Welcome to Spring Break, Forest Park style. Yes, those are snowflakes falling. I hope the District 91 students don’t mind playing outside in their parkas.
This is the kind of weather that makes you want to race around in your SUV to help the glaciers melt. I’m as attached to thermal underwear as the next person but I didn’t think it would still be stylish in mid-April.
Forest Park is not alone in feeling the chill factor. It was so cold and windy at The Masters the pros were hitting Columbus Park quality shots. Frozen Major League Baseball players were making Little League mistakes.
We were fortunate to have free tickets to a White Sox game that wasn’t cancelled due to coldness. It should have been. We were wearing every layer of clothing we could find, winter coats, boots, gloves, hats-it didn’t help. Our first mistake was putting the blanket over us, instead of sitting on it. By the time we made the switch, we were already frozen from the tailbone up.
The vendor hawking hot chocolate was practicing false advertising. The cotton candy man could have snapped off a piece. After a few innings, we went to buy our baseball comfort food, which included nachos and beer. The chips kept cracking on the frozen surface of the cheese and even beer failed to make us feel better, which I believe is a first.
Usually, the worst aspect of going to a game is visiting the men’s room. Not this time. A gas space heater was blasting and the hot water faucets were steaming. I never wanted to leave. Meanwhile, the action on the field was hot and heavy. The Sox had two singles, a walk and a 1-0 lead. The other team had exactly one hit. There was no point in applauding; our gloved hands didn’t make any noise.
I never leave baseball games early but we bailed in the fifth inning. On the way home, I didn’t just feel bad for humans. The plants must be losing their minds. Nature signaled them to bloom and now their petals are freezing. A false spring can be really cruel.
Which reminds me of the election. When Mayor Calderone was first elected, it felt like a change of seasons. The question for voters is whether it started a season of rebirth, or if it was a false spring? Some people feel the mayor is “freezing out” taxpayers, rather than involving them in spending decisions.
As for the mayor’s challenger, she has to prove to voters that she can be a leader, not just a watchdog. She also has to motivate a large turnout, because if the primary numbers hold true, she’ll lose by at least a hundred votes. Thankfully, Spring Break will be over in time for the election, so we won’t have frigid weather as an excuse not to vote.
