Winter..Got to hate it

[Hydrophilic]

Awesome image!  The "eye" of the storm (the big red swirl) seems to be almost as large as the state of Texas, which is like a whole other country if you believe the travel ads.  Having spent many years along the Gulf (of Mexico) coast, I've become accustomed to these every two years or so... but I've never seen one that big! 

All I can say is "batten down the hatches" and be prepared for clean-up.  Hopefully you won't suffer wide-spead looting like we had after hurricane Katrina...

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Well, the snow seems to have tapered off.  Here are some pics: the first is a view out the sliding door that goes out on to the deck.  The other is a view out the front window in the kitchen.  Snow is everywhere.  It's piled up about two feet against the front door, so no one is getting out of here today.

[Hydrophilic]

I love pic#2 !     It looked like that last week here, but has since cleared up... although it was never piled up against the door that high... I hope you have a strong back, a snow blower, or healthy young relatives to help clearing all that

Edit
Ummm... now that I think about it... what part of Chicago is that???
/Edit

[BigDumbDinosaur]

I hope you have a strong back, a snow blower, or healthy young relatives to help clearing all that

None of the above.  My strong back and weak mind have degenerated into a weak back and a weaker mind.  Our homeowners' association has a contractor that plows driveways and clears sidewalks and front porches.  The back porch will have to wait for the great melt-off, whenever that arrives.

Ummm... now that I think about it... what part of Chicago is that???

Actually, it's rural Will County, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.  There is a lot of open space, so when the weather gets like this the snow drifts become quite impressive.

Speaking of snow piling up, here's another pic.