The End of Winter

@BroadwayBK loved the piece on how to survive on 99cents! I love Jack's World but have never really shopped for food there.. have some bad news for you though according to the meteorologist on ABC news this morning snow is headed our way yet again on Tuesday night bah!

Another snowstorm, uptowngirl? We were spared the last few storms. The biggest snowstorm so far has been 10 inches. The last snowfall should have given us 4 inches, but instead, the snow just melted, since the road was wet, and the temperature was over 32.

I remember when I was a kid we had snowstorm after snowstorm. At one point I remember the snow reached my knees. I loved it then.

Ugh, more snow? Hopefully not another piling - a few inches would be okay, as long as they promptly melt.

I'm happy that March is going to be a little warmer, but April is really the month I'm looking forward to. Sorry to be that person that points out the unpredictability of March.

March 21st is officially the start of spring. Let's hope that comes fast.

It would be nice if we got an early spring to compensate for the fact that we didn't have one at all last year. . . or a summer.

I just checked the weather, and it's supposed to snow Tuesday thru Thursday? Guess alt street cleaning will once again be suspended. Too bad I still have to figure out how to get my car out of that ice cube before Monday..

Oh, and thanks @NeverSleeps for being that guy who bursts my March bubble.

@JenMac That would be nice, but since you said that we'll probably end up with a year long winter.

I've just noted down that great recipe for pea soup from the 99 cent article. Which will come in handy seeing as I have to hunker down in my winter funk for another spell. The only article I didn't click on was the cherry blossoms one because... how do I say it? ...it makes me too misty-eyed to think of spring beauty with another pile of snow headed at us.

@Uraniumfish I noted it too planning to make it for dinner on Monday.. I really hope its not another pile of snow..I am dying to kick off boots and be in sandals...please god sooon....

I think the forecast just changed to rain on Tuesday... hopefully it stays warm enough for rain the whole week!

Think I have to investigate this pea soup thing...

I did not jinx it! I'm putting the positive energy out there. C'mon spring!!

Why am I not seeing the pea soup?

@NeverSleeps its on the second page of surviving on 99cent article- here it is-Slice and sauté an onion. Add 3 cups chicken stock, a 1-pound bag of frozen peas, 1/3 cup oats, 1/8 teaspoon cardamom, some salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Purée in blender.

Based on Accu-weather, this entire week will be off-and-on rain and snow. Rain will fall during the day, while snow falls at night. No accumulation is possible since the temps will be above freezing and the ground will be too warm.

My girlfriend makes the best split-pea soup. She makes it from scratch.

@ NeverSleeps Do you mean you just didn't find the pea soup, or you're not seeing it in the sense that you're not convinced it's all that great? I'm still seeing the pea soup.

@ Everybody Yesterday, slogging through the day in the rain, I actually started to feel optimistic that spring is just around the corner. I was listening to the rain last night and thinking, well at least it's not snow!

The cardamom sounds like a good addition - it's one of my favorite spices! Do you guys prefer split pea soup with or without ham? I tend to go for without.

I bought an expensive bottle of cardamom a while back... only to never use it. But obviously the opportunity has arisen!

@BroadwayBK when I left India my mum gave me a box of Sri Lankan spices cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, star anise etc. The box is really pretty but I have never really had a chance to use any of these spices in my Indian cooking as I don't usually use heavy spices while cooking except for cumin and turmeric. I was surprised to see cardamom in the recipe and am guessing that it has to be powered to be used in the soup?

@ajadedidealist I like split pea soup without the ham ... actually I love pea soup...

@Uraniumfish according to today's weather forecast we are due to get 4-8" of snow tomorrow but I have a feeling it 's not gonna happen :)

@Uptowngirl: I absolutely love split-pea soup myself. I try to get it at restaurants when my girlfriend does not make it at home. Also, as for the weather, Accu-weather is calling for a storm that will be worst than a blizzard. So batten down the hatches, as captains always say.

@uptowngirl Could you used a coffee grinder to crush it to powder? Though it would have to be pretty clean first...

@BroadwayBk I think that should work but then you would have to clean very well afterward as otherwise you will be drinking cardamom spiced coffee( I have had cardamom tea but not coffee) though I was thinking of trying my mortar and pestle.

If you make espresso on a stove top cooker you can put one or two cardamom granules in the water, and it will flavor the coffee ever so slightly. You have to use it sparingly otherwise it becomes heavy. I did some experimenting with that a while back. Got good results. I might start doing it again, now that I think of it.

It's hard to believe the snowstorm will happen tonight. It's already getting late and no sign of snow just yet. Let's see how that changes by morning.

Looks like it just hit sometime between 7 and 8 in my neck of the woods. It looks more like a slush storm than anything - gross, but at least there won't be as much shoveling needed.

Interesting - I love cardamom tea, but coffee seems like a whole other ball game!

Think again folks. The snow if falling hard and is sticking. The latest weather said what is falling now is not even the worst of it. More is coming. The worst is yet to come.

I have to step out to go to Duane Reade and I have been waiting for the snow and rain to take a break so I can dash out and get back.. no such luck..its been relentless since the early hours of the morning. sigh!

If just comeback from my Duane Reade trip, yuck the city is like a giant slush pit. Its seriously difficult to walk on the pavements because of the mess. Was terrified I was going to fall even though I had my trusty Timberlands on..

I think it is time to order some Fresh Direct! I haven't been to the grocery store in ages due to my car being lodged in an ice cube. I suppose I could've just taken public transport like a real New Yorker, but alas I am spoiled. I've been having a lot of Chinese delivered and I've been tipping like mad... I feel so bad for the delivery guys!

As a driver, though, I have to say that I prefer slush to snow - at least you don't have to do any digging with slush!

Also, I just realized that we have at least three forums going in which we do nothing but complain about winter!

@BroadwayBK That's because the force of our collective fury over this crappy winter weather needs to spill over to several threads!

Snow's beautiful right now, but I'm glad there's nowhere I have to be today.

@BroadwayBK can you blame us?? I hate being stuck @home , have things to do but am avoiding them because I don't want to traipse through the piles of snow.. after you wrote about your fall in another thread have been extra careful while walking through the slush.. but I havent stepped out at all today.

I really don't go out at all if I can help it. I have food delivered. If anyone has seen the movie with Sandra Bullock called "The Net," I am like her. I work at home, and have everything delivered to my home.

@hhusted I work @home too but do like to go out even if its for a walk in the neighborhood. I have a religious ceremony scheduled for Sunday @home and I have a ton of things I have to buy for the priest and really don't like being cooped up at home. I can't really order them in ,have to go to a store to get them thought the storm was going to end tomorrow morning..have no choice really will have to go out to get the flowers etc for the ceremony tomorrow.

I've just come in from stomping in the snow a spell. It's been really nice for the last few hours with the sunshine. But there's so much icy slush I couldn't feel my feet. What's with these sidewalks?

More snow is supposed to come on Wednesday. Man, can this just be over or what? It's beyond ridiculous at this point.

The weather report keeps promising snow...and then it doesn't come. Which is of course fine by me.

I have to admit, I had some fun digging my car out of the snow after that last bought of it. The whole street was doing the same, and it was kind of cool because I haven't seen all of my neighbors out in solidarity like that since the summer when everyone hangs out outside.

I am not sure about the snow this Wednesday. It is supposed to rain during the day. If it snows, it won't stick. At least I hope it won't. I went to my class last night and noticed much of the snow we had has already melted, except for some piles here and there.

I no longer believe in snow.

I miss snow when I'm in England. All we get here is sleet, hail, and miserable, wet, rain.

@ajededidealist I hear ya! I have spent winters in London and I absolutely hate the weather there .. the family home is one of those old Victorian stone town houses which absolutely freeze during the frigid winter nights. The heating is quite ineffective and the only way that I can get through the night is by sleeping with a hot water bottle!brrrr... in that respect I love my cozy, super warm NYC apartment.

We take for granted the luxury of what we have here, compared to the way many people live in other countries. Some homes only have a fireplace. And that fire has to heat a lot of the house. So you wonder why people always wore a lot of clothing during the winter months. They also kept a lot of blankets on the bed.

I second no longer believing in snow.

Weekend forecast is supposed to be pretty. Dare I hope?

I give up on the forecast... it keeps telling me lies and changing its mind.

@BroadwayBK I know what you mean but even then the 50s are predicted for Sunday and Monday wooo-hoooo!

@uptowngirl @ajadedidealist Ha ha, I actually liked the winter in London - it stayed surprisingly warm for an actual winter, rain all the time or no.

@uptowngirl What! Maybe I spoke too soon, do I dare to hope?

@Everybody: I heard the temperature may hit 60 on Sunday. I'm not sure about this. Let's hope this is for real.

@hhusted really? let's just wait and see sounds too good to be true...

I can't waaait to switch to my lighter, thinner coat.

@BroadwayBK - here in England, the sun has finally come out! How's NYC today?

It's still too cold. Says it's upper 40's but it still doesn't feel that way.

@Ajadedidealist: Based on your comments, you appear to be in England now. Is that true? If you are, is it just for a visit? How is England compared to the United States, particularly NYC? If you are not, excuse my post.

@Uraniumfish I switched to my lighter coat and a thin silk sweater today and I was absolutely fine walking about doing my errands..in fact the weather was quite lovely when the sun was out though its after five now and its kinda cloudy ... lets hope the weekend is even better..

@uptowngirl Not me... I'm still in winter mode, this is still too cold for me. Though I expect to see all those overeager people out in their springtime best rather soon.

I attempted to wear a lighter jacket the day before yesterday, and it didn't work out too well. I am just not built for this sort of weather - too much time spent in Florida, I suppose. I am starting to think that I need to go down there for a while and thaw out, then just come back when winter is over.

@BroadwayBK great idea! do you know I have been looking at swimsuits online all morning.. so want to be in a pool or near a beach..

I have an entire drawer dedicated to swimsuits - and I've never actually put one on outside of a gym in New York City. How sad is that?

@BroadwayBK my situation exactly.. to think I used to swim everyday when I lived in India...I think I am going to have that facility when I move though.. am actually quite excited by the prospect of being able to access an outdoor pool.

@uptowngirl I completely relate; I've always loved to swim, and I'm more than a bit jealous even if you do have to leave New York to get your outdoor pool!

@BroadwayBK your most welcome to come and visit me that is if you can hack the 16 hour flight to Hong Kong from NYC... have made sure I get a rental with a guest bedroom.

@uptowngirl Man, there's gotta be a decent pool closer than that! But I can't say I wouldn't love to go to Hong Kong.

I'm seeing people walk around in T shirts today. It seems way over-eager to me. It's not getting any warmer any sooner just because you refuse to put on a jacket, you know?

yep, still too cold for t-shirts! New Yorkers can be so ridiculous around this time of year...

I don't know, I got a little hot yesterday when I was wandering around/ shopping. But then, I may have been a little too bundled up.

Well, today it is to be about 60. For March, that is too warm. The normal temp for this time of year is 40-45. But hey, March has always been a very unpredictable month. I remember one year we had a week and a half of good warm temps in early March, then a cold spell hit, dropping temps down to the lower 30's for the most of March and into half April. That was a cold period. But after April 15th, the temps started to warm up again and stayed there. So I figured right after April 15th is when it will get warm and stay that way.

It can never be too warm in March, @hhusted! Never!

@hhusted I don't care if its 'too warm' in March.. I love it... its so great to see the sun again...

Seriously! And maybe this lovely weather is a sign of the summer we didn't have last year to come.

What a bizarre shift. Does weather normally go from quite so miserable/cold to quite so warm/sunny - isn't there usually more of a gradation? It just seems so abrupt.

@Ajadedidealist: In the last few years, the weather has been very unpredictable. But just as the rest of you concur, so do I, when you state that you don't care how warm is warm, as long as it is warm in March. I second that.

Isn't March always a weird month? Seems like everyone has always said that as far back as I can remember...

It's just so strange to have snow all over the ground one day, then see shoots and buds coming out of the ground the next...

@Ajadedidealist: That is the way the weather has been going in the last few years. Shoot, I remember when I was a kid, one day we had a 6 inch snowstorm on April 17th. I remember that day well. The night before the temperature was a balmy 45 degrees. The weather man announced snow showers for overnight and the next morning. Only about an inch or two. Well, by the end of the day, we had 6 inches. But do you know what was really weird? The very next day the temperature rose to 60 degrees and melted most of it. It was a weird three days of weather.

So you think what we have been getting lately has been weird. What I experienced probably tops that.

Where was this, @hhusted? In the city, or in The Rest of the World?

@Ajadedidealist: It occurred in the Philadelphia tri-state area. At least in my home town of Glassboro, NJ. Glassboro is 30 minutes south of Philly. I'm not too sure about NYC. Oh, yeah, this happened back in the early '70s.

Wasn't it April that was supposed to be the "tempermental" month?

Where was this, @hhusted? In the city, or in The Rest of the World?

@Uraniumfish Even in Florida March is a weird month.

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, doesn't it?

@NeverSleeps: Not always. It comes in like lion and goes out like a lion. Sometimes it comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. You get the idea.

@everybody isn't it that April Showers bring May flowers.. well the torrential downpour on Saturday which gave NYC nearly 5 inches of rain gave us our entire quota for the Month of March in one day!

@hhusted Ha! Sound about right.

@uptowngirl My landlord (who lives in the basement) plants tulips in the backyard, and they have already begun showing themselves a tiny bit.

@NeverSleeps Ah, how nice! Tulips! A backyard!

@BroadwayBK I know enough to put a smile on my face.. love all the various spring flowers which should be poking their heads out soon...or as they do at many of the Co-op buildings on UES get transplanted from nurseries for the changing seasons.:)

My main concern is that we are in March, and as such, this month is too unpredictable. I will not be convinced it is spring until at least after April 15th. At that time it usually get warm and stays that way. We are being spoiled by nice warm weather now. I am looking for the ball to drop and the temperature to take a nose dive. And for one more snowstorm. I know you guys don't want to hear this, but after all, we are still in winter. Spring does not start officially until the 21st.

Today was gorgeous, though. I love days like this when people start to come outdoors again...

What a wonderful day! Glad New York is springing to life again!

It is only three days from the start of spring. I long for that. Just don't get surprised if we run into a cold wave of frigid temps for about a week or two with snow. I've seen it happen too many times.

@BroadwayBK today was like a summer day. The UES was awash in a sea of emerald green with all the St Paddy day revelers who packed the many Irish bars of the locality. What fun!!!

@uptowngirl I know, I love it! I spent all day wandering around outdoors, probably spending too much money, but I put off working until about 5pm because I just didn't want to be inside when the weather is this gorgeous.

@everyone Are you doing the St. Pattys thing? Which I think just means wearing green and drinking beer. I can't get into it, no matter how Irish I am - just can't take the drunken throngs of fools on such drinking holidays as this.

@BroadwayBK: I am part Irish and wore green to symbolize my side of it. But I don't drink alcohol. I just worked all day. Oh well, I'll enjoy the warm summer days when it comes.

@BroadwayBK I met a friend for lunch at Five Napkin Burger on the UWS and we each had a glass of wine in honor of St Paddy's day.. can't really drink in the day gives me a whopper of a headache.

@ajadedidealist NYers are certainly more cheerful thanks to the especially warm weather have had two different women smile at me on the street today for no apparent reason. Checked the mirror there was nothing wrong with the way I was attired either so it must be the weather that inspires such mirth!

The trees are budding, guys. Spring is confirmed in my book. The sunshine today was addictive.

@Uptowngirl: Yes, even in my neighborhood people seemed to be nicer to me. Man, I guess winter can give anyone a puss face and mean demeanor.

So true, @hhusted. Perhaps there is something in cultural stereotypes of cold/Nordic countries as having a much more reserved culture than the boisterous, gregarious nations of the Mediterannean. Certainly when I'm in Italy, I feel joyful enough to dance and sing, or at least crack a smile...

I am going to someone's "Spring Equinox" party tonight, and I am really excited to wear a little black skirt - albeit with some leggings underneath. It's only supposed to be 50 degrees as tonight's low! And those tulips in the backyard are really beginning to come out of the ground. New York City is so heavenly right now.

@BroadwayBK I somehow manged to completely forget that Wednesday was a holiday at all, even if in retrospect I did see a lot of people dressed in vibrant green....

@NeverSleeps: Hope you have a great time. Enjoy the weather.

I am hoping that the weather reports are wrong for the next few days. No rain! It'll be sad to see this gorgeous weather go...

Yeah, I completely missed St. Patrick's Day, too. Considering my boyfriend is half-Irish, you'd think I would have been reminded! Oh well - the city's chaotic and frankly unpleasant during that time

@BroadwayBK I have one of my farewell dinners scheduled for Saturday night (the 27th) and I am hoping it is a 'fine ' evening. Fingers and toes crossed!

@Uptowngirl: When are you officially leaving NYC?

@hhusted sometime next month but dont have a date as yet amazingly..for me its a case of the later the better...

Will you miss it, do you think, @uptowngirl - or do you think you'll be fine away from the Big Apple?

@Uptowngirl: Well will miss you when you go. Hopefully, you will still have writing work when you get to your new location.

@ajadedidealist Though I love being in Asia, I think I will miss NYC dreadfully. I love my apartment here especially in the summers when I love watching the fantastic yachts and sailboats that sail down the East River , its one of my favorite sights in NYC. Just the whole buzz of the city , the restaurants, the parks all of which makes NYC so unique in its appeal.

@hhusted I hope so too though two of my US clients already have projects lined up for me which I have put on hold until I get settled there.

@ajadedidealist I really am not a big fan of the pandemonium that drinking holidays cause in the city, either. And, let's face it, that's what St. Patrick's has become.

@uptowngirl It looks like you're going to get your wish about the weather for that dinner! And, you will be missed around here.

@Uptowngirl: Let us know when you are leaving officially. This way we can give you a good send off as it were. We will beg you to stay of course.

@BroadwayBk Thank you!

@hhusted :):) will do when I book my ticket...

So, what will you do your final night in New York, @utowngirl? How will you choose to say goodbye to NY?

@ajadedidealist I haven't really thought about it but my friends were suggesting that we meet at a bar near my home -Le Rendezvous International Wine Bar and drink to the new adventurous that await us in Asia. Somehow spending my last night in NYC with my closest friends in the city would be the ideal way to bid 'Au revoir' to the city that I love...

The Rendezvous is really nice! I've been there once or twice. Have an excellent evening!

@uptowngirl: Have a really nice evening. You deserve it.

@ajadedidealist and hhusted thanks a bunch ..

If you have the chance and are so inclined I recommend very highly taking the Circle Line around Manhattan for a final view of the city. It's expensive, and a bit touristy, but it does seem like such a wonderful way to say goodbye.

@Ajadedidealist: I agree. Uptowngirl should take the Circle Line for one last look at the city before she goes.

ajadedidealist and hhusted I dont know if I will have the time to do so..the circle line actually sails past my home.. on its 2-3 hour journey on the waterways of NYC ... I have way to much to do before departure which is now decided for.. 4/16 :( :(

@Uptowngirl: Oh, I see. That is close. Well, all I can say is do what will give you the most fun for the time you have. I just hope you well and enjoy yourself whatever you do.

Good luck with the move! My mother is moving out of NYC next week (to Tbilisi) and she's having a super-stressful time of it - I hope your movers, etc., are more organized than hers!

@jadeidealist Wish you a great, wonderful adventure abroad, uptowngirl. We all know leaving NYC is crazy, but if you MUST do so...:)

@Everyone the movers, packers have been calling me all day, they all seem to be ready and raring to go and I am feeling so very down and out.. I know I should be excited ..but I now think of NYC as home and you know we humans( at least me) have a great nesting instinct so it's difficult for me to leave..I just hope I wont bawl that morning ...bet my husband will be most embarrassed if I do..
anyway if you all do manage to meet up on that Coney Island trip have a great time and perhaps we can all meet again when both ajadedidealist and I are in town at the same time..

@uptowngirl Moving definitely stresses me out. I can't think of anything I would rather do less.

@Uptowngirl; I moved three times in three years. Moving is not only stressful but expensive.

@Uptowngirl: I am not sure about Coney Island. No one has mentioned it, and I was looking forward to seeing you and ajadedidealist. Oh, well. If the others still want to go, a date needs to be picked, along with the time.

@NeverSleeps Its terrible, my apartment looks as if an hurricane has hit it and my husband and I have different ways of packing so are squabbling all the time.. oh well five more days to go...

@hhusted Youre so right, it seems like we are dropping truck loads of cash even though the move essentially is being paid for by my husband's company which is transferring us to Asia.

@Uptowngirl: Moving itself is a horrible experience. That is why I try to avoid it.

I got an off-campus apartment my junior year in college, expecting to keep it for 2-3 years. I LOADED it with stuff to make a "home" that was "stable and long term" 9 months later, when I was moving out....oy, what a nightmare!

@Ajadedidealist: Yeah, when you move, you never anticipate moving again, at least you don't expect to. Then the unexpected happens and you do have to move. What did you do with all that stuff you loaded in your apartment?