Just When You Think It's Safe...

by Cathy

Just this past weekend, as the temperatures dipped into the 40s at night, I safely packed away my last plastic tote filled with our summer clothes. It took me almost two full weeks to complete this Seasonal Switchout Shuffle. After going through entire wardrobes for each one of us - donating clothes that Ari has outgrown, organizing and labeling by size the clothes that Bella has outgrown (for Ari) and sorting through everything from pj's to shoes for me and Joe, I was finally done. Summer clothes were neatly stored away, labeled, and placed in storage.

As a native of Chicago, I know better than to lock them up and throw away the key. In fact, instead of placing these totes in the jumbled drepths of my storage, I have instead placed them right inside the entrance to the storage for easy access. Why? I've come to recognize the games the weather here plays. Just when you think it's safe to assume that a new season is upon us, it isn't.

This week it's supposed to reach 80 degrees. "But it's not a summer 80," my perpetually cold husband warned. "It's October. Let's not get crazy." Some could say this is our Indian Summer, but I would like to think that is still down the road, ready to rear its pretty head and surprise us in November.

For this reason, I have left a few summer staples mixed in with the current winter stuff I recently pulled from the dark corners of our storage; I never keep those at the ready. The bin of shoes and accessories near our back door contains everything from hats, scarves and boots to flip flops, Crocs and sunscreen. And the outfits we Chicagoans will concoct this week? Total Midwestern Moda.

But fellow Chicagoans will never scoff at said outfits because they know better. We have a Seasonal Spring Salad Mix to choose from on a day to day basis here, depending on the weather. We are all in the same proverbial boat of weather confusion together. Except...when there's no denying the fact that we are in full on blizzard mode. Then, we take our easily accessible summer clothes, start packing and head to Miami for a much needed sunny reprieve. Yet another reason to keep your summer duds at the ready.