July in Chicago

View from my third floor landing.  Owner has wonderful gardens despite the drought Garage is the building in rear and I have a space there for my car, Ruby.

Apartment building was built in 1914. This is the living room.

close up of original stained glass

The street where I live,

Penelope chilling out after her swim lessons.

As has been sung “it’s a hot time in the old town” but so far I am doing ok with my 2 window ac units and getting out in the morning for activities.  I am loving the tree lined streets in my temporary neighborhood with their wonderful shade lowering the temperature as I walk on errands or to public transportation.

Since I am in a third floor walkup, I also try to group my activities to minimize the climbs up and down.  I’ve taken a temporary membership in the Galt Life Center, a fantastic health club/rehab facility connected with Swedish American hospital.  It’s about 1 ½ miles but I usually opt for the bus.  The water exercise classes are frequent and varied and I’m enjoying the indoor pool much more than I thought I would.  It may be partly due to the design which allows me to look up through a window to see trees as well as people exercising on the indoor track.  The pool is primarily 4 feet in depth and classes are large with a mixture of ages, both men and women.  Water exercise was very important to me in Florida so I am happy to have found a good substitute.  Another Florida activity, Zumba Gold, is also offered at Galter and I am attending that once a week class, as well as Tai Chi Chuan.

The Old Town School of Folk Music is about a mile away and I do walk there for my Thursday night group lessons. The instructor gave me a couple of lessons last fall in her Warrenville Studio which helps but I still feel a bit at a disadvantage as the others have just finished another 8 week session with her and are more accustom to her strum techniques which are quite different than previous instructors and the way we played in my Florida Group.

I am enjoying my time with my granddaughters. Penelope 7 ½ months is rapidly developing with crawling and trying to pull herself into a standing position.  She’s in to everything she can get to and proving to be a challenge as her current home is preparing to be moved with boxes everywhere.  They will have a temporary move until their new home is available in August which is a repeat of my situation so I understand the difficulties of it magnified by jobs and baby.

Katherine, 4 ½, and I will venture forth to Madison Wi this weekend for nephew Meko’s fifth birthday.   The following weekend is a family gathering in Rock City (pop 300) for the Annual Rock City Days (see blog July 2009).  Not sure if we are in the parade this year.

Lots of events in the city and hope to add some of those to my life in the coming weeks.  I’m looking forward to playing tourist with bike friend Judy the first week of August.  So while I’m limiting my road time this summer, I am keeping on the go!

Views from my Penthouse

My new temporary dwelling is on the north side of Chicago in a 3 flat building on a tree lined street.  It is close to many public transportation options of which I hope to make good use.  My side street is Winemac which I learned today at a nearby Park of the same name was the Potowadami Chief who sold the area that became Chicago in 1939.

Katherine runs through the "Whale" at the Ty Warner interactive fountains (related to those Beanie Babies)

Admiring host Ginny's beautiful Gardens 

Attended concert for children at Cantigny.  Kids had great fun singing and dancing

Daughter Emily did a yeoman's job hauling my stuff to the third floor while I took charge of baby Poppy who was not happy to have mom out of sight and 4 1/2 year old Katherine who was spending the weekend with Grandma. Hopefully I can post some photos of some of our activities.  Googles changes to blogger are giving me problems.  Please let me know if you are having any problems accessing it.

Life in the north begins

Granddaughter and her friend enjoying summer time play in the grass using flashlights, bark and rubber bands

Car packed and ready for drive north.

After 2 1/2 days of driving the Interstate I arrived in Clarendon Hills at the home of my long time friend and generous hostess, Ginny.  I'd spent the last 16 days living in her Florida condo continuing to sort my belongings make more trips to thrift shops to donate.  Finally I crammed everything else in Ruby including the front seat and the bicycle Georgia on it's new rack in the back.  First night was in Macon about an 8 hour trip.  Second day lots of rain and heavy traffic to Seymour IN which thought would be 9 hours but turned into 11 hours.  I did spend some time redoing the bike rack after getting through Atlanta.

I was disappointed in how the moving company stacked my belongings in the storage unit I'm using for 3 months.  Son Michael and daughter in law Karen though did an excellent job of rearranging a tight area and creating some room for some of what I had brought in the car.  It also gave me a chance to enjoy my granddaughter Katherine.  I particularly loved how she and her friend were enjoying outdoor play creating imaginative projects.  I thought this is what summer should be.  Playing out on the soft grass.

Moving time

My "stuff" took up a small area in this very large truck seen delivering it to my storage unit.

Below a Great White Egret seems to be staring in my window "Where is she going?"

Transitional Time

Granddaughters Easter Greenfields of Geneva

Top Floor to be my summer residence

Using up ingredients makes for creative cooking

I spent 2 weeks in Illinois in April.  For the most part the weather was kind to me.  Part of my time was in Rockford assisting with preparing my brother's condo for selling.  It was a monumental task dealing with 30 years of accumulations but with lots of good helpers we were able to do the job, leaving the repainting and carpeting and minor repairs yet to be done.  I also started working on valuing his coin collection and on my return I hope to find some buyers.
Easter  was spent with daughter Emily and baby Penelope, son Michael, wife Karen, and daughter Katherine for brunch at a retirement facility in Geneva Illinois.  It was the first view for my family and my first view of the beautiful finishes.  I had selected an apartment more than a year before but since that time much has changed.  Primarily I discovered how much I enjoy the city of Chicago and all it offers, particularly the ease of getting around on public transportation.  In the end we all agreed I should pursue the idea of living in the city, if only in the short term.
I contacted another retirement facility Admiral at the Lake still under construction and am now considering that possibility which would be an August move in.   Meantime I had a buyer for my Florida condo which now seems like a certainty but leaves me homeless.  Fortunately Emily located a sublease in Chicago, Michael checked out a storage place near him for my worldly goods (more than I should have) and by late June I should have a place to lay my head albeit a climb to the third floor to get home!
So in addition to packing boxes, I'm trying to use up foodstuffs.  I really enjoy the creativity of cooking when I can take a few ingredients and make something.  I started this while living on the boat with limited ingredients and no convenient shopping.  Tonight I made a quiche using frozen spinach, thawed and drained, baby portobello mushrooms (on their last legs) fresh tomato slices, a remaining pie crust,shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) 3 eggs, around a cup of half and half the remnants left from a winter neighbor,  a couple spoonfulls of Dijon mustard and some ground nutmeg mixed with the eggs.  Baked at 375 for 30 minutes, it was delicious.  Tonight I also made barley vegetable soup and recently Kahlua brownies, and cranberry upside down gingerbread with more "leftovers"  Unfortunately I think my larder will outlast my occupancy but I am taking up temporary quarters at a friend's nearby condo for a few weeks before heading north.  I am savoring every water exercise and zumba gold class here, but through the wonders of the internet looking for new activities in my new location.  More later when I'm back on the road.

FAMILY

Family Gathering 1958.  Philip is in middle row on far right.

My most recent trip back to Illinois was to enjoy my granddaughters, ages 3 months, and 4 years and assist in any way as daughter Emily returned to the workforce after maternity leave.  It was amazing how the baby had changed in the almost 2 months I’d been away.  She’s demanding when hungry, and very social with lots of smiles and chatter the rest of the time. My son’s four year old also had added many more large words to her sometimes grown up sounding vocabulary and mastered skills with her IPad!

Midway in my visit though came word of the death of my brother, age 63.  He was discovered by my other brother and one of my sisters.  By all appearances it had happened quickly, either a diabetic coma or a heart attack and occurring not long after he had optimistically bought a new TV and signed up for a new cable contract.

Journalist sister Gayle wrote a wonderful obituary, the link to which I’ve listed.  At tragic times such as this, family and friends are what get you through.  A small service held in my brother Jim’s home brought memories of happier times as we shared stories with those gathered.  Photos, including the one above provided by cousin Kathleen, added more stories.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/rrstar/obituary.aspx?n=philip-worland&pid=156183410

In looking for words of comfort to use at the service I came across Khahil Gibran’s writing on death and used the following excerpt:

“For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and melt into the sun?

And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand see God unencumbered?

Only when we drink from the river of silence, shall you need to sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb

And when the earth shall claim you limbs, then shall you truly dance!”

May Philip be at peace with a soul that dances.

Sights of the Season

One of my top activities is attending Martin County Library System all day Book Mania featuring fascinating authors.  This year one my favorite mystery writers, Nevada Barr, whose protagonist is a female National Park ranger with the story set in various US National Parks, was part of a panel and after signing my books posed for a photo!

Stuart's waterfront music stage has a new cover and is the site of Sunday music groups.  Bring a chair and look out over the St. Lucie River enjoying the beautiful breezes.

Schooner Lily moors in downtown Stuart and has many admirers who are walking the waterfront.  Hopefully I will take ride before the season ends.