A Rainy December Night

I've been in Chicago all week.  It turns out I was wrong HOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING came out this past Tuesday and not the week before.

I celebrated release day by meeting an  old friend of mine for lunch under the Christmas tree in what used to be Marshall Field's and is now Macy's.  It's a Chicago tradition and the place was mobbed.  It was very festive and the food was good.  I've know Penny since I was a couple of years old so we had lots of old times to talk about.  She is the only person I have who remembers that we had a phone that  took nickels.  Even my brother, who is older,  thinks I'm nuts when I bring it up.

The grocery store in my neighborhood abruptly closed when I was here in October.  Nothing has taken it's place, so shopping for food has been a challenge.  There is a little store around the corner for me.  They have a lot of stuff considering the small space, but not much in produce or frozen food.

After I met Penny, I walked to the downtown Trader Joe's and bought some fruit.  I had to remember that there was no car to put it n and that I had to walk almost a mile to the train.

I got a pizza and salad to go a couple of days ago from a restaurant down the street.  It lasted a while, but by tonight the pickings in the refrigerator  were pretty slim, so I decided to go out.

One of the things I love about being here is that there s a restaurant across the street.  I mean really just across the street.  The weather had turned warmer and it was raining when I went out.  It hardly felt like it was almost Christmas.

The restaurant is really a coffee shop with a Greek and Mexican touch.  I remember the same spot from when it was a drug store what seems like a million years ago.  All that is left of the drug store is the white tiled floor.

It was fairly busy.  A couple of cops were having dinner.  Two older women were deep in conversation.  I was given one of the small booths located between two men both dining alone.

They're known for their soup and tonight's choice was cream of potato.  It was hot and delicious.

It was still raining when I went home and the street was shiny.   I was glad to get home.  It seemed so bright and cheery on this wet night.

I have been taking a little time off from writing as I have no deadline hanging over my head.  In the meantime I've started working on getting an insurance license.  I have to take 50 hours of classes and tests before the real test.  It's been a while since I've done anything like this and I am a little rusty.  But I love a challenge and learning something new.