Starved Rock
I’ve lived in Chicago for a good long while now, ever since 2000. And in all this time, I’ve yet to make it over to Starved Rock. Until today.
Blog
Staycation in Hyde Park
We opted to take some days off this week, with the express purpose of… well, of not doing anything at all. No housework, no errands, just anything that gave us a bit of calm and relaxation. Because for both of us, we’ve felt a little stretched.
Today, we just ambled around the neighborhood. And that kind of pace was just right for us.
Plastic Bertrand: Ça Plane Pour Moi
“Wam! Bam! Mon chat, splatch
Gît sur mon lit a bouffé sa langue en buvant dans mon whisky
Quant à moi, peu dormi, vidé, brimé
J’ai dû dormir dans la gouttière, où j’ai eu un flash (hou-hou-oou-oou!)
En quatre couleurs”
A Lazy Rain Day
With us working a lot the last few days, today ended up being a pretty slow and laid back kind of day. The sky was cloudy, the forecast called for rain… so we spent a lot of the day just hanging out inside. Chatting a little, reading a little. And more than one nap took place.
Working on the Boat, Day 2
Anne flew in last night, and we had the chance to catch up a bit over dinner. This morning, we all suited up and headed back to the marina to put a few more hours in working on the boat.
Working on the Boat, Day 1
One of the Christmas gifts we gave to Liz’s dad last year: a coupon for two “working days” on the boat. We drove up to Michigan this weekend, with the aim to spend some time hanging out… and also making good on our promise.
Windshield Damage
Imagine sitting in your car, driving, and then someone clapping their hands really loudly an inch from your ear. That’s what it sounded and felt like.
Scary Movies
“Today the cloud shapes are terrifying,
and I keep expecting some enormous
black-and-white B-movie Cyclops
to appear at the edge of the horizon,”
JJ Grey & Mofro: 99 Shades of Crazy
I became a fan of JJ Grey and Mofro after hearing their song Somebody Else.
Backyard Hummingbird
A few days ago, I was able to record this visitor to our yard. Surprisingly, we’ve had a lot of hummingbirds stop by this year, despite us not having an actual hummingbird feeder.
Walking Around Hyde Park
Today Liz and I decided to have another slow day, where we ambled around our neighborhood a bit more. Despite our working from home since the Pandemic started, we’ve really not been “out and about” in our neighborhood very much. Lately, we’ve wanted to change that.
AC Install, Back Garden Work
The AC unit, in place! It was a little tricky getting this thing up high enough… but we eventually got there. Bob and I had to put it in place, make some marks, and then take it back down. After he drilled in holes for the base/feet… we had to put this thing back up again.
We’ve got another unit going in, but it won’t be quite as tight a fit as this was.
A Slow Day
Much later in the evening, Liz described today as “a slow day.” And I think that’s pretty spot on. We didn’t rush anywhere, we didn’t need to worry about work. We just casually went about things at our own place.
Goodbye, Phineas
I am incredibly saddened to share the news that we had to put Phineas to sleep tonight. We knew he was struggling, but were hoping to have a bit more time with him. There’s a lot more to write and share, but I don’t know how soon I’ll be updating this particular entry. I’ll have more, but not just yet….
A Momentary Danger
Each time that shuttle bus would come by, it would likely hit this dangling branch… increasing the chance that it’d come down (either on the shuttle, or on some of the parked cars nearby).