Soft summer mornings
By now, dear readers, you know I’m part-selkie; that my quality of life is directly proportional to the distance between me and my nearest bodies of water; and that there are some magnificent things about our neighborhood beach. I like my predictability in these things. Knowing what matters makes it much easier to prioritize. Knowing … Continue reading
Things I Like — Free Music
I may bemoan the lack of free museums in this city, but summer heralds a cornucopia of affordable musical fare. Finally attended the Dame Myra Hess Concert series under the beautiful Tiffany dome at the Chicago Cultural Center. Bite-sized classics, today a cello sonata, for lunchtime listeners. (You can tune in live on WMFT‘s website … Continue reading
Things I Like — A Lake Michigan Breeze
It’s a five minute walk to one of the world’s most beautiful bodies of water from my house. I love the shrift of sand, the crinkle of lapping tides, but this time of year I’m thankful for the gentle breeze skimming the lake’s ice-cold depths. Work’s a 45-minute drive in the opposite direction. I get … Continue reading
Luxurious & Light Turkey Soup
It’s that time. You’ve eaten all the best bits and now some tired husks of brown meat are languishing in your fridge destined for the bin. You’re sick of holiday-rich flavors and you need to save up room for the glut of holiday cookies which will arrive any day now. But languish no more! Rescue … Continue reading
What I Learned in 2014
This time of year (even more than most) the internet is full of lists. Lists of what to buy; lists of how to be a better host (or a better person in general); lists of best Thises and Thats. Lists of how you’re living all wrong. Lists of things to do differently next year. And … Continue reading
A sense of seasons
The crisp-apple air of autumn has begun blustering about. Tiny cold and warm fronts battle in eddies above my tea mug; on the window sill; at my upper lip. The invisible becomes tangible in this shifting season, and as the birds rang in the dawn an epiphany woke within me. Autumn will forever be scented. … Continue reading
Chicago Botanic Garden
One of the true hidden gems of our Chicago explorations so far. Despite the first part of the name being slightly misleading — the Gardens are a full 25 miles north of downtown, on the edge of a pretty suburb named Glencoe, I can attest it is absolutely 100% worth the journey. A traditional Botanic … Continue reading
Chicago at One Month
We moved to the Windy City four weeks ago. It feels much longer somehow. Moving in was the traditional small-scale saga, starting with a farce of a landlord having no key for our bolt and ending in a beautifully crafted climax: a gaggle of family perched, in pairs, up each section of our fire escape … Continue reading
Midsummer Americana
I have the luxury of my mother’s rusty old Schwinn bicycle to relish these summer evenings. And what a luxury it is. The light lingers long and orange on trees so green they could burst. The neighborhoods are filled with a floral perfume, like lilac but not so saccharine. The streets echo softly with children’s … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 