Letter from the Publisher

It’s here! For me, July is the full 360 degrees of summer I wait for all year. Spring’s officially in the rearview mirror and fall can just wait. July in the Midwest is the essence of summer, and it surrounds us in every direction.

Every day brings subtle changes as the season unfolds around us. Young birds grow from awkward fledglings at the feeder to being on their own. Backyard wildlife toddlers are turning into raucous teenagers. Garden flowers and vegetable plants have grown into their spaces, stretching skyward, setting fruits and opening to the summer sun. Farmers markets are overflowing. It’s a season of abundance, and July invites us to savor it with our full senses.

Even if you spend much of the day indoors, summer is noticeably in motion. Open a window to the summer breeze. Take in the cricket and katydid songs as sunset fades to twilight. Leave room for joyful spontaneity. And when possible, simply say yes when summer taps you on the shoulder.

This month’s theme, Good Vibes, Great Outdoors, feels like a natural extension of the season itself, inviting us to harmonize with this month of sunshine and reconnect with nature, each other and ourselves. 

In our feature article, “Wellness Without Walls: Outdoor Connections for Body and Spirit,” Marlaina Donato explores the many ways wellness can move beyond four walls and into the outdoors. Whether it’s a walk in the park, an afternoon spent in a kayak, a yoga class under the open sky, a volunteer project, or simply spending more time unplugged and present, summer offers countless outdoor opportunities to nourish body, mind and spirit. And if the summer suggests a day trip, Sheryl DeVore takes us to the Indina Dunes parks, less than an hour from Chicago, where you can explore dunes, wetlands, prairies and forests shaped by thousands of years of geological change along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Summer’s abundance comes colorfully to our tables this month through berries, green beans, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, freshly harvested greens, carrots and beets, aromatic herbs and produce varieties too bountiful to list. July invites us to enjoy every bite. Whether your inspiration springs from a farmers market, area co-op, neighborhood produce department or the zucchini, tomatoes and fresh herbs growing in your own garden, work with what the season gives you. The culinary possibilities end only with your imagination.

As we each weave our own summer story, we also share our Midwest summer as a community. And while we may not all spend it the same way, we experience the same long evenings, sudden thunderstorms, delightful breezes, and opportunities to gather with friends, neighbors and loved ones. Some days are picture-perfect. Others are hot, muggy and interrupted by a downpour. That’s summer, too. The season doesn’t ask for perfection. It simply invites us to be part of it.

As always, I invite you to step outside every day, whether for a few moments, an afternoon or an entire weekend. Feel the breeze, the sunshine, the humidity, the rain, the heat or the unexpected chill of a northeaster running the full fetch of the Lake. Gaze at the full moon as it rises on July 29 or wish upon the stars. Summer is finally here. I hope you will take your time to observe, savor and make it your own.