Tag: Snow

Found some cool "wooden balls" on a fallen oak branch for my snowman’s eyes. Turns out they’re wasp galls.

Waiting doesn’t have to be empty time. Sometimes it’s time to make something.

When snow is on the ground, carry carrots in your pocket. Tiny snowmen have a way of appearing when you’re ready.

I bought a pair of Columbia Bugaboot III winter boots in March 2016. Eight winters later, after years of 2–5 miles of daily walking, they’re still going. Minor cracks only now. That’s real durability.

Two overlapping bootprints in the snow make a perfect heart. Shoe hearts? Heartsteps? Snowstep hearts?...

On this day, is the average date when Chicago has its last one inch+ of snow. Appropriate that we got a bunch of snow this morning.

My driveway is an ever-changing Jackson Pollock painting, thanks to rabbits leaving their wild, crisscrossing tracks in the snow.

Every week, I take my garbage and recycling to the curb. I never noticed the perfectly spaced lines in the snow—until today. Sometimes, repetition creates beauty we don’t see at first.

Snow isn't just frozen water. It's a shield for the grass in the bitter cold and a gift of nourishment when it melts. A quiet cycle of protection and renewal.

My mail carrier and the neighborhood bunny take the exact same path across our yard. Efficiency knows no species.

They say winter is cold and dreary, but that’s only if you’re not out there flying an icicle through the cosmos.

While others prepped for the Super Bowl, I made a tiny snowman with the last bits of snow in my front yard.

Your phone can help you find mindfulness. Film two minutes of life unfolding and reconnect with the world around you.

EGO snowblower guide: plastic vs steel auger

Neighborhood site Patch is asking readers to answer the question, “What are you thankful for?“ Here’s my response: I’m thankful for the small, unexpected moments that make life fascinating—the giant Illinois pumpkin grown in the town next to me, or…

Ever wondered what the quiet of snowfall sounds like? 🤫 I paired a serene snow scene with the minimalist music of Philip Glass, John Cage, and Arvo Pärt. Read my blog for a journey into winter's whisper. ❄️

When Chicago doesn't let you submit twice

A good habit on snowy days might also result in a healthy snack for later.

Forget rolling snowballs, transform found materials into a unique and joyful urban snowman by utilizing existing snow chunks and materials from the city's trees and curb. Bring a touch of whimsy to the cityscape by placing your creation on a…

Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on a key cultural way that people relate to one another.

A man in Estonia spends hours cutting a circle in the bay ice, inserts a boat motor into a hole to make the circle spin.

Whenever snow falls in April, it always is a bit of a surprise. We tend to think of April as a spring month. The temperatures start warming up. And then boom. Snow. Snow? Really? When there isn’t a global pandemic…

Possibly our last accumulating snow of the season, Chicago was freshly covered in a light blanket of snow. Wonderful white canvases became available once again across the city. This morning I made sure to walk above ground to enjoy the…

One of my favorite children’s books to read to my kids is “Snow” by Uri Shulevitz. The architecture in this book is a jumble of buildings. Shulevitz’s delightful depiction of the architecture complements the playfulness of the storyline. Whenever I…

While walking to the train in the light snow/rain, an empty lot with lots of rocks and plants always grabs my attention. This lot reminds me of the empty lot next to my apartment of 13 years. I have the…

Last year I was able to walk on the base of the Picasso sculpture in the snow. Only at the end did I slip a little. (Blog post, video) This morning a fresh blanket of snow covered Chicago, including the…

The light dusting of snow created wonderful canvases all over the city. One in particular I couldn’t pass up. A planter in the same plaza as the Chicago Picasso sculpture had a beautiful layer of cotton snow. The combination of…

Happy little snowflakes softly land on the cold hard metal of the Picasso sculpture. Such a beautiful scene: the contrast of the white snowflake against the dark, aged corten steel. I find this two-minute, 46-second video very calming. Nothing “happens”…

Every morning I walk by the Chicago Picasso. Not just by it, but I walk right up next to it, so I can run my hand along the base. With all the snow we’ve been getting, it’s been fun seeing…

First snow! Hooray! Snow normally arrives in Chicago on November 17th. Mother Nature Chicago tweeted a great graphic by the Chicago Tribune: This year, on November 11th, the snow as a tad early. I woke up a bit surprised to…

Seeing tiny snowflakes embedded in ice makes me wish I still carried my iPhone macro lens with me. This photo is a bit blurry, but you kinda get the point. The macro lens would have really zoomed in on a…