return of the polar vortex

 The winters of my youth as I remember them, were much harsher than the current ones.  I seem to remember it snowing sometime in the middle of December and from that date to March there was always some snow somewhere.  When I moved back to Chicago in 87, twenty-four years after I had left it, I was expecting those monster winters, but instead they weren't that bad at all.  Some winters I only dragged my big old overcoat out of the closet three or four times.  

I hadn't worn it at all this year until maybe a week ago when the polar vortex tipped its frosty hat.  Strangely they are not calling it the polar vortex this year although that is what it looks like on weather maps.  Strangely also though Cheboygan is about two hundred miles north of us its weather is slightly warmer because the center of the vortex is to the west.  Looking at my Yahoo weather map I don't see a temp above 20 until next Wednesday, and on the following Thursday it will rise to 24.

The streets are indeed slippery, that snow that fell last week will be with us until well after Valentines day, melting, refreezing, fresh snow on top of that, a many layered cake underfoot to send us crashing down.

I guess The Hawk was around in the ghetto for some years but we white folks didn't hear about it until 1967 with Lou Rawls' Dead End Street.  

I would be breaking my condo rules if I stepped outside my door without my mask on.  Out and about in stores and walking on crowded sidewalks I keep it on, though if I happen upon a near empty block I will pull it down for a bit.  It got uncomfortable in the summer, but currently it is a welcome accessory to my winterizing.

I wonder what is the unique Finnish twist on rye sourdough bread, but as a fan of all things rye I say that it sounds pretty good.  Glad to see the Old Dog baking again.  I still have some boxes of corn muffin mix lying around in the kitchen, maybe I should whip some up if for no other reason than the thrill of opening the oven door to that exquisite aroma.

I never thought that Biden would actually run, and when he was running I never thought that he would win.  He was way down on my list of candidates, but when he began soaring I didn't feel too bad about it because it seemed like he had the best odds of beating Trump.  And now it's way too early to make a judgment.  Calling him a hack sounds a little extreme to me.  I think he believes what he is saying a opposed to say, oh, Cruz, who spews whatever seems advantageous at the moment.  One thing that held  Obama back was that he thought he could compromise with the republicans and Biden has no such illusion.

The radio just played a snippet of the speech Trump gave urging on the mob, and I had to appreciate how seldom anymore I hear that whining, sneering, voice and how pleasant it is not to hear it.  Well I reckon he won't be convicted, and he won't even be censored, but I am thinking of a fine old American tradition which is tarring and feathering and riding down to Mar A Largo on a rail.  I wouldn't even need to see it, just to know that it was being done would be sustenance to my soul.  Well maybe I would peek a little.