Tag: snow

I survived 2 Mageddons

~ Jim Flanigan

The past week was rough. First, we had Snowmageddon a week ago. I paid the price physically. Those 3 days of heavy snow and subsequent back-breaking snow removal were followed by 3 days of Coldmageddon. I paid the price mentally on those cold days. The 3 days of Coldmageddon were not the coldest Chicagoland has ever seen, but they were brutal, down to -16F/-26.7C overnight. Highs during the day were subzero F and around -18C. Cold enough that the train track fires had to be lit to keep the switches working.

And then we had a bit more snow and a bit more cold to finish out the week. We’re coming out of it now, and I look forward to days above freezing this next week.

I checked on fellow Chicagolanders to see how they were mentally coping with Coldmageddon. Here’s a Chicagoan who hit the beach.

I do love to swim, but that seemed a bit extreme to me. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the pool. I settled for doing this each day …

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There’s Snow Place Like Home

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 2 Comments

I’m not saying we’ve had a lot of snow over the last couple of days, but this is what my snowbrush looks like after clearing my car today.

Not to worry. I found a new/old snowbrush on our garage floor, where many of our possessions go to die or be found and used after being abandoned for years.

But then there’s this snow-related problem I can’t, or I should correctly say that I’m not allowed to, resolve.

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A Beloved New Winter Character

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

There’s already a plethora of beloved winter holiday characters like Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Krampus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (drinking problem perhaps?), and the Grinch. But there’s always room for one more to gather around my yule log. Introducing Pumpkinman.

We have no snow on the ground, but I did have rotting pumpkins. What better use than this? And if you are so inclined, make a Pumpkinwoman or non-binary Pumpkinperson.

Pro Tip: Magic marker does now write well on wet, rotting pumpkins. It’s probably for the best. The face I was drawing on the collapsing pumpkin was trending creepy.

As a new holiday tradition, I’ll give you daily updates and pics on how Pumpkinman is doing. Maybe Pumpkinman will get himself involved in all sorts of hilarious antics like the Elf on a Shelf. Perhaps he’ll be smoking a pipe, wearing a jaunty driving cap, growing a carrot nose, or injecting his stick arm with heroin. We’ll see what hilarious mischief he may be up to. Pumpkinman and I wish for you plenty of good holiday cheer and clean needles.

And Now The Bad News …

~ Jim Flanigan

Yesterday, I shared with you some positive (I hope) changes going on with my family. But today, sadly, there is bad news. First, I didn’t get the movie role of a distant father who can’t connect with his daughter. Offering me that part would be typecasting. So, why didn’t they choose me for the part? Probably my utter lack of acting ability, but I won’t discount my demand for a bowl of only blue M&Ms on the set at all times, even when I’m not present. It’s probably for the best as I am spread thinner than my hairline these days.

And I didn’t have to go far this morning for more bad news. All I had to do was look out the window to see this …

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Musical Contemplation on a Misplaced Winter’s Day

~ Jim Flanigan

Winter has arrived way too early in Chicagoland. I should be in the yard blowing leaves. Instead, I am watching a flurry of snow outside my window on an unseasonably cold day. I guess it could be worse. I hear that Buffalo, NY has received 66 inches (167 cm!) of snow so far with maybe another 10 more inches to go. Here’s a posted pic from the Buffalo blizzard which is still going strong.

Our Chicago weather today reminds me more of some of the winter scenes in this music video.

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My March to Weight Loss

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

I need to focus on March for weight loss, because February was a disaster. I gained a pound. On second thought, considering world events, the added pound in February probably doesn’t really qualify as a disaster.

It wasn’t for lack of effort that I gained weight. My steps/cycles remained consistent.

Negating those consistent steps was my love for chocolate and Valentine’s Day intersecting. It would help if my wife bought me chocolate from the dollar store rather than from the fancy-schmancy chocolatier in town. Maybe she loves me so much that she wants there to be more of me to love. Well, in February, she got her wish.

But Valentine’s Day was just one day. That can’t be the whole reason for my weight gain. I think I know what the real reason is though.

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My Plan to Lose Weight by Gaining Weight is Working!

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

When we last left our plucky dieter (me!), my diet plan for January & February was for me to gain 2 pounds each month in order to lose weight. You can read and try and make sense of that logic in the complete post HERE, but the gist is that it is inevitable that I will gain weight in the winter, so I need to control my weight gain, unlike in years past when I have inflated like a balloon at a kid’s birthday party by the end of winter.

That is me after most winters. Oh, but not this one. I planned to limit my weight gain which would allow me to start Spring weighing less than a year ago. After only gaining a pound in December, I planned to add 2 pounds each month in January and February. Then I could start March at 9 pounds less than last year. I lost 17 pounds in 2020 before the cold weather hit, so if I could lose just 15 additional pounds this year, I would be very happy at being down 24 total pounds from my peak in early 2020. Whew, I did not realize there would be math required with this post.

So, what did I do to only gain 2 pounds in January? Well, I exercised less. Take a look …

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Holiday Blogging Exhaustion

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 2 Comments

Here we are on the eleventh day of my Twelve Days of Blogging, and I’m exhausted. I think I even have a case of the blog sweats, although the sweating may be due to recent overeating or snow removal.

We got our first real snow of the season Tuesday with precipitation continuing into the night. It was light and fluffy and beautiful … at first. Who knew the temperature would rise overnight? By the time I got out to shovel at 10PM, it was raining and the snow was as heavy as and the consistency of wet cement. There was no way my snowblower could handle that, so I seriously considered my options as my middle daughter and I tackled the driveway with shovels.

This seemed like an easier option …

I’m not sure I can legally buy a flamethrower in Illinois. If I can’t, it’s good to know that I can make one using a Shop-Vac and gasoline. It’s easy. Take a look …

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Mulch Ado About Nothing #7

~ Jim Flanigan

Oh, no. Of all the blog posts I could post after a slow blogging week, I choose to post a cartoon about mulch. And a multi-panel one at that? How can there be that much to say about mulch? Well, without further ado, here’s yet another mulch cartoon.

SONY DSC

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Mulch Ado About Nothing #6 – Double Panel Dad Joke Edition

~ Jim Flanigan

Oh, no. The mulch cartoon is back. And you thought Halloween was scary. And a double panel edition yet … with even more Dad-type jokes. Will someone please offer an intervention before this becomes a regular feature?

SONY DSC

 

SONY DSC

Hot or Not?

~ Jim Flanigan

Last week we bottomed out at -28F (-33C) and today we topped out at 46F (almost 8C). The heat has been welcomed back by all, except for some snow sculptures that are leaning more toward providing only flaccid support for the return of warmer-than-normal temps.

snow melting

A Broad Perspective on Winter Weather

~ Jim Flanigan

We had delightful weather in December here in greater Chicagoland. The first half of January was okay, too. My 10 year old daughter was able to ride the bike she got for Christmas several times. We made it halfway through the winter months without much pain and suffering. I didn’t feel the need to use my magic sunshine light to counteract my Seasonal Affective Disorder.

SAD Lamp

I laughed. I made climate change jokes. I rejoiced … too soon. The fun is definitely over. Here’s where we are at now … Continue reading “A Broad Perspective on Winter Weather” →

Bad Sign

~ Jim Flanigan

After a relatively mild December and first half of January, winter has arrived with a vengeance normally not seen unless I catch that I have been overcharged 20 cents for a can of soup at the grocery store. We got pounded last night with freezing rain that then turned into wet, heavy snow commonly referred to ’round these parts as The Widowmaker.

Is it a bad sign if my family encourages me to shovel fast to see if I can beat my record time?

Weather or Not to March

~ Jim Flanigan

I have been on weather-watch all week. Saturday is the day of the Women’s March, but this year there is not going to be a march in Chicago. Leave it to the local progressive women to organize one in the town next to mine.

women's march

Crowds of 500 to 5,000 are expected. How do you plan for that wide of a range? Will there be enough hot chocolate? I was tagged as being an able-bodied male who could act as a march marshal. They obviously haven’t seen my body. And shouldn’t we call a march marshal a marchal?

I was not thrilled when I saw early in the week a Saturday forecast of temperatures in the low twenties (F) plus a blizzard. Predicted temps are now in the high twenties and the blizzard may be Friday night. We may wake up to this Saturday morning.

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Nothing Works in Winter

~ Jim Flanigan

I hate winter weather.

shivering cold

Nothing works as it is supposed to work. I already shared with you how my tree is not working.

Tree broken

Isn’t that branch supposed to be reaching up toward the sky with birds sitting on the branches and chirping?

tree birds.gif

OK, so maybe not that many birds.

And now another thing with the house is not working …

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There’s No Business Like Snow Business

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

We got hit by a blizzard last night. It did not result in a Norman Rockwellesque view like this …

norman rockwell

I mean, we got rid of our oxen in 2017.

It did result in a scene like this …

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M A S D A

~ Jim Flanigan

No, this is not a post with bad spelling about a MAZDA automobile. I know we are all working hard to MAGA – Make America Great Again by attempting to take away each other’s healthcare and giving YUGE tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, but I’d be happy with taking baby steps in that direction. How about this? I would be happy if something could be done to stop this from happening to my car seat every time I open the car door on a snowy day.

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