DIANA REPUBLIC

A friend once said that a Chicago summer is as if everyone was given just three months to live. The minute the weather breaks the lakeshore is busy with runners, bikers and roller bladers. The beachfront restaurants are open and the sunscreen is in the air. Women of all ages bust out summer attire that has been burning a hole in their closet long before the weather warrants it. And every weekend features another street festival with music and food and hemp clothing. There is a certain urgency felt in the city because we know that the summer weather won’t last and we don’t want to miss a moment of it.

I grew up in New Hampshire, so I am used to weather and seasons. And I really enjoy the snow and am not afraid of a little cold (or a lot as it were). I do get the blues when the sun disappears for days on end regardless. Too much grey sky makes for grey me. But grey skies aside, I like winter. This past winter, however, pushed even me to my limits. If would not end and even when it did end, it didn’t really end. And as for seasons, well if there was a “spring” it lasted about three days.

Now that summer has finally arrived, I am enjoying the closest thing to heaven on earth for me: sitting in a lounge chair in my yard throwing the ball for my dogs. Watching my boys as they chase the ball or each other or just run with their ears flapping and eyes wild is the best drug I know. The unbridled joy they emanate spreads to me without thought. Any stress I have is lifted as they romp and any sadness evaporates. Mike drops his slimey ball in my lap protecting it from Goose all the while. Then they both sit like soldiers while I prepare to launch it. Mike is focused and purposeful and Goose just chases him. Like a crazy woman, I speak to them with encouragement and instructions and sometimes just in conversation.

I used to feel drawn to the lakeside and the action. I could probably use a bike ride or two and the people-watching at Castaways Restaurant on the beach is some of the best around, but that is not my scene anymore. I do feel the urgency, the desire to be out and soak up every bit of sunshine and nice weather. But now I am drawn to a basket full of dirty balls, a nice stretch of grass and a couple of excitable beasts and I feel lucky to have all three.