Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of grilling season.  Plenty of folks have been searing all spring as social distancing keeps most of us in our own backyard or out on the balcony.

The rain can’t stop us, either:

Weber grillmaster Kevin Kolman applauded my efforts, which inspired me to spark up my Spirit-II more and more…

That’s a ribeye I got on sale for like $8 from Mariano’s in Streeterville.

Frozen Billy Goat burgers

I watched Blues Brothers and ended up getting hammered that night on Miller Lite and Jameson 🥃

Too much ketchup & mustard?  Not for me.

Picked up some Mariano’s chicken burgers in Westchester and saw McDonald’s had a guy dressed as an Apple Pie.

A gig’s a gig in this job market. Food mascots are silly but effective on the hungry.

Went to my buddy Jim’s in Brookfield to hang outside and eat a lot.

Do you trust Rudy the Golden within leaping distance of your chicken burger?

Not to worry.  Rudy’s a good boy and doesn’t steal off plates.

Sat down to gorge on kabobs with a side of Mariano’s loaded potato salad.

Bacon and cheese in there…real good stuff. Even the lady at the deli was excited for me when I ordered it.

We drank beer and ate in the backyard.  Definition of socializing these days.  Listened to music on his outdoor speakers and drank some more.  Jim played me a David Letterman/Howard Stern interview he’d heard lately and then also a David Spade interview.  Enjoyed hearing what the funnymen had to say about lockdown and COVID-19.  We must’ve been cranking the volume, because around 10:30pm a pair of friendly Brookfield police officers arrived in protective masks.  They approached gingerly and one of them announced, “Hey, I heard you guys are listening to Howard Stern.”  A neighbor called with a noise complaint.  I remember the days we’d have wild house parties and zero visits from the cops.  Now two guys and a dog in the backyard listening to two other guys talking warrants a visit from officers.  All good. As I said, they were totally chill about it.  We called it a night.

More grilling to speak of later this week…