There wasn't a storm, but somehow the city was covered in snow for quite a few days this past week. I learned a couple of things:
- Homeowners are responsible for clearing the sidewalk of snow, or will be held accountable for any pedestrian accidents
- Sledding is a thing
Unfortunately for Zoe, sleds were pretty much sold out on Amazon and none will deliver in time before the snow melted. Unfortunately for Johannes, so were the shovels and brooms for snow clearing. I personally enjoyed a few days of watching the flurries from the window with a warm cup of coffee in hand, grateful that I don't actually have to venture out. Except in the mornings when I take Ruby for a walk, which I don't mind so much since stepping into the pristine snow at 7 in the morning is actually quite magical. I also found that there are quite a few rabbits who run around at night according to the bunny tracks.
It warmed up today and the snow is melting quickly into that ugly gray slush. I'm undecided whether to hope for more later this year, or another mild winter like last year. I will be gone for almost 5 weeks though, so I guess it is no matter.
Zoe and I discovered chess on Duolingo 5 days ago and we have been obsessed. We played our first "real" match today and I'm incredibly impressed with her. Not that she's a chess genius, but she is quite good at thinking through strategy and anticipating my next steps, and more importantly, she is disappointed but not upset when she loses pieces or the game in general.
Over the holidays XX and I were observing how the kids behave so differently at different ages. It's less noticeable from day to day, but when she's next to younger kids, especially those I haven't seen in a while, there's a clear difference in their emotional maturity. Obviously there's a natural temperament component to it, but I'm amazed at her ability to realize her shortcomings and attempts at addressing them.
We passed a wood shop today and bought a tiny chess set that fits in the pocket in anticipation of our CNY trip. I'm very much looking forward to sharing yet another hobby with my little companion.