Thanksgiving | Monica's Tangled Web

This sculpture seems to be holding court at the Art Institute of Chicago

Just got back from Chicago and all I can say is:

Brrr!!!

Talk about windy. Sure, I know Chicago is known as the windy city. But I figured that was just a figure of speech. Much in the way New York City is known as the Big Apple.

I mean, everyone knows that NYC really isn’t an apple, right? There’s nothing about it that tastes like a Granny Smith or a Red Delicious, is there? So, I just assumed Chicago really wasn’t windy. At least, no more than any other city.

But, no. Turns out Chicago is 100 percent, honest-to-goodness windy. Wizard of Oz tornado-in-Kansas windy, though I didn’t see Miss Gulch flying by on a bike.

In fact, those Chicago gusts nearly knocked the wind right out of my sails, and any determination I had to face the crowds on Black Friday were immediately dashed.

Ready for the holidays at the Art Institute of Chicago

So, maybe skipping Black Friday was for the best. After all, I find that for every gift I purchase, I usually end up buying a second for myself.

Besides, there’s Cyber Monday!

So what did we do instead? For starters, we stayed in and puttered. We ate leftover turkey and all the fixings, caught up on our magazine reading, and chatted and laughed to our hearts’ content.

We watched TV and lamented that one of our favorite new series, 666 Park Avenue, has been cancelled. We had a moment of silence for Larry Hagman, an actor who could channel evil like few others, and who was pure perfection in his role of J.R. Ewing on the Dallas TV series.

We did venture out on occasion. Once to see the film, Lincoln, which was then followed by a lively debate on the complexities of the man and what it took to get the U.S. Constitution’s Thirteenth Amendment–the one outlawing slavery–passed.

We also spent an afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago, saw the Chicago Symphony concert perform music from the Disney film, Fantasia, and dined at a very nice restaurant.

And, did I tell you it was freezing?

Of course, when the temps warmed a little, I got to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes, taking walks around a nearby lake. Herewith, some photos from my trip: