Kabobs & Apple Pie

Snowmaggedon, the Sequel

It’s happened again. We’re having a second snowstorm in just one winter. And let me tell you that the entire D.C. metropolitan area is freaking out. I know those of you who live in more frigid parts of the world are scoffing at our fear, but cut us a little slack. Arlington is south of the Mason-Dixon after all. That means we’re somewhat afraid of any precipitation, let alone the frozen kind. Plus add to that the fact that we lack the infrastructure of a city up in the great North to clear the stuff, and I think 24-30″ is a lot of snow no matter where you live anyways.

So, here we are sitting in our homes where we are all sure we will be trapped for 3-5 days. It’s true. The government told us we would be trapped for that long. I’m worried this means that the mailman isn’t bringing disc 2 of season 1 of Battlestar Galactica tomorrow. What am I going to do stuck at home with no BSG? I think even Azita is freaking out about it. She’s on the floor ripping up newspapers as if the world was going to end tomorrow.

Look at that face. It screams “The end is nigh!” Yup. Surely this is Snowmaggedon.

4 Comments

zahra, February 5th 2010 | Tags: Arlington, snow, snowmaggedon
Posted in Uncategorizable Ramblings

Winter, I Love You

You wouldn’t know it because I’m one of those people who complains about how cold it is when it’s 70 degrees outside, but I love winter. Yes, winter. The cold season. I love it. I look forward to it all year. I long for it.

There’s something so poetic about winter, and I am a sucker for finding poetry in the world around us.

Hibernation. I love how the world goes to sleep to ride out the colder months, especially the trees. When I see a tree with no leaves, I feel a little like one does when you hear a particularly joyous song. A tree is beautiful when it displays its plumage in all its glory, but it is a wondrous thing when its skeleton is unveiled for all the world to see. It is beautiful in the same way an abandoned factory or the rundown part of town can be beautiful — naked, raw, true, vulnerable.

The Promise of Snow. I love snow. I love the way it tickles your face as it lands on your skin, and I love the way the world looks blanketed in white fluff. Alas, I live in Virginia, and we rarely get so much snow anymore (ahem, global warming). But winter always brings with it the promise of snow. Even when there is no chance of this promise being fulfilled, it hangs lightly in the air. You can smell it. You know it could happen. And everyone knows (or at least should know) that the best part of getting something you want is waiting for it. It’s feeling the excitement bubbling up to your throat so you feel you can hardly breathe unless you let it out giddily.

Winter Clothes. When Azita was a newborn, she curled up against me so tightly. It was the most comforting feeling in the world. Warm, cozy, soft. Winter clothes feel much the same way. I love the soft and static-y feeling of pulling a thick wool sweater over your head. Sweaters and coats and scarves. They not only feel cozy and comfortable, but they shield you from the world. Even in public you can feel like the sole member of the world, like everything and everyone is blocked out. Sometimes I need this respite. It’s almost like a trip to the spa, but much cheaper.

Warm Sustenance. My favorite foods and drinks are warm. Soups and stews are my favorite thing to eat, and also my favorite thing to cook. Just about every weekend I make a giant pot or two of soup or stew to feed us for lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. I love warm drink equally well. Coffee and tea. Spiced cider. Hot chocolate. I love how warm drinks always have strong flavors, and I love the way they warm your throat and your belly. I would imbibe only warm food and drink all year if I could, but they are not quite as appealing as they are when the air is brisk and cold.

And finally, sometimes all of the above collide as they did this past weekend. And I not only get the promise of snow, but I get actual snow covering naked tree branches. And soft, cozy clothes and warm food and drink.

And I feel flushed and happy like the early days of an intense romance, which is exactly what it is — my romance with winter.

1 Comment

zahra, December 26th 2009 | Tags: hibernation, snow, soup, warm drinks, winter, winter clothes
Posted in Uncategorizable Ramblings

Snow!

The first snowfall has hit our nation’s capital, and it really is lovely. The flakes are large and fluffy, and they are floating softly to the ground. I love it. I’ve always loved snow, but it makes me feel warm and nostalgic even more now that we have Azita.

I am reminded of the day we brought her home from the hospital. She had lost too much weight, and they wanted her to gain an ounce or two before they let us go home. It looked like we would be spending another night in our hospital room, and I thought I would go crazy. Azita slept on my chest as I watched old episodes of Law & Order and contemplated just how good a hot shower would feel, when the nurse walked in. And she wasn’t there to take my temperature and blood pressure yet again. “You’re cleared to go home,” she said. As I jumped up about as fast as someone who had a c-section 3 days earlier could jump and reached into my bags for her going-home outfit, the sky opened up and snowflakes and little pellets of ice began their descent to the ground.

Winter had finally arrived in D.C. I can’t say I wasn’t a little freaked out by the prospect of taking my 3-day old daughter out into the elements. Actually, I was petrified. But when we finally figured out how to get her into her carseat and were buckled up in our warm car, I looked down at my daughter as the snow blanketed our little world. All was quiet and white, and here we were. A family. I’ve never felt so cozy and content.

And now as it is snowing again, the first time this season, I hold a sleeping Azita a little closer and nuzzle my face into her neck. I am filled with that same warm feeling I felt 11 months ago, and all is right in my world.