Category: weather

celebration, nature, Spring, Washington, weather

This just in: D.C. announces dates for the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival

Christa Avampato
D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival is almost here!
D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival is almost here!

Today we’re getting a cold, icy, snowy mix of weather in the D.C. area. Here’s the thing – it’s temporary. Everything’s temporary. In a month, spring is going to be here (and almost everywhere else, too) and it’s going to be amazing. This city, and many cities in the Northeast, explode with life and joy once spring arrives. And why shouldn’t they? After this winter, we deserve to bask in the sun as much as we can.

D.C. will welcome its outrageously beautiful cherry blossoms from March 20th – April 13th during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The end of the festival is supposed to be the peak time for these pink and white flowers that magically bring a smile to everyone’s face. Phin and I will be there. I hope you can join us. So hang in there. I’m going to chug some (very) hot chocolate now and dream about the spring that is only days away for all of us.

dreams, weather

Inspired: Keep Those Stars in Your Eyes and the Sun on Your Face

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Watch with glittering eyes.” ~ Roald Dahl. Winter is back. Again. It can’t bear to leave us. I’m as over it as anyone and preparing for a serious case of Spring fever when Spring finally gets here. In the mean time, I’m trying to enjoy these last chilly days hunkered down in my apartment. Winter has been a time for me to get my dreams on track while also helping me appreciate the sun and the warmth when it does arrive. The sun’s always out there. So are the stars. Keep looking for them and you’re sure to find them.

cooking, creativity, food, weather

Beautiful: When I Need to Think, I Go to the Kitchen

Christa Avampato
French onion soup - one of my favorite comfort foods!
French onion soup – one of my favorite comfort foods!

“On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it.” ~ E.B. White

Cold enough for ya? In New York City, we are braving some serious cold and wind. It’s that biting kind of cold where you’re quite sure that if you smile too wide, your face will crack. I’ve found myself eying my new Ninja crock pot and cracking open my cookbooks to create a shopping list of ingredients to create warm, comforting meals.

This weekend, I have brunch plans on Saturday and Sunday and otherwise will be inside working away. I find that I do my best work when I nourish my mind and body with nutritious, delicious food. Additionally, I also love that cooking helps me to quiet my mind and reduce stress. When I hit a road block in my writing, I back away from my desk and head for my stove where I’m sure to get my creative juices flowing again (cooking pun intended!)

Like a good story, a good meal is cobbled together by the hands, inspired by the spirit, and nurtured with love from the heart. This weekend may you find refuge in the kitchen despite the frightful weather outside.

change, season, weather

Beginning: Greetings, Fall. I’ve Been Looking for You!

Christa Avampato
Fall images like these are the ones I live for

I’m searching for a place that offers perpetual Fall. The nights grow a little longer, the air gets a little chillier, and I come alive. The heat and humidity of summer are behind us in the Big Apple, and I couldn’t be happier. Sweaters and boots, pumpkin in everything, apple picking, the start of school, and those glorious colored leaves are on the way, and not a moment too soon. I need the energy and transition to Fall to give me a boost!

Despite the brilliant colors of the leaves that are actually triggered by their end of life, Fall is a time of rebirth and renewal for me. It lifts my heart and gaze up and out. Fall is always filled with new beginnings and so I look forward to its arrival like a kid longs for Christmas. Everywhere feels more homey and comfy in the Fall. I lap it up.

Nature, that brilliant being, is so wise. Fall has arrived just in time, as it always does. I’m closing out this year of living and writing about new beginnings with a to-do list filled not with tasks, but new adventures. You’ll be hearing all about them in the coming weeks. Here we go!

weather

Beginning: Us and Irene

Christa Avampato
Phineas: "Wake me when Irene leaves."

Phineas and I hunkered down in our apartment in New York to ride out Hurricane Irene. We were not asked to evacuate (though if we had been, we certainly would have complied). We stocked up on water and food, filled pots, pans, and bowls with water in case our plumbing went out. We stayed away from the windows as we’re up on the 17th floor of our apartment building. Phone and computer fully charged, movies and books at the ready. The girl scout in me was at her preparedness best.

Irene didn’t pack the punch near us that many feared, though Phin is never happy about any amount of rain. I keep telling him we should be grateful it wasn’t worse; he’s not having it. He just toddles off to his bed and flops down with a dramatic “hmph!” (See photo above.)

Pictures on TV from Long Island look awful – downed trees and flooding – though electricity for most seemed to be on. The storm went a bit further Eats which saved us in New York City. I am still glad that the alerts were sent out for all of us. I’d always prefer to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. With these unpredictable types of storms, you never know what can happen.

Truth be told, I mind the rain and gray weather far less than most. I like the feeling of being insulated. I used the bad weather as a time of introspection and I’ve been able to stay productive. Lots of reading and writing, planning for Compass Yoga, and catching up with people via phone and online. It was a good reminder to me of how important it is to take time out and hunker down once in a while, and it shouldn’t take a hurricane warning to do so.

nature, weather, yoga

Step 79: Dancing with Joy

Christa Avampato

To get my Spring started off right on its first day, I went to a Prana yoga class at Sonic with Jeffrey, one of my favorite yoga teachers. Just being in the presence of his free spirit makes me smile. He is unabashedly his wild and wonderful self, and he encourages his students to bring that same sense of freedom into our own lives, in our own way.

At the start of the class we moved through a vinyasa (flow of poses) that I had never tried before, poses I wouldn’t have thought to piece together. It was a glorious mash-up of strength and endurance and grace. And then, we danced. To welcome spring, we danced around the studio arms flailing, laughing, shouting, literally jumping for joy. No rules or guidelines. Just dance. We felt the tingle of life.

As I walked home, I reminded myself how important it is to let go, and to help others let go. I thought about the power of celebration and change and community. I smiled wide, turned my face to the sun that provided us with a 74 degree day in New York City, and whispered, “welcome.” A time of new beginnings has begun.

The image above is not my own. It can be found here.

gratitude, happiness, New York City, weather

My Year of Hopefulness – The Whisper of Snow

Christa Avampato

And the snow fell and fell and fell. Some people will hunker down during a snow storm, watch a movie, play a board game, read. And some of us will run out into that snow and feel proud that they didn’t let the weather get them down. The people in this latter group are insane, and I’m one of them. I made my way down to 36th Street for dinner with my friend, Monika, last night and then got across town in record time (underground) to my friend, Cindy’s, holiday party.

Cindy’s parties are always an interesting mix of guests, and I am guaranteed to meet someone (or 2 or 3 someones) new every time. With the company of Anderson Cooper’s lead cameraman to a talented animator to one of the head stylists at Bumble & Bumble, there is never a shortage of cool stories, laughter, and delicious cocktails and food. I like to bring someone along every time to further liven up the mix. This time I brought my good pal, Jeff, who is always very outgoing and loves meeting new people as much as I do. After a good number of hours of merriment, I decided to head back out into the snow and get home.

I stepped outside into a world of sparkly white. The snow was breath-taking. Maybe the first snow fall always has a magical quality to it, though last night’s snow seemed to be something special. I never saw it glisten that way (and no, it wasn’t the candy cane eggnog I had at Cindy’s!) It felt like I was in a movie, as if a painter had taken a brush to my life and made everything around me glow.

So how would I get home in this foot of snow? At that time of night the subway is slow and I would have needed 2 transfers to get home anyway (getting across town in New York is rarely easy!) Cabs were getting stuck and spinning out everywhere I looked. Buses were no where to be found. My mom said to me that when she lived in New York, her best mode of transportation was a good pair of shoes. I had two inches heeled boots, and still I thought of her quote and didn’t think twice about making the hike on-foot. On a nice day, it would be a good, relaxing walk. In the snow at night, it would require a little more willpower and caution. I was up for it.

I skipped over and through the snowbanks, wound my way along the 79th Street passage through Central Park, and the whole time thought about how beautiful this city is. It was so quiet that I could actually hear the snow falling. The sky had a pink tint to it. The cold wind had died down. I felt a huge wave of gladness.

It was my next to last night in New York for 2009 since I’ll be leaving for the holidays in Florida on Monday. This snowstorm was a little gift for me, and I could swear I heard the world whispering, “Yes, you made it. You can file away 2009 as a year of experiences that opened your life to new possibilities, a year when so much fell away so that you could find new ways forward. This year, in a time of great loss, you received the opportunity to re-imagine and re-craft every area of your life. Put this chance to good use.”

When the subways are crowded, the streets are jammed, and the noise reaches levels you never thought were possible, New York can frustrate even those of us who love it most. It’s times like last night, in that beautiful, mystical snowfall, that remind of how much of a home this city is for me, how much of a home it will always be for me. There is a certain crackle of life that lives here, and I feel blessed to live among it.

The image above is not my own. It was taken by Seth Wenig/AP.

fear, grateful, home, insomnia, nature, sleep, stress, thankful, weather

My Year of Hopefulness – Cleansing

Christa Avampato

It’s the middle of the night and I’m having a tough time sleeping. I’ve become accustomed to insomnia as I’ve had it off and on for most of my life. Tonight is a little eerie though. I’m awake because of the wind. It’s keeping me up long past my bedtime. It’s so gusty that as I was walking back to my friend, Amber’s, apartment, I could feel the weather bearing down on me. For a moment I almost lost my footing. You’d think this was Chicago in the winter the way the gusts are going. We rarely have wind like this, especially at the beginning of September.

I can’t help but think that this odd wind is a way for the greater universe to say to me that my life is being cleaned out, and it must be this way as tough as the circumstances may be. With these gusts will go all of the bad energy from the fire. And with that energy will go the fear as well – mine, and my neighbors’, family’s, and friend’s fears, too. Rather than it being a disturbing wind, perhaps it’s trying to be of great use at a time of great need. Maybe a strong, forceful wind is exactly what’s called for in times of stress. At least I’m hoping that’s the case.
As I headed from The Empire Hotel toward the subway tonight, for a second I thought “damn, all my warm clothes might be ruined. I have nothing to wear!” And then a second later I started laughing, out loud. Who cares? So I will have to buy some new warm clothing now that Fall has arrived. I stopped for a moment right by Columbus Circle and looked up at the sky, the clouds faintly swirling and swishing in the very dark sky. I said a prayer to whatever and whoever is up there looking down on me, blowing all the smoke away so that I might see and think a bit more clearly. “Thank you,” I said. “I’m glad I’m here to witness this.” And I’ve never meant any 9 words more in my life.
The image above is not my own. It can be found here.