• June 2022 Check-In

    Monday, July 4, 2022 Permalink 0

    Happy 4th of July!  Today, we celebrate almost 250 years as the United States of America. On this day in history, a group of men signed the Declaration of Independence. A piece of paper declared to the world that the USA would no longer be dictated by a monarchy. It would, instead, be governed by the ...

  • May 2022 Check-in

    Saturday, June 4, 2022 Permalink 0

    Finally, Spring is here! Although it’s weird it arrived in late May, we’ll take it! I’m thoroughly enjoying the breezy 70s weather. Despite the occasional 90 degree spikes and today being cloudy and 66, May blossomed! Flowers bloomed in colorful bounties. Trees budded and sprouted leaves. And now, the city is painted serenity green with ...

  • April Check-in

    Tuesday, May 3, 2022 Permalink 0

    April showers ended up bringing May fl--showers… at least today. Chicago is being soaked by wind and rain. A foggy gloom blankets the city. The howling wind sends sheets of rain across the Drive. It’s your basic commuting nightmare especially on public transit.  As I sip my coffee in my pajamas, I am so grateful ...

  • March Check-in

    Saturday, April 2, 2022 Permalink 0

    This picture encapsulates my March experience perfectly!  The poinsettia I bought in December for $8.99 refuses to die. It’s hanging on… unwavering, unwanted, and unwatered. It’s mirroring winter in Chicago. Even though we officially said goodbye to winter last week, he is treating us to a rain-sleet-snow frenzy on this Saturday in April. Winter is like ...

  • February Check-In

    Saturday, March 5, 2022 Permalink 0

    February was short and sweet… and bitter!  It was SHORT which is particularly nice during a Chicago winter. It follows the long, dreary days of January.  January is the official buzz killer after the merriment of the holidays. Those 31 days of resolution to make this year the best is exhausting. February is the calendar pause ...

  • January Check-in

    Thursday, February 3, 2022 Permalink 0

    2022 started the same as 2021 ended with COVID-19 in the spotlight. The highly contagious Omicron was beating down on the world. Aside from the news reporting this oppressive phenomena, it got personal on a few levels.  I was in meetings with several community health centers (CHC) overwhelmed with staff shortages and increased patients as a ...

  • December Check-in

    Sunday, January 2, 2022 Permalink 0

    Although COVID continues to wreak havoc in our civilization, this Christmas was definitely better than last year!  The good news is we have a vaccination series that includes a booster. The bad news is we have 37% of Americans not completely vaccinated. People continue to choose to prolong this pandemic by being willfully obtuse. Chicago is ...

  • November Check-in

    Thursday, December 2, 2021 Permalink 0

    COVID, Delta, Omicron, ——— what’s next? This pandemic continues to live on. It mutates in unvaccinated hosts to survive and thrive as a new variant! It all makes me mad, cranky, disappointed and sad. I’ve got pandemic fatigue. If Americans refuse to listen to the science and get vaccinated, how can we expect for residents ...

  • September and October Check-ins

    Monday, November 1, 2021 Permalink 0

    November 1, 2021 It’s a two month check-in! September was a whirlwind month of unexpected tragedies. Three of my close friends lost loved ones… a mother, a husband and a father-in-law. Although the three funerals brought unexpected touching reunions of Michigan, high school and Fort Wayne friends for me, the passage of life for my grieving ...

  • August Check-in

    Saturday, September 4, 2021 Permalink 0

    Mid-August, Chicago was hit with an indoors mask mandate. Illinois followed suit a week later.  The positivity rate was too high. Was it Lollapollooza or other festivals?  Who knows? I’m not mad at the Mayor or the Governor for inflicting a mask mandate. Masks have proven to stop the spread. I’ll wear one for the ...