I just wanted to share a few beauties from my garden.  Enjoy!

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The Hemmingses of Monticello - Annette Gordon-Reed

The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

Havana Noir - Achy Obejas (ed.) 

A Walk In The Woods - Bill Bryson

Working - Studs Terkel

Other People's Skin - Tracy Price-Thompson (ed.) 

Mystic River - Dennis Lehane

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wa… Read full post »

The other night I was at a memorial.  This was a ghost bike installation, not the mainstream kind of memorial that most of you would be familiar with.  It was a reunion with friends from my old bike club, the one I used to ride with before I moved to the other end… Read full post »

late train, rainy night

soft glow of lights on Orleans

Last week I bought some little fingerling potatoes at the farmers' market.  I decided to try a really simple preparation:  roasting them with garlic.

 Cut potatoes into 1/4" pieces, place in foil pouch with a tablespoon or two of olive oil (depends on quantity of potatoes) and a pinch… Read full post »

I've been increasingly frustrated with my job for a while.  Morale hasn't been good around the office lately.  My gut feeling has been telling me that more layoffs were coming.

Happy Monday!  I got the news first thing this morning.  I'm free!   

I'm in a decent position… Read full post »

I see logos everywhere, and it's really starting to bug me.  Too many brands of clothing scream their brand name in gigantic letters, logos, or both, in prominent places where the brand won't be hidden by backpack or purse straps.  More brands are doing it every year.  

One particular… Read full post »

I used to own my schedule, be able to make plans and keep them.  That's no longer true, and I hate it.  Chronic pain has reached the level where it owns me and has taken control of my life.

 When I was in college, I was thrown from a horse and… Read full post »

I had a roomie, call her Shirley, a normal, really nice person who talks and talks and talks.  And when you try to end a conversation, it always takes at least an extra 5-10 minutes, unless you've got a REALLY urgent reason to end it immediately.  

She had a quirk that… Read full post »

After a somewhat sleep deprived Saturday night and an obscenely early Sunday wake-up, I got to enjoy one of my favorite Chicago events: Bike the Drive.  I was part of the volunteer team, so I had to be there well before the 5:30 a.m. start time.

It's a cool thing to… Read full post »

I listen to rain

watering my new seedlings

just after planting  Read full post »

I did not know Josie personally, but was touched by the vibrant spirit that flowed through her writing.  

This tiny native species, iris cristata, is not as spectacular as the bigger irises, but I think it's really special.  Note the adjacent maple seed for scale. … Read full post »

Does Chicago have a new Banksy-style street artist?  Read full post »

When I’m walking around the Loop, I’m often amused at how many people are genuinely befuddled by the new parking slip machines that have replaced parking meters on downtown streets.

The degree of befuddlement is even greater out in the neighborhoods, and it’s not all from… Read full post »

I decided to take a walk for lunch, since the rain had lightened up, and my lazy self didn’t bring lunch this morning.  Hmmm….do I take a shorter walk and stop at Mac Kelly’s for takeout, or do I gamble on the weather and eat in at Garden Village?  Decided to… Read full post »

I like to dig in the dirt.  As therapy for work stress or whatever is annoying me, it works great.  Coming home to sights like these as a reward for the work makes it even better.  I'm planning to add at least one new bed this year and expand another.

 … Read full post »

Recently I took a long weekend to visit friends in Toronto, my first time exploring there.  Got a good taste of Chinatown and Kensington Market, and a look at a few other neighborhoods.  

 One of my friends was driving me through Rosedale, a nice residential area that looked a bit… Read full post »

Sheldon's recent post about Stinky Walt brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad.

One year my ex had a quirky roomie.  Joe was a little twitchy guy who drank strong black coffee nearly 24/7 and didn’t understand why he couldn’t sleep. He also had no concept of… Read full post »

Second day back at the office after a short vacation, and work is still a blur.  Thought I'd be past that by now.  

 It was only a small consolation to periodically pop out of my door and see Stim rocketing by at light speed with that "deadline-I'm-on-fire-oh-my-god-five-things-at-once… Read full post »

Many thin needles

Deep breathing away from stress

Pain has gone away.

Acupuncture can be bliss. Read full post »

Any of you who have cops among your circle of family and friends knows that many of them have a wicked sense of humor.  It's really a de facto job requirement.  Some of you may be familiar with a popular Chicago cop blog.  

 Yesterday's "Talk like Shakespeare" post and i… Read full post »