Letter from Publisher

It’s summertime in Chicago!

After a rather chilly spring here on the left coast of Lake Michigan, we’re ready to open the windows and let in the new season! Step outside, look up at the sky, feel the breeze (or the gusty southwest winds bringing warmth) and open your mind to the start of summer, the happy beginning of longer days and new possibilities. While any given day may seem too hot, too cold, too dry or gratefully rainy to counter our area’s drought conditions, it’s great to be standing here again. This moment is what gets many of us through the long Chicago winter.

If you read my letter regularly, you know I seek out pretty much any reason to get outside, and I hope you’ve been inspired to do the same. I suggest we all make it a goal to savor and take in the details of every day of this glorious yet fleeting season. Yes, we’re all busy with things we must do for work and family, and many of us spend much of our days indoors or outside at our jobs, but I’m asking you to please try to make the most of free time you do have to create new memories this coming summer. No doubt this year will again be different from summers of our past as we navigate the ongoing and changing pandemic realities, but there’s plenty of opportunity for new adventures and stories.

One great way to get ready for summer’s bounty is through a trip to your local farmers’ market. More than ever, we’re realizing how important it is to support small farmers and businesses that provide fresh, organic produce and locally produced food products and related goods. New markets have appeared this year to accompany most of our favorite existing markets, and you can find a market on almost any day of the week that is convenient to you. If a trip to the market is not possible, you may want to search online for Chicago area markets and farms that offer virtual market portals and home delivery on their websites. Most markets are opening by June 15, and are following CDC, state, local and Illinois Farmers Market Association guidelines for COVID-19 protocols.

I still experience that childhood excitement and anticipation every year around Memorial Day when the whole summer is ahead of us. I’m inspired to be outside at every possible opportunity and open my office window to connect with the season and listen to the birds while working. When the streetlights come on at the end of a balmy June evening, my mind often wanders back to when I was a kid and had to be home by the time the lights were on (sound familiar?).

This summer, try to recapture some seasonal wonder and excitement. Find reasons to take breaks from your daily routine for a quick blast of summer. Hot, cold or just right, get outside your door and pay attention to that day’s conditions. If you can, visit the lake, go to a park or forest preserve or put your hands into the garden soil. Dance in the warm rain. Sit on the steps or balcony in June and whistle your reply to a robin’s evening song (my personal favorite). Try a new recipe from freshly harvested garden or farmers’ market produce. Look for fireflies. Run through a lawn sprinkler. Stay out really late on the longest day of the year. Catch a sunrise reflecting off the clouds. Watch for the full moon on June 24. Renew your spirit and refresh your soul.

I leave you with daydreams of the coming summer. Send us a note at [email protected] or tag us on Facebook or Instagram to tell us your stories and share some new memories and photos with us.

 

                             

                                        Happy Father’s Day and Happy Summer Solstice!