Even by Chicago standards, today's weather was startlingly strange - perhaps an extension of the brief hailstorm that pelted our region.

Last night a strange sound drew me to the dining room at about 7 o'clock, as a series of erratic, tinny ching!-s emanated from outside the sleeping air conditioner. As I pulled open the blinds, I saw a fusillage of icy pea-sized pellets bouncing off the unit's metal exterior, glinting orange-green under the streetlamps.

This morning the hail was replaced by a series of chilly belligerent rain showers, alternating with errant gouts of sun tearing through the clouds. Stopping to observe the effect was like watching a time-lapse documentary, only much colder and wetter. It was a day of upturned jacket collars, newly uncloseted sweaters, and hopes for evening soup.

Can't cook up better weather, but let's see what I can do about the soup.

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