The newly expanded family survived a number of months there, but some things were becoming intolerable. The (older) neighbors below them were displeased with the noise: babies crying; frequent walking through the apartment at all hours; etc. They hadn't expected that when Libby and Mike moved in, and they found it difficult. Also, the frequent long climbs up and down the 4 flights of stairs was becoming hard for Mike and Libby. They decided to find something else and move.
They found a first floor apartment in downtown Evanston. It was a good location for many things (the "El", stores, movie theaters, etc.), but had a serious drawback: it was a block from a fire station. Fire trucks would come by frequently, at all hours. Not good for 2 very young babies, but the family got through it.
A greater impact was the Great Snowfall of '67, when several feet of snow fell overnight and paralysed Chicago and its suburbs. On the morning after, Mike bravely walked to the train station, rode to work at the Merchandise Mart...and found no one there! Except for night shift people in the Computer Room, none of the 1400 employees attempted or were able to get into work. Mike got back on the train (which was most almost empty aanyway) and returned home.
Things at home in the apartment became affected, too. Although their car was safely parked off the street, it was buried under more than 2 feet of drifted snow, and they weren't able to drive it for several weeks. Of immediate concern was food for the babies - and their grocery store was about 4 blocks away. (Stores were impacted, too, as many people tried to stock up on essentials, knowing it might be a long time before normal was restored.) Mike was able to borrow a sled and walk down the snow-covered streets to the store and buy needed things, and the sled served the purpose that store carts couldn't.
Almost everything was at a standstill throughout Chicago: O'Hare Airport was shut down; cars were abandoned on the expressways; and people suffered when coal and oil deliveries were halted. The family also felt the cold that followed the snowstorm. Their apartment building's furnace died, and it couldn't be repaired for several days. Mike and Libby had a gas stove and spent considerable time sitting in front of the open oven, holding the babies. It was miserable.
Mike continued to play touch football down at the park along the beach in Evanston. His group played every Sunday, regardless of the weather or temperature. When the girls were old enough, and the weather warm enough, Mike and Libby would bring them. Other players brought their families, making this part of their social activities. [more]