Chicago's long, cold freeze finally broke and today it is absolutely glorious. And with spring on the way, my front porch will no longer be a mere pass-through on the way into our house.
So I decided to spend Z's naptime giving our more-two-than-three season room a thorough cleaning--no easy task considering it is all windows. Old-fashioned tiny paned windows covered by soot-filled screens and gritty storm windows. All so old and warped that nothing quite fits together. And since it is about 10 steps off the ground, I had to use a bucket of vinegar and water, a mop and a ladder to clean the outside.
Anyway, getting my porch cleaned would have been rewarding on its own, but I was doubly delighted to see all of my neighbors emerge from hibernation and take to the streets with their much-grown babies, toddlers and dogs. This area may suffer from some miserable winters, but the snow and ice is worth seeing the broad smiles as everyone heads back outside in the springtime. We do not take good weather for granted, that's for sure.
Speaking of folks out for a stroll, Josh walked to Walgreens and reported that I wasn't the only Oak Parker with a yen for spring cleaning. Apparently the entire block smells of cleaning supplies.
