Chicago's Crazy Weather in 2012 March

Chicago’s Crazy Weather in March

Those who are living in the warm weather place don’t understand why Hiroko has been exciting. She has been seeing many, many flowers and Robins, Cardinals and many other birds that usually come in May. Hiroko wants to post about this crazy weather in her blog.

It is averagely 30 to 40 degree and snowy street in Chicago’s March weather. However, 2012 Chicago’s March weathers make Meteorologist surprised and said that it is the historical record by meteorologically.

This is March 18 (Sunday) weather report for the following weeks. The previous week, 7 days (March 12 to 18) were over 80 degree. 80 degree is over 25 degree by Celsius.

This is March 21 weather report. Chicago is warmer than Florida and southern California. WOW!

Please see the unnatural nature in Chicago’s March.

Many, many flowers.
These flowers usually bloom in April.

The date of photos taken:
On March 9 – Crocuses
On March 14 - Daffodils and Freesias

 

White Magnolia

Purple Magnolia

On March 18 - Forsythias, Freesias, Tulips, greens, and many other flowers which Hiroko does not know the names

It is very difficult to take a picture of birds.

Hiroko finally took this picture of a cardinal. This cardinal came to sit on the wire every morning. Hopefully the red on the chest of cardinal catch your eyes. No bird can be seen in these small photos – Regretting! Regretting!
The Cardinals, the Robins, other birds usually seen in May came to Chicago in March.

It is very much appreciated for this warm/hot weather, and seeing many beautiful flowers and birds in March.

It is saying that this warm/hot weather in March contributed for the Chicago’s economy, because many people are coming out for shopping.

Well, Hroko didn’t want to say negative things for this wonderful weather, but all those flowers are not as usual. Crocus and Daffodils are definitely not tall and big as usual. The colors of the flowers are not deep and colorful, Hiroko thinks. Hiroko wonders why the Tulips are not blooming, yet.

Going through the colder and harder weather, any flowers would be blooming much beautiful and colorful

This truth applies for the mental and spiritual growth of a human being. Japanese sayings said: “It is better to buy any hardship at your youth” and “Any suffering makes you a gem.”

The Bible talks about this truth in Roman 5:3-5.
“3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Hope gives us Joy and Peace in our heart.

Dan-san and Hiroko are hoping the year of 2012 to go to Japan and meeting our friends and relatives. This hopeful thought gives us joy and happy feeling.

Further than the things in this world, Christians have hope in our future. One verse before the verses mentioned says in verse 3b “we also glory in our sufferings.” Thinking about our hope to see Jesus face to face in the Heaven our heart is jumping with joy and filling with peace in the midst of hardship.

Sorry for Those Buds, Chicago

It has been warm 2011 - 2012 winter in Chicago. During November and December days were like late autumn. Only for the two days of January 21 and 22, we had snow fall 5 to 6 inches, and the temperature was cold like 20 to 25degree. In February there were couple of cold days but overall most days have been unusually warm like early spring in Chicago.

Can you tell what all this photo shows you? Yes, there are buds, buds, buds, and buds. Hiroko noticed and took these buds photos from the beginning of February. In those photos the trees put forth the buds are White Birch trees, Magnolia trees on the warm Foster Street, and other trees, Hiroko couldn’t identify the name.

Daffodil buds have sprung out.

Magnolia put forth the buds

In January and February months, there have been continued 40 to 50 degree temperature days. It causes many natures showing strange phenomenon.

TV News announced that these migrating birds were moving to north because those birds might have been confused that Chicago is getting warm.

The another News is that the Eagles came to Chicago. Eagles are usually staying in warm place like Texas,

One day in February, the snow fell less than 1 inch, and the temperature was 25 degree. However, those States north of Chicago were very cold under 0 degrees. Those birds that flew to north must have been very surprised. Hiroko fell so sorry for them.

One snowy and cold day in February

Hopefully those buds would not be damaged.

Ice and snow was on the buds.
The natures are getting destructed by the hands of human being. God made human being as the image of God, and let them manage the whole nature. The human being couldn’t manage the nature, because of our endless desire to live for our daily lives comfortably and gorgeously. What do you think of these progressed technologies to make us live comfortably? The technologies are not bad.

Hiroko had a conversation with her daughter who is working law firm.

“I’m not happy to change my work place, but soon I have to. At a new place I have to start all over again to learn how to use telephone, copy machine, etc.”
“Mom changed many jobs in my youth, but I didn’t have such problems.”
“Why?”
“There weren’t any other machines but typewriter. 50 or 60 years ago, all the telephone was same. There was no different from home use or office use.”
“You were in Japan at the time.”
“Well, it wasn’t so. I heard at Baker & McKenzie Law Firm, many old secretaries told me they had to type the entire pages of Agreement if some addition or change occurred in the first page. The Agreement couldn’t use any eraser, or type twice.”
“Well, use a white out to change and copy them, no one can tell it’s original or copy.”
“There wasn’t any white out or a copy machine.”
“Without any white out, how could you erase any mistakes?”
“I remember that the erasers of pencil were used with licking it, and later a hard eraser was invented as typewriter eraser.”
“Without copy machine, how can you make many copies?”
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…! You don’t know the carbon paper.”
“What is that?”
“It was black thin paper, and put the carbon paper between each paper. Well, I could make 10 copies by onion skin paper with carbon paper between.”
“What are you talking about? Are you speaking Japanese or English, or any other languages? I don’t understand at all… Well, one of the old-timers Partner in the firm called me and said that this machine (computer) was broken, so I checked it. It wasn’t broken, he had not started the computer, yet. I couldn’t laugh, and felt sorry for the Partner. It is a true story”
“I understand. It is very scary to see these progressed technologies.”

We had talked about fax machine, E-mail, cel-phone, I-phone, etc. and sighed.