

from the blowing snow like so many

 shadowy proletariat, on their way to work

at one of the many cubicle farms

that make up our local employment scene.

It's He-ere!

The Indy area has enjoyed fairly mild temperatures 

for quite some time, but the winter air 

finally made it's entrance this weekend, bringing

with it icy rain and snow.

Here, a bus stop collects the ice and snow 

as it blows in from the south-west.

The leaves on a bush gathered ice chunks

large enough to mix drinks with.

This may seem a bit severe, but it's nothing.

The snows are fairly light, mere sprinklings.

It's the mirage they create, hiding the

slick smooth ice beneath that 

create hazardous conditions. Whoops!

S'no Relief

I know. I know. It's all relative.

I went out for a bit yesterday and mounds of snow,

scooped to the curbs by plows, had patches 

and puddles of melted water 

seeping from beneath their massed bottoms.

That water froze overnight, turning my

tiny bit of the universe into a slip'n'slide.

Today's temperatures are 32 degrees colder

than average for this time in February.

My mind and body are preparing to swim

later this afternoon, but my skin is

protesting. In spite of my diligent efforts, 

the dry air whisks the moisture from my skin.

It itches. It itches.

Please, winter, go away.

Snowy Grasses

At their full growth, these ornamental grasses are tall, 

topped by feathery plumes of seeds.

Now only about a foot tall, they catch the snow and leaves 

as they wait for spring and new growth.

At Least It's Not Buffalo

There the snow is so deep that it broke through doors, 

pouring into people's homes. Here we got

a mere brushstroke, one that swept white across

our landscape. The snow brought new

contrast to the red and faint greens of this bush.

It is nearly gone now, melted from the bright sun,

with warmer temperatures forecast

for the weekend. There will be rain to melt

the remaining snow. Once again, good for us but

not so great for the people in Buffalo,

who will have to cope with floods caused

by the melting mass of snow.

Studies in Cold and Gray

After enjoying a few days wafting with the friendly 

promise of Spring! we were greeted this morning by frigid 

gusts of air thirty degrees colder than they 

were yesterday. Unfortunately, I hadn't worn my warmest

coat, so stood miserably stoic at the bus stop, my nose

warmed by my own breath as it drifted among 

the deep folds of my neck scarf.

Only traces remain of the snow that held us 

in its thrall for weeks, but the island of cold air that 

swept in overnight make it seem as though those

traces of cold have settled permanently 

between my shoulder blades.

I may never stand straight again.

Stars in the Detritus

Storms last night brought us another sunny day. 

The trees' bare branches reached upward,

towards puffy clouds scudding across a bright blue sky. 

Melting snow packs on the streets and sidewalks 

revealed the blackened leaves from fall. 

I tried to get a shot of gleaming of drops of water, 

but only got the starry points of sunlight -

one, two, three, four, dancing above the leaves.

Woo Hoo! We're Thawing Out!

On a walk through a downtown park on Wednesday 

afternoon, I saw these leaves, newly, finally,

fallen on melting snow.

The Winter of Our Pissed-Offedness

As snowy and cold as it was Friday night,

Monument Circle was almost vibrant with activity. 

When I left the Circle Theatre after the ISO Valentine's Day 

concert, I saw carriages lined up to take customers on 

horse-drawn tours of the downtown area. Young people who

had been at the movies and clubs were playing

in the snow, shouting happily as they tossed snowballs.

Cars were driving around the Circle to take in the

bright lights on the snow-draped buildings and statues.

Despite the weather, the carriage drivers did not seem

to lack for business. During the time I spent waiting 

for the bus home, I think I saw this group

of carriages at least three times.

Despite all that, Hoosiers are thoroughly tired 

of the snow. As I scanned their tickets, one man told 

me that he and his wife had driven for four hours 
to come to the concert - a trip that generally 
takes about ninety minutes. A man from
Noblesville - about twenty miles away, 
called his drive "a trip from Hell."
We are eagerly anticipating the warm-up
forecast for the coming week.
  

When It Was Pretty

Indy's first major snowfall of the year 

brought chilling temperatures the region 

hadn't encountered for many years, 

effectively closing down the city 

for all but essential services.

After the storm passed, there was some 

relief for the people of the community, then, 

a couple days ago, another wave 

of cold air swept into the area,

with wind chills of about -40 degrees.

Temperatures now are rising, creating the feeling

of a heat wave. Woo hoo! It's a torrid 16 degrees F

outside as I type this. While another snowfall is forecast 

for a couple days from now, I've missed 

my swimming sessions and will return 

to the pool later this afternoon.

For me, the cold has been an inconvenience

while for many others it has been a real

danger. So many have had their furnaces fail

while others have no furnace at all.

As I dress this afternoon, I will keep this in mind.

I am merely cold, while others are

literally freezing.

Grassy Swoosh

Near the graceful dried grass shown in an earlier post, 

there are a few bunches of shrub-like twigs

that in warmer seasons have little purpley flowers.

Here, the remains of the tiny blossoms create

constellations of dark brown stars, highlighted

by the delicate swoosh of the dried grass.

Grasses in the Snow

In this winter season, just about the only time 

I am standing still is when I am waiting 

for a bus. Otherwise, I am on the move 

to someplace warm. This afternoon, I looked down 

near my feet to see spare, slender bits 

of dried grass shivering in the snowy breeze.

Of course, I took its picture.

At Some Point ...

... We must all walk the same path.

During the first couple days, the pale blanket of snow

was beautiful to look at. However frigid, it allowed

the sun to shine and gleam, giving a sparkle

to our everyday surroundings. Now, thankfully,

the temperatures have risen and the snow's filthy reality

leaves us masses of the stuff. It's stacked and piled

just about everywhere a shovel, snow-blower,

or plow could find. And it's dirty, making cold,

gray slush at curbs and corners that people must walk 

through as they cross intersections.

Lethal Beauty

This is when I like winter, when the sun shines 

on the trees, melting globs of snow that 

then freeze into crystalline sparks of light 

on the branches.

People began to emerge from their cocoons this morning, 

to start cars that merely groaned and whined

instead of purring from the pleasure of being started.

One neighbor needs to thaw his poor car;

standing humbled and shrunken in a drift of snow

it had no shelter or barrier from the frozen air.

Why is it we expect a machine to perform

whenever asked, without realizing it, too,

needs some consideration for the way its bits

react to the elements? Shoot, I've neither seen

nor heard a bird in three days. I expect

they are perched beneath the snow-laden

branches of fir trees or building eaves,

their feathers fluffed up against the cold.

Sort of like me, except I will need to go

to the store fairly soon for some seeds 

for myself  and my little family

(my cat and my turtle).

White on White

The snow fell all day, beginning in the morning in big, 
sloppy globs, then falling straight down in a shower 
of fine flakes. Frequently, the snow dropped off 
the trees onto my face as I looked upward .

Pale gray, almost white, the snow clung 

to dark brown branches, looking like 

a lovely ink drawing, creating a delicate balance 

against the sky, the snow, and the branches,

This beauty is deceptive.

Now, we are waiting for the freezing 

temperatures that will turn the lovely globs 

into weapons whose weight may cause power lines 

to break, leaving a great many people 

without electricity. The wind chill is expected 
to reach -40 degrees over the next two days.
I guess I won't be swimming 
much this week. :-b

Peppermint Fire

I had broken several slender candy canes into short pieces 

then eaten them from an old bowl as I sat at my computer.

It was then I noticed the scalloped sunlight

casting a little fire onto my note pad.

Folks in the Midwest are hunkered down

in expectation of a winter storm bringing heavy snow

and temperatures below zero degrees.

The lines at the grocery were long this afternoon

when I walked over to pick up a supply

of milk, bread and cereal. I also looked for some

post-Christmas peppermint sticks, but other 

people apparently had the same idea 

as there were no more to be had.

Where the Ice Was ...

The daylight shone gold through the leaf on this bush, 

one that last week was covered in ice from melting snow and sleet. 

Since then, there's been another snowfall and the temperatures 

rose just enough to reduce the snow to gray slush.

Nuthin' to Do?

All over the downtown area, the footprints in the snow 

told the same story - anybody who says there's nothing to do 

in Indianapolis is out of their effin' mind.

Among the activities were an Indiana Pacers basketball

game, a Christmas choral concert at the Statehouse,

a holiday themed symphony concert, an arts market,

as well as a production of "A Christmas Carol"

by the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

I found congenial people wherever I happened

to be Friday night, enjoying the season and each other

in the glow of holiday lighting

in the gently falling snow.

First Snow

While waiting for the bus this weekend at the Federal Court Building,

I happened to notice the bit of snowfall on the balustrade at the entrance. 

The ruffled bits at the top looked like the pinked edge on a pie.

The bases of the lights all have eagles at their bases,

of which the sunlit guy below was one.

Waiting for the Bus, for Spring ... Whatever

Four days into Spring, a snowstorm dumped nine inches of the sodden

 fluffy stuff on our area. For the most part, women who have just about given 

up hope of ever being able to wear their pretty floral prints, pastel ballet

flats, and petal pink lipcolor just hunkered down to tolerate another

of Mother Nature's little jokes. In black parkas, ugly Uggs,

and barren stares we all just wait for our buses 

and trudge through the slush ... one more day. 

One more day until we can wear flowers.