Chilled
This evening's commute was memorable and not in a good way. I stayed at work late because I had to go in late due to the 2 hour opening delay for schools. Trains come much less frequently an hour later than my usual departure time. Mom had to meet construction workers too and couldn't come get me after picking up Vic.
The walk in the dark between the high speed line and regional rail was not as bad as I expected, but was still nerve-wracking as so much snow had melted and run off today and gleamed wetly in the light from the street lamps, looking like ice.
Then there was the half hour wait for a train out in the bitter cold.
Waiting and waiting and then the Amtrak came roaring through, casting up great clouds of snow and cold air that scattered along the edge of the platform. The whirling tornado of white stuff was so thick it looked almost like smoke, especially when combined with the scent of burning rubber the entire length of the train exuded as it passed.
Then the regional rail express thundered through in similar fashion only on the nearer track and the same cloud reached even to the back of the platform where I cringed away from the onslaught that robbed my body of preciously guarded heat.
Finally the train arrived, late, but warm and it was a struggle not to fall asleep right then and there. Thankfully, I didn't miss my stop.
Not so thankfully, the streets of Berwyn were littered with half-frozen snow and a lot of ice, with the sidewalks poorly shoveled and the streets plowed up against the ends of the sidewalks so that I had six inch to three foot mountains of piled up snow to scale just to walk a half mile to my house.
Doing my best impersonation of a popsicle, I ducked into the pharmacy to buy paper towels to clean up the messes my poor sick kid was making and then went home where Sabs peeled me out of my coat and served me hot butternut squash soup with dipping bread in bed for supper.
The walk in the dark between the high speed line and regional rail was not as bad as I expected, but was still nerve-wracking as so much snow had melted and run off today and gleamed wetly in the light from the street lamps, looking like ice.
Then there was the half hour wait for a train out in the bitter cold.
Waiting and waiting and then the Amtrak came roaring through, casting up great clouds of snow and cold air that scattered along the edge of the platform. The whirling tornado of white stuff was so thick it looked almost like smoke, especially when combined with the scent of burning rubber the entire length of the train exuded as it passed.
Then the regional rail express thundered through in similar fashion only on the nearer track and the same cloud reached even to the back of the platform where I cringed away from the onslaught that robbed my body of preciously guarded heat.
Finally the train arrived, late, but warm and it was a struggle not to fall asleep right then and there. Thankfully, I didn't miss my stop.
Not so thankfully, the streets of Berwyn were littered with half-frozen snow and a lot of ice, with the sidewalks poorly shoveled and the streets plowed up against the ends of the sidewalks so that I had six inch to three foot mountains of piled up snow to scale just to walk a half mile to my house.
Doing my best impersonation of a popsicle, I ducked into the pharmacy to buy paper towels to clean up the messes my poor sick kid was making and then went home where Sabs peeled me out of my coat and served me hot butternut squash soup with dipping bread in bed for supper.