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Monday, March 18, 2013

Wellie + Good

If you recall from my last post, I was all excited that Spring was just around the corner.  I could trot out that pretty blue satchel, along with some new jackets I acquired and other stuff not made of wool and down.  

Yeah.  Scratch that.

I woke up this fine, mid-March morn to yet another snowfall.  Yet another slow walk to the bus, trying to remember where the glare ice lay under a deceptively safe looking 3" of fresh snow.  While getting pelted by more snow flying sideways into my face.

April is, like, 2 weeks away.  Heck, the first "day of Spring" is closer than that.  However, instead of tulips and green grass and a bunch of robins carousing around in the yard, this is what the equinox will look like:



Good luck with that egg hunt, Easter Bunny.  Feels like a whole lotta December to me.

Thank goodness, then, for my wellies.

One of my very early posts sang the praises of my ol' Aerosoles boots.  Today, I'm still having a love affair with boots, just a different kind.  I own about 8 pairs of these things...  Hunters, Missoni for Target, and the oft-worn Tretorns.  And, like the Aerosoles, I swear by these things.  Actually, these have catapulted themselves to first place.  Why?  Because, they help me contend with this:


#1:  Good morning, where do you think you're going?






#2:  The ubiquitous and dreaded, "Had to park next to an ice-mound with a moat."





#3:  The sidewalk obstacle course...  it's either the lake or the black snow.  (Mmm...  bet you want to scoop up some of that snow and eat it, huh?)





#4:  Regular winter street slop.  With a thin sheet of ice smirkingly hiding another frigid, gasoline-stale beer-I don't know what else-infested lake.



No matter the crap weather, my wellies (and the socks I pair with them) keep my tootsies warm and dry.  OK, maybe they're a little chilly on days when it's -10 degrees outside and the bus is taking forever to show up.  But, hey, I'll take it.  While I watch my fellow commuters inch around deep puddles, I stomp through them with gleeful abandon like some kid.  Those notorious mountains of slush?  Eh, big deal.  When the bus drops me off not at the sidewalk but in front of a 3 foot mountain of snow?  Bring it!  Even when my wellies sink about a foot into the pile, I'm all good.

So, yeah, I own an exorbitant amount of rubber boots.  But given that they'll get worn for about 4 months straight in winter & spring, I think it's a pretty good investment.

Here's a few shots of me an' my BFF's.  Usually worn with a skirt (I hate pants).  The fugly track pants are reserved for days when it's in the single digits and below...  such as, apparently, tomorrow morning.  Up here, frostbite prevention trumps, yes, fashion.  (I did venture out for 3 blocks in -20 degree windchill with the skirt and bare knees...  I survived, but it's not recommended).








Are you a wellie lover?  What's your indispenable winter commuting gear?  Are you somewhere like me, cursing out that groundhog and hoping the weather will get above freezing soon?







Images:  my own
Weather:  Mother Nature's bad attempt at humor


Saturday, March 2, 2013

Spring is here?

It's March!  Never mind that there's a solid 3-4" of snow all over the place.  And the newest winter storm prediction?  Well...  apparently this is the snowiest month of the year up in these parts.  Admittedly, it's right around this time that our sanity is severely tested.  Spring is so close and yet...  Yeah.  Mother Nature loves messing with us during this month (and April, and sometimes May).

However, instead of crying and heading back into hibernation, I take solace in all the lovely pastels gracing my daily slew of retailer emails.  Lilacs, sky blues, and sunny yellows are starting to shove the heavy winter hues aside.  And I'm all for it.  

This week's pick is a satchel from Banana Republic:


Isn't she purty?  Looks pretty roomy, too.  Plenty of space for the typical haul, plus a pair of ballet flats, a cardigan, and whatever else I decide to cram in there.

What new arrival has you dreaming of al fresco brunches, tulips, and temperatures above 35 degrees?  Strappy sandals?  A great pair of shorts?  Anything in a Spring pastel color?  Which one?

Come Monday, I may be plodding through a fresh pile of snow, but I'm determined to start trotting out some of my transitional weather clothes.  Sure, the wool turtlenecks and skirts will get a few more rounds, but I'm more than happy to mix in shorter sleeves and colors straight from those PAAS easter egg kits and 80's Bonne Bell magazine ads.

Happy almost Spring :)






Image:  Banana Republic