oh lovely

The cherry blossoms are blooming in Chicago. It is March. Let me repeat that, because I didn't quite believe it the first time I wrote it: the cherry blossoms are blooming in Chicago in March. And the trees outside our front windows are turning green and I am so happy that the weather heard me back in February when I said, "You know what? I think I would like to have only one more month of this city in the cold and gray. Okay?"

Spring at last

We are enjoying eighty-degree weather here in Chicago and have been doing so for the past week. Levy and I were out walking yesterday and we noticed that the trees recently began blooming and blossoming. Sometimes living in the Midwest isn't so bad. (But most of the time we miss the beauty and surroundings of our old coastal lives.)

Housey stuff

Something really important happened this weekend!

And what follows is a picture of a cabinet that seriously took a year for us to make up our minds on. But it's beautiful and Lev and I are glad we finally took the plunge!

And some other pictures.



This reminds me of when you are taking a picture of a dog and it sniffs the lens.



Six degrees?

OK, so it is supposed to get down to six degrees tonight...today it was a whopping 13 and I got home wanting to get into a vat of soup (basically). So that means...tonight Lev and I are making everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soup! Pearl barley? Why yes. Mushrooms? What would we do without them? Leeks! Carrots! Parsley! And, of course, our friends onion and garlic. 

Behold!

Last night Lev and I had our first group fitness class. I am so sore I can't even tell you...and Lev just asked me how many pushups I thought he could do, right now. I can tell you this much, 24 hours ago at this time I was SUFFERING. But that's the only way to do it, right?

Today, the living room.

It's a beautiful morning. We had a snowstorm and now the sun is streaming in the window, the tree branches are fluffy with snow, and the squirrels are sleeping (at least I think that's what they do this time of year).

I found this bird at the thrift store. Ceramic and feels good in my hand. "A bird in hand..."

Snow!

It's finally snowing! We were let out early this afternoon.

 My street, this afternoon, while walking home.

Neil Young and wheat products.

I'm making bagels and listening to Cowgirl in the Sand. To my gluten-free friends: I'm sorry for doing this--but oh man, fresh bagels? Fresh bagels!

And then they look like this:

we finally had a snow day!

Top of the Sears Tower, last weekend

Last weekend Lev's sister was in town. We had a lot of fun and did some touristy stuff downtown. Being a tourist in your own town can be illuminating. For example, we discovered that Chicago is a giant, lumbering, and somewhat dilapidated place. With an extremely tall building (the Sears Tower, or "Willis Tower," as the elevator operators kept insisting that we call it). I took a terrible photo of Levy and his sister at the top of the building. Because, as many of you know, when the backlight is much brighter than the light in front of your subjects....this happens:

catch-up

So I know that Thanksgiving was over a week ago, and now it's like, "who cares," right? BUT we had a wonderful time. And we went to the aquarium on Sunday. And this is my life from the last couple of weeks, in pictures...xoxo.

this is the door to the Shedd Aquarium. For real!

She was feeding the BEST whale.

kissies.

Thank you.

Yesterday my mom and I made Thanksgiving dinner while Levy and my stepdad built a computer. It was a nice contrast--I could stroll into Lev's office and see what he made and he could come into the kitchen and see what we were working on. Both projects were labor-intensive and paid off. 

Because it's Thanksgiving...a list of everything for which I am grateful.

I'm thankful for my husband, and that we are having an enjoyable, loving, lifelong conversation.

I'm thankful that I have a family who gets along--really gets along

--and that they made the trip to Chicago for Thanksgiving. 

I'm thankful for my wonderful and giving friends. 

I'm thankful for the sun that streams into our living room almost every morning. 

I'm thankful for my street, and the squirrels that like to look at me while I walk down it.

I'm thankful for life. I'm thankful for love. I'm thankful for the happiness that has finally found me.

Pumpkin pie, a yellow mixer, and a cake stand--Thanksgiving!

OK.

I made this. This is the first bundt-pan cake that I've made that didn't completely fall apart. Success!

a great man.

My grandfather passed away on Thursday, October 6 at 9:20 pm EST. He was 92. Born in Brooklyn, he lived his entire life in New York. He turned Publix shirt company from a one-factory operation (and before my grandfather's time, it was an apartment operation ran by my great-great-grandmother) into a union company with factories all over the country. He was a hard worker and a person who never forgot where he came from; he was also a loving and kind man who will be missed by his family and, as I discovered at his funeral this past Sunday, everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was an avid walker who took special notice of the birds and the squirrels in his neighborhood; I believe I got my love of watching the neighborhood squirrels from my grandfather. My brother and I will miss his wisdom and his ability to confound us with word problems and, as my mother so eloquently eulogized, "his lap to sit on." It has been 25 years since I climbed onto his lap. I miss you, Grandpa.

Sheldon Berdon. November 12, 1918–October 6, 2011. Photo taken 1980. 

walk with me

Lev and I went on a walk in the forest preserve yesterday. I had to really fight my instincts not to quote the Grateful Dead in this blog post.

This is my favorite time of year--a burnt sienna touches all things in the woods. Even the deer knows that winter is approaching.

changes

Proof of fall.

Photobooth life

My mom did the photo strip on the left in maybe 1974. I did my version on Sunday. She's a lefty and I'm a righty--I think you can tell in the 3rd and 4th because we're both using our dominant hands. And it shows that our hairline is similar, I think. She's prettier than I am. I don't know why I sat so close to the camera. And if I had it to do over, I'd rearrange my arms on photo 2 to un-smush my forearms. But whatever. Guess what? We are related.

I hope photobooths are still around when my kid is an adult because I'm going to "strongly encourage" him or her to get in there and do this sequence. It could be like an intergenerational portrait. See no evil...

Labor Day Weekend!!

Yesterday we went to a miniature golf course that also had a full-blown game room onsite. Oh yeah, and we did the batting cages. By the way, miniature golf is really fun. And there is an awesome, straight-out-of-the-70s course by our house.

weekend

Ok, so I used to ride. I had horses, I did dressage for many years, did horse shows, the whole thing. And just like that, I dropped it when I was 17. I've taken a lesson here or there now and again since then, but nothing like before. It was my life. Sometimes I don't know why I ever quit. I was good at it. I love horses. This weekend we got to go over to a friend of Lev's farm--with horses! It was awesome. I rode and I miss it so much. I'm thinking about getting in touch with my old trainer and finding out about some trainers out here that I could school with. Hmm..
In the mean time, horsey pictures! Courtesy of Levy.

...on granola

So everyone who knows me knows that I'm kind of crunchy, kind of a granola. An extremely uptight granola, but a granola nonetheless. Well, now I make granola. This is my first batch, and I'm figuring out that it is impossible to screw up granola! This was made with flaxseeds, honey, raw sesame seeds, peanut butter, and old fashioned oats. Put it in the oven for a bit to toast and there you go! Lev approves, too.

Speaking of Levy, OMG we are getting married in 12 days! Twelve days! I am so excited! You know who is taking this very much in stride? Lev. He's calm, cool, collected, and happily looking forward to the wedding. I'm those things too--but sometimes in the middle of the night I wake up very much the latter but not at all the former. I mean, I guess "cool" never really described me anyway so why try to fake it? 

Today Lev's wonderful sister sent me scanned photos of him when he was little. I can't even--he is so cute. Augh! This little boy! I just want to hug him and kiss him until he won't let me. Which is what I do to Lev on the daily, anyway. If we have a son he had better love smooches.