A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine...yada,yada, yada......

I prefer to make my own melba toast.   I cut the crusts off the very thin Pepperidge Farm bread, spray lightly with olive oil and toast in the oven at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.  I get a mountain of toast points.  I also get a bag of perfectly good bread crusts.  What to do?  Head for the south pond at the zoo and feed the duckies.  No kids around so I take Joe who loves feeding them and trying to outsmart the sea gulls who swoop in to steal the bread from their mouths.  After braving a sea of naked armpits on the dangerously crowded 151 bus, we hit the pond running.

There we were rewarded with momma duck and her 7 babies and also the many varieties of water fowl, gratefully accepting our crusts.  After a nice stroll around the pond we discovered the zoo was closing early for the Zoo Ball fundraiser so we'd have to be content with people watching instead.

 Back onto another outrageously crowded 151 and another sea of armpits and other body parts hanging from the straps.  We got off at the Wrigley building to cruise the North Michigan Avenue Art Fair - a very diminished display compared to other years- recession related- no doubt.A couple of our favorites were missing and there were no food vendors or street performers, a pretty sad event.

Back home in time for cocktail hour we feasted on the smoked salmon and cucumber appetizers made with the home- made melba toast and chose the wine for dinner.

Nothing goes to waste around here - it just goes to waist.