It’s whispered from a tractor on a flat Midwestern plain
The fields are dry and dusty, there is no sign of rain
It floats out a kitchen window, somewhere in the south
If the river gets much higher, they’ll float away no doubt
You can almost feel it in the air, an American prayer
They’re gonna be alright, they’re gonna carry on
Help from above will come back strong
I got faith in us, I got faith in Him
The clouds will part and the sun will shine again, amen
It echoes through the factories up in Michigan
It bounces off the levees, and rides out on the wind
Clear out to California, and back on up to Maine
It don’t matter if you’re rich or poor, a sinner or a saint
Every night, everybody, everywhere
Is praying their American prayer
-Dustin Lynch
Thursday 6 June 2024
Off the top, it would be remiss of me not to note the eightieth anniversary of the Operation Overlord D-Day landings on Normandy beaches in France that was the beginning of the end of the Second World War and Hitler’s Nazi regime. A momentous day in the history of the world: many nations – Americans, British, Canadian, French, Australian – coming together in one of the great wartime undertakings there has ever been.
The weather remained hot and humid today, with no cool relief just yet, although it is supposed to arrive on Friday. I’m already half-looking ahead to the weather in Sydney on Monday. The end of the trip has kind of snuck up on me, and I’m equal parts excited to go home and sad to leave.
It will be a busy Friday with lunch, dinner and late-evening drinks on tap, so I did some packing today to make sure I’m ready to go early on Saturday morning. Ate lunch at Jimmy Johns, a sandwich shop like Subway only better. They make the sandwiches almost inhumanly quickly. It certainly feels better settling in the stomach than Subway ever did.
Went to the movies in the afternoon to see the new “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” movie that was just released today, on the enormous IMAX screen. As is standard for Bad Boys films, it was loud, slick, violent, at times crass and nearly all the time side-splittingly funny. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have still got it.
Dinner with the Weller clan tonight. Kristina made a huge feat for us, highlighted by her steaks that are world famous by now. We managed to dodge the worst of the cicadas tonight and sat outside for a while in their backyard, where we saw a beautiful cardinal, some rabbits and even a couple of cicadas hopping on the good foot to do the bad thing, if you get my drift. As always, a very entertaining night, and I got my once-a-year photo with Kristina.
Last day in Chicago tomorrow.
kitchtrips 