Just Wait Five Minutes
Lovely sunrise for Halloween yesterday. Scroll down and you’ll see it was an even more beautiful sunset. In between was one of the wackiest weather days I’ve experienced. There’s an old joke about how if you don’t like the weather in Chicago, wait five minutes. It’s seldom been closer to truth.
There was some snow in the forecast, not unprecedented for October 31 but pretty rare. Remember that the temperatures were mostly in the 70s last week. But clouds moved in, and the first in a series of snow squalls of varying intensity moved through.
Hobbes is a big boy, but he won’t be 2 years old til January and we didn’t have very much snow last winter. So it’s still a curiosity to this cat.
Then the sun came out, illuminating some still vivid fall colors. Was the snow over?
Not by a long shot. The next round would have been considered a powerful snow squall in mid-winter, with near-whiteout conditions for a brief period.
Then the sun came out again, revealing a white frosting on lawns, buildings and trees. Considering how relatively rare it is to have a white Christmas on this side of Lake Michigan, a white Halloween was really a novelty.
There was one more brief round of heavy snow, which gave way to the following things of beauty.
So what’s the 10-day forecast for the beginning of November? Chilly (but not very cold) to seasonable temperatures and no snow. Just don’t bet a lot of money on it.
Saturday: Green Living Expo in McHenry County
McHenry County in north-central Illinois is a hotbed for better-for-people, better-for-the-planet activities. And this Saturday (November 4) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., McHenry County College is presenting a free Green Living Expo in its Gym and parking lot B at 8900 U.S. Highway 14 in Crystal Lake.
Here’s the college’s description of the event:
“One of the goals of the Expo has always been to highlight and grow the green economy in and around McHenry County,” said Kim Hankins, Director of Sustainability at MCC. “Each year, we work hard to find new businesses on the cutting edge of green technology and new programs from established businesses and environmental organizations. One of the highlights of this year’s Expo is home energy efficiency ideas to save resources and money.”
More than 80 area businesses and organizations will be on site to demonstrate earth-friendly products, services, and unique educational opportunities.
Attendees can get a head start on holiday shopping with green gifts created by local artists; learn about green cleaning options; play with sustainable toys; chat with environmental leaders about the protection and care of McHenry County’s most unique and important natural features; discover new trails for hiking and biking in every season; and bring pumpkins and fall décor for recycling and composting. There will also be free on-site shredding services and information about opportunities for young adults to do restoration work.
Vegan, vegetarian, and pizza food trucks will also be on-site with food available for purchase.
“We’re planning the 2023 Expo to be a low-waste event,” said Hankins. “We want to show the community it’s possible to have a large event with low environmental impact.”
The Green Living Expo is free and open to the public.
The event is sponsored by the McHenry County College Sustainability Center, along with 12 area businesses and community organizations. MCC thanks the following sponsors for their support: Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, Land Conservancy of McHenry County, McHenry County Conservation District, McHenry County Conservation Foundation, Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association, Blue Stem Ecological Service, Duke’s Inferno, Food Shed Co-op, Nicor Gas, and Woodstock Heating and Cooling.
Find more information about the Green Living Expo, follow @green_living_expo on Instagram, or contact the MCC Sustainability Center at (815) 479-7765 or at sustainability@mchenry.edu.