the arrival of winter

so today marked the first real winter here in chicago.
i got up this morning at 6 and biked to my friend rachel's house, 3 miles south, to help her move 3 more miles south. when i got to her place, she was off picking up the uhaul pickup, so i sat on her front stoop, read my book of Billy Collins poetry, drank tea, and watched the sunrise. it was wonderful. so many dogs passed by on their morning walks. then rachel, her friend zach, and i moved rachel's stuff - we were done by 11 am, and then she took us out to lunch as repayment. as we sat in the sandwich shop eating our soup and sandwiches, we watched the snow begin to fall. by the time we left, there was already at least a quarter of an inch on the ground. by the time i left rachel's house 3 hours later, a half-inch had fallen, and the snow turned to freezing rain. it's still doing that, 10 hours later. it's quite horrendous, but i love it. it's real weather.
today i also baked some delicious pumpkin-walnut-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies, which i brought to a farewell party this evening - they got totally rave reviews. that made me feel good.
i also got rave reviews on the turkey soup i made this week. apparently all those hours in the kitchen are paying off.