It’s not winter yet, but for me, starting from the lower 40s, biking is challenging because my hands are getting unbearably cold. Same with my feet – that’s why I do not escort from November to March. Some time ago, I mentioned that to my one-level-up manager, and he suggested I try BarMitts – he said that that’s how he solved a similar problem.
I decided to give it a try, and it worked! I am not sure this would work when the temperature would drop to the 20s, and I still need gloves, but now i can bike when the temperature is in the 30s!
We’ve had a little bit of warmer weather recently, and on Tuesday, I moved my workday to an even earlier start than usual and came back home to take a bike ride. I was less of a traffic jam than I was afraid it could be, and it was really warm and calm – a perfect fall afternoon!
I hope that I will have a chance to see fall foliage. I know that there was no way for me to go to Helsinki this fall, but I am still remorseful. Boris is telling me how the leaves are turning red and yellow and how the stores started to sell Christmas chocolate, and I am trying to give him instructions on which chocolate to buy, but I am sad I won’t be the one choosing Christmas chocolate this season. Next year, we will plan better! I know; I say it every year :).
There was a severe overnight thunderstorm all night Friday to Saturday, and when I went for my morning bike ride, I found all a tree blocking my way on the Laekfrom trail – the first time since I moved to Rogers Park!
There was no rain in the morning but it looked like the sky was still in the stormy mood:
There was a sunny day after that, but I was busy getting ready for our trip!
One thing is for sure – Independence Day was perfect weather-wise. My friends visited Chicago during the holiday week. They stayed in a hotel on the Near North, and I volunteered to give them a city tour on July 4 (having that most of the museums were closed anyway). It turned out that not only museums were closed! We could not get in neither Chicago Cultural Center, nor Rookery building Foye, nor Chicago Fine Arts Building.
Nevertheless, we had a great walk around the city in a perfect weather, and then I took then for the Brown Line Loop to see the city from the unique perspective, and then I we went to Rogers Park and I showed them how I live, and how close the lake is.
Although it was a perfect beach weather, the beach was so packed that I didn’t think I could find any pleasure and enjoyment being on the beach on in the water, co after I saw them off, I returned to catching up with life :).
Then, there was 90F on Wednesday followed by this horrible thunderstorm that started during the concert. I still can’t get over of how bad it was, and how quickly everything was flooded, and my mom had such a horrible experience (in addition, she could not sleep the night before that because of the illegal fireworks).
And then there was Thursday, when it was barely warm (lower 70-s), but since the lake was already warmed up, it was a beach weather, and it was such a fun to jump. in the waves!
Summer is the only time when I try to work from home one or two days a week to be able to have a lunch break ar the beach!
Today was the second time I attended the “American Salute” concert, and the first time ever I paid for the seat to be close to the stage, to avoid the crowds, and to be protected from the elements. And it was the first time that the concert I attended was interrupted because of severe weather! Also, I took my mom to the concert, and she was miserable because her feet were completely wet, and we had to stand for almost 30 minutes (it was so bad I could not even think of walking to the street to get an Uber), the water was everywhere!…
Although I arrived on Saturday and, technically speaking, could attend the Pride Parade, it was not on my mental list, so I ended up not going there. Instead, I tried to catch up with tons of little things and was petty successful with that.
I found one more biking opportunity – after the evening rush hour. Now, and for the next two months, there will be enough daylight to bike after 6 PM. Yesterday, I left the house at 6-15, and the traffic was much better than it is between 4 and 6, and probably even better than during lunchtime.
And today in the morning – the sunrise from the same place 🙂
I am almost sad that I have breakfast and lunch at work and do not have an opportunity to eat breakfast outside. The closest I can get to it – sit by the window at the cafeteria:
The weather is amazing, and the whole city seems to be outside. I took a stroll after lunch, and everywhere on the Riverwalk, there is people ]sitting, eating their lunches, and enjoying the weather.
And there are so many things I need and what to do that they hopelessly do not fit anywhere, and I do not even have time to write down my to-do lists :). So instead of blogging about what I didn’t do or do not have time to do, I should better tell what I’ve actually done!
And it was this beautiful morning bike ride, and an exceptionally productive day at work, and a walk along the river, and dinner at the ODS (only a partial success since most residents were somewhere outside :)).
It is in the upper 70s, even taking into account “cooler by the lake.” And I worked from home, but the day was insanely busy with work, my conference, and taking mom to physical therapy. I didn’t even have time to go to a bike ride, and I didn’t leave the house before it was time to walk to mom’s house.
However, at 5 PM, will all things not done yet, I put a blanket and my iPad into a light backpack and marched out of the house towards the beach.
Yes, it’s April 12, I remember :). Yes, the water is cold (although I dipped my toes into it!) But there is nothing in the world that could bring me calm and peace of mind as the lake does!
I laid my blanket on the sand, and I laid down on my back. And although I brought my iPad with me, I had no desire to read even a paragraph. I was lying down on my back, looking up at the sky and taking the lake in.
There were lots of parents with children who came to the beach. The kids played in the sand, and I heard a boy playing with his friend exclaiming: that’s a gift store! Everything is free! And I thought: that’s what it is all about! The best thing ever is less than a ten-minute walk from my house, and that best thing ever is free, free for all of us, rich and poor, white and black, old and young… my lake… our lake.
Hettie's Reflections 