The Saturday Morning Post: 50 States in 52 Weeks: Illinois

 

I assure you there is more, much more, to Illinois than Chicago. Chicago is a great American city, tall, diverse, a great transit system, with cold windy winters, and hot humid summers.  Located at the bottom end of Lake Michigan.  My great grandfather worked there over 100 years ago, digging tunnels out under the lake for fresh water intakes. To get there fly into O'hare and take the CTA Blue Line into the loop for $5 it takes about 40 minutes.  It is an amazing city.  My next expected visit there will be in August of 2026. 

There are about 400 miles of Illinois from north to south.*  Once you get south of THE CITY, there are miles and miles and miles of amazing farm land. Millions of acres of corn, wheat, and soya beans.  My grandfather was born near Brighten in the south west of the state, not far from the city of Godfrey Illinois.  The family tree of the founder of that city, hangs above my desk, stretching back to England and Plymouth Massachusetts. Yes, a Mayflower descendant. 

West of Chicago, is a wonderful train museum.  If you like trains and transit, it is worth a visit.  

I first visited Illinois as a child, I remember stopping to see Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, and the Monticello College in Godfrey.  I returned in the late 1970s' when I was driving my grandmother.  Longer stays in Chicago started after we moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1995.  For probably a decade we went to Chicago at least once a year. I was speaking at a conference in Chicago when I turned 50. I went to dinner with a group of friends at a great little French restaurant that has long since closed. 

* I guessed at this, then did a quick search, Google says 390 miles.   

Foodie Friday: Bake Some Bread

I have been working on this recipe for a few weeks.  It is a little different, the results are tasty. You start this one the day before you want to bake the bread.  

Ingredients: 

4 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons of dry active yeast (yes that is a lot of yeast)

1 3/4 cups warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees F) 

1.5 teaspoons of salt

2-3 tablespoons of butter melted 

The afternoon or evening before you want to bake bread, 

Combine 1 cup of the flour, 1 cup of water and the yeast to form a thick batter. It will get bubbly within an hour or so. If it does not, the yeast may have failed. Cover and let sit on the counter for 12-18 hours. 

The next day: 

Add the remaining 3 cups of bread flour, salt and melted butter. Start mixing, slowly adding about 3/4 of a cup of additional water to form a stiff dough.  I do this on the stand mixer with the dough-hook running on slow.  You are looking for the dough to pick up the flour and pull away from the sides of the bowl.  If it is sticking to the sides of the bowl, dust in a teaspoon or two of additional flour.  Knead on medium low, about 9 minutes.  

Cover and allow to rise for 60-120 minutes.

Form into a loaf, you can split this for two baguette style loafs or form it into one large loaf as I did above. 

Slash the top with a razor, (I keep an exacto knife (scalpel) in the kitchen just for this use.) 

Cover and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

I am baking this on a pizza stone, with a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil under it. 

Bake about 35 minutes, it will sound hollow when thumped on the top and bottom when done. 

Cool on a rack for about an hour, before slicing. If you cut into it too soon, it will not cut well and it will dry out in a matter of minutes. This is best when still warm. It keeps 2-3 days, but drys out fast, other than the salt there are no preservatives in it. 

 

The Thursday Ramble: I wonder what ever happened to Shirley

Shirley, was 22 years older than I was, 45 years ago. She was a client, and a friend.  She was originally from Indianapolis.  She was married and divorced several times. She had two teenage daughters when I knew her. 

She just wanted to have fun. She had an MGB, in British racing green, with a convertible top.  When we went out to lunch, she would put the top down, turn the music up, and cruise. She would have a couple of glasses of wine at lunch, and hand me the keys and let me drive. It was my first time driving a fun car with the top down.  I fell in love - with the car. 

Shirley liked men. She made passes at the waiters, gas station cashiers, officers on a cruise ship, and the mortgage loan officer at the bank. When we went to lunch, she would talk for hours about her various affairs and liaisons. Seduction was her hobby.

She enjoyed life, and romance. She ignored all of the norms, and lived life her way. When a relationship failed, she quickly moved on. She was one-of-a-kind in my circle of friends as a young man.  

It has been probably 40 years since I last heard from her. She was settling in after another divorce and thinking about moving back to Indiana to be closer to family. If she is still alive she is 89. If she is I bet she is chasing all of the men and squeezing their buns.  

What triggered this ramble, the MG in a parking garage. 

 

My World of Wonders, aka The Wednesday Ws End of March 2025

Where have I been this week? The library, Aldi, out to lunch a couple of times, the gym, the pool, the swamp, a couple of exotic supermarkets, an arts council meeting, and the pharmacy. 

Who have I talked with? My Sweet Bear, the water aerobics gang, the artsy types, Erica, Jessica, and Beth - people I worked with. 

What have I been reading? A short book Three Roads Back, and Pig Years, and realized I have read it before, I read it again, it was good. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen?  Bangers and mash, meatballs, macaroni and cheese, shrimp pasta, chicken soup - starting with a whole chicken. 

HoW am I feeling? Pretty good. 

What are the signs of spring this week?  Bulb flowers and trees are in early bloom, you can see the buds on the trees swelling by the day. 

What made me think this week? Bloggers, John, Yorkshire, Angus each posted at least one item that made me stop and contemplate. 

What did I remember this week? My first triathlon was in August of 1988, the swim was in the lake at Seaworld in Orlando where the water ski show was held, the bike ride out around that part of lower International Drive  - there was not much out there at that time, and the run finished in the Seaworld park. I did it on somewhat of a dare from my boss.  I had to really learn to swim to do it. The guy who finished in front of me, was celebrating his 84th birthday, I was marking my 30th in a very memorable way. 

What censorship am I practicing this week? I just deleted a depressing political rant.  We all have them. 

When do I need to start painting? Now, the arts group is going to do a special at end of the year exhibit of "New" works. Things created after the March meeting. 

When was I a smart ass this week? The pharmacy made a mistake in a price the last time they submitted a prescription to my insurance.  It was corrected and the insurance company billed me for an underpayment, of 1-cent.  I taped a penny to the bill and sent them payment.  So far we have spent about $1.20 in postage over that 1-cent difference.    

Travel Tuesday: Renwick Gallery

 

Moody Monday: An Extra Helping of Kindness

Writing the Monday Mood, I pause once a week, to reflect on the state of my mind.  How am I really feeling, what is bothering me, what is my level of angst, what is my level of happiness. It seems to help me to pause and take inventory on a regular basis.  

This week I am doing better than I had been a few weeks ago, still not as calm and fun as I would like.  I am fortunate that I am generally able to find mental and emotional balance in life, and stressful times.  Feeling down, or anxious happens, but I am able to move back to balance within a few days. I realize that many of us are not able to do this. I am trying to remember to allow extra kindness to those who are struggling.  These are times for kindness and for many, professional help. 

This week I will remember to say, please, thank you, to hold open a door, and let others merge in front of me on the road.  Little acts of kindness.  I returned books to the library the other day, I took along a couple of donations, one was Randy Rainbow's latest book. The local library didn't have it, so I bought a copy to read.  She desk clerk, looked at it and said, "thank you, I have been trying to get a copy of that!" It is so easy to share. 

It also helps that we are less than three weeks from our grand adventure of the year. Travel is kind of like sex, anticipating it, thinking about it,  is half the fun.       

The Sunday Five: Work

 1: How many different professions or kinds of work have you done in your lifetime? 

2: What work have you done that would be most surprising for others to hear about? 

3: Did you ever find your "dream job?" 

4: Have you ever been "self employed" or owned a small business? 

5: How many employers or jobs have you had in your lifetime? 

My answers: 

1: How many different professions or kinds of work have you done in your lifetime? Bee keeper, photographer, real estate broker, homebuilder, retail sales, credit analyst, lawyer = 7

2: What work have you done that would be most surprising for others to hear about? I sold ladies shoes in a department store while waiting to start law school. 

3: Did you ever find your "dream job?"  Yes, the last one. 

4: Have you ever been "self employed" or owned a small business? A couple of times, as a photographer, a couple of the builder jobs, and my current little consulting practice. 

5: How many employers or jobs have you had in your lifetime? About 12, one of them twice. 

Please share your answers in the comments.