Days Like This

When you live in a city where winter is enjoyed for a good portion of the year, where bleak and dismal is standard from October through May, there is great pressure to really make the most of days like this. Warm, a transparent blue sky without clouds, a lovely breeze and nary a snowflake, it's really best to be outside. A picnic and a day at the zoo, or a trip to our amazing Green City Market, or a lazy afternoon on a park bench watching a wonderful performance of the Wizard of Oz, the entire cast of characters rotated by Mary and Kate, although no one really ever wants to be the Wicked Witch of the West.

It's hard to imagine a stay at home day when it's 85 degrees and sunny, and so we set off, this morning to the market, along with what appeared to be hundreds of other Chicagoans, too long trapped in their cramped apartments, all in search of farm fresh asparagus and rhubarb. Mary and Kate tried sorrel, "very lemony, tangy", had peach smoothies and waited in line for their favorite market treat, crepes.

We came home with fresh mint and basil pasta, asparagus, potatoes and spinach, only passing the cheese guy from Wisconsin as I knew cheese was not going to last the day, and we had plenty more to see on our summer like day.

A short walk from the market, just through the park, landed us right on North Avenue Beach. Half of the city took the day off, it looked like a Saturday in July, bright red skin as far as the eye could see, and two sun blocked coated little girls running straight for the water. Of course they were fully dressed, and soon fully soaked and covered with sand, but deliciously happy to find themselves back in summer, after a very long time away.

Tomorrow it could snow, or at least hail, but for today we had summer, how we love days like this.