It’s early for spring fever, but I think I can confidently say that it is in full swing here in Northern Illinois. Despite the several inches of new snowfall we had last night and the below freezing temperatures we’ve had this last week, people are in denial and think spring is here. Driving around shows proof.
It’s not just that one kid either. That one kid whose parent will drive past, and seeing their child without a coat on, pulls over and starts yelling “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, PUT YOUR COAT ON!” with the undertones of “OTHER PARENTS WILL SEE YOU AND THINK I AM A NEGLECTFUL PARENT“. It’s more than half of the kids I’ve seen daily this week, and we live situated between a K-5 and the high school. I, myself, was reprimanded by a coworker this week for not wearing a coat. I told him I save my coat for cold days. It was below freezing outside.
It doesn’t help that all the stores have broken out the spring and summer lines of clothing. Last night I saw a group of 6 kids roller-blading, not one of them wearing a coat. I’m seeing joggers out on the streets again. Last week I saw a woman at the grocery store wearing SHORTS! On campus yesterday I saw a young lady wearing sandals.
I take this as a testament to the thick skin of chicagoland area people. This same weather (what we would call a warm spell after January’s month of below zero degrees Fahrenheit) would shut down another city south of the mason dixon line.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter, but I gauge the success of the seasons on if I am ready for them to end or not. There were several scary years where I felt we didn’t even have a proper winter before spring arrive. It went from warm to moderately cool to warm to sweltering heat. You know it’s not a real winter unless you’ve had the fear of freezing pipes and the roof collapsing under the weight of snow. This winter has been a success! Time to close the book on it :)
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