Chicago days

I always said that weather in the city is far less important than it is, say, at the farmette.

That was before I moved into an apartment for the week, one that's a little over a mile from my daughter's Chicago home. And before I discovered that my sweet little granddaughter likes nothing more than a stroller ride in the middle of the day. A long stroller ride.

 City lights are on at 7:15 in the morning. It's dark out there! Puddles on the streets, on the sidewalk too, and above that complicated urban landscape -- the threat of more rain.





I walk briskly once again.

Breakfast, while the babe takes her morning nap.






And then I consider our options.

As usual, the forecasters are waffling. Thundershowers. Morning rain. No, afternoon rain. Partly cloudy otherwise. No, actually cloudy all day long. With possible rain.

Primrose and I play indoors... She is agreeable.






(Ready to eat!)






...but in the end, I throw caution to the wind (and an umbrella into the stroller). It's not raining right now.

It's cooler today. Sweater weather.






I have big adventuring ideas (as perhaps does she)...


 



... but I play it safe and start off with the essentials: stocking up on some peaches from the Local Foods store. (Primrose, do you mind if I throw some fruit in your stroller just for a few seconds?)






And sure enough, as soon as we leave the store, the drizzle starts. It doesn't stay with us for long, but I have no way of knowing that, and so I hurry back home.


That's okay. There's plenty to do indoors. And somewhere in those afternoon hours, I take two more selfies -- one with a timed release, and one that's the old fashioned kind. (And if you're wondering why there is this sudden burst of selfie photos -- after all, I rarely do this with Snowdrop or Sparrow -- it's really because Primrose is at an age where she can sit by herself, but not for very long. In a selfie, I can support her just a little bit. I do think the camera's red light catches her by surprise every time, but she does like the game, in the way that a child always loves a project that brings out the giggles in everyone.)












Early evening. The witching hours for any young child. But Primrose is easy to keep mellow. All you need to do is... yep! take her for a walk. And mention that she's soon going to see mommy!






I leave the two young girls to their joyful reunion.





As I walk back to my apartment, I think about how close we are to the end of summer. Tomorrow, Primrose is testing her new "school" in the morning and on Friday, Snowdrop is testing her new class. For me, there may be a New Year's Eve out there, but a fresh year really does begin with the first day of school. We get that chance to begin again, as school kids, or as parents and grandparents of school kids: a clean slate, or at the very least -- a new lunchbox or pencil case! Oh, how I loved my new pencil case each year as a child! (In my Polish first grade, the case held no pencils, as we started our writing lessons using pens dipped in inkwells; my "pen case" was a wooden box with a sliding top).

And so I am facing up to the season's end. Good bye you much awaited summer! You have been nothing short of remarkable!