Sunday Music: Crabby Appleton

Chicagoans pride themselves on their stoic acceptance of winter weather. Well, it's snowed nearly every day for the last month, and even the most stalwart shovelers in our 'hood have given up. The Chicago avenue bus is crammed with salt-streaked, depressed commuters, many of them coughing from the first signs of a vaccine-resistant flu strain. At our home, a sudden thaw caused the garage to flood, marinating the car in over a foot of water. It wouldn't start, and had to be towed. We have no groceries.

Time for escape, to southern California, ca. 1970. This is Crabby Appleton's only hit, but it still makes me feel sunkissed and warm.