There is a lot happening in this post, so if you are here for the pretty stuff…just scroll.
The Day Off:
Splendid! I did a extraordinary job of enjoying myself all day long. Even though it was cold, the sun was out in a crispy blue sky, which means my mood was at least 40% better than it would have been on a cloudy day.
I did get up early as planned. While the coffee was brewing, Peapod delivered my groceries at 6:20 am. I had spent a whole 5 minutes grocery shopping online the night before. You should try it if you live in Chicago. I will rave about it at length if you want to talk about it in person.
Before Justin left for school with his packed lunch (that would be lost on the Metra within the hour 
) he read my post from last night as usual. No grammar/spelling mistakes were noted. So I am guessing it was just too early to spot them rather than the post actually being written properly.
I left the house at 9. Camera in tow. Parka as well. It wasn’t too bad out if you stayed on the sunny side of the street. As I enjoyed this sunny street thing, I quickly realized that nothing was going to open until 11. Most of the people I passed this morning before the shops were open were weirdos or dog walkers. Or both. I decided to cut over to the residential Richy McRicherson part of Andersonville and just wander around for awhile. It really is a fantastic place to live if you have the money to be there. A little nest of nice in the middle of a busy city. Most of the houses and yards are gorgeous, with the exception of the exceptionally bright blue one. I have included that for your viewing pleasure/confusion.
Cold/Red/Snot face was threatening to settle in, so I hopped back over to Clark and into the Taste of Heaven restaurant across from the Brown Elephant resale store. I ate the world’s best cherry scone as I waited. Please go eat it. No butter is needed. If you don’t like cherries, the woman who served it to me also recommended the blackberry. There are about 6 other flavors as well. If you are there after noon, eat the Jeanine cake. I actually would have eaten it this morning, but it wasn’t an option yet. Madness.
I sat at the sunny counter, eating my cherry scone companion and sipping a perfectly crafted latte. Watched the weirdos and dogs go by. When I started to spot normal neighborhood people and some children, I realized that the shops were now open. I went from Brown Elephant, then to Brownstone Antiques, across to Women and Children’s Bookstore, and then Foursided and Marguerite gardens.
Curiosities were plenty, cats in store windows were adorable, and treasures were gathered. No one got mad at me for photographing anything, and the sun kept me warm. Flowers were bought along with a milk glass pedestal bowl, a flashcard with 6 rabbits on it, a tiny squirrel figurine (50 cents!), a bud vase, large quantities of potent catnip, a book about vampires (Ann Rice instead of Stephanie Meyer…it was 50 cents!), and a cute cosmetic canister with gold stars on it. The four hour wandering of my neighborhood was a happiness success. I think the highlight of the adventure was the sign on the piano at the Brown Elephant that begged the idiot public to have sense before banging on the keys. The creepy award for the trip goes to the weird part taxidermy horse that was on sale for $800 at the Brownstone Antique store. I didn’t get a good angle because I was rushing to get away from it. So nasty.
At home, the cats were eager to get drunk on the catnip I had brought them. Porpus really went at it. She rolled in the sun and nip for sometime, while Schween stole remnants from the sidelines. She then batted at her own shadow while Porp passed out in the background. I also wanted to hang out in the sun, so I sat in a warm spot—sans catnip—and read about vampires. The rest of the afternoon involved a sun nap, orange soda, Jeopardy and brownies.
Curry brownies! Made like regular brownies from scratch, but with the addition of coconut and curry. Based on my favorite chocolate from Vosges. They turned out really well, but I would make a few changes next time. I will type up the recipe when it is perfected.
The evening ended with italian sausage soup with tortellini. My favorite. Justin’s picture of happiness for the day I am sure. Soup coma followed the meal. Souuuuup. mmmmmllllllaah. Seriously.
Here are the 48 pictures of happiness narrowed down from a about 457328549. Favorites are enlarged. Woot!
Cherry Scone from Taste of Heaven.
PLEASE
Rarr. Foursided Dino in flashcards display.
Drunk kitteh
<3
Curry is in the foreground. Now in my belly.
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