I’m fine, thank you

I cried at my desk at the office today. Twice. Crying in a cubicle is a tricky feat because someone is usually on the other side of the flimsy wall. No matter how hard I try to cry silently, it’s inevitable for one large intake of breath to escape, or a gulp, or some other distressing sound that will cause one of my cubicle mates to say, “Hey — you okay over there?”

October glory days for a chaos garden

As I write this, my garden is still standing — though some might say it’s standing on borrowed time.

Some might glance at my wilted, withering wasteland of defunct flowers and “tsk” at my tardiness in cleaning things up, but to my way of thinking, those tsk-ers are dead wrong. To my way of thinking, an Illinois garden only arrives at its true calling in late October, when the colorful flower petals are long gone and the seeds cluster atop the dry, crispy stalks.

A Cubs fan at a Sox party

I checked my Chicago Cubs allegiance at the door, at least for a few hours on a late September Tuesday afternoon.

A group of about 30 Chicago White Sox baseball fans, mostly Sun City residents, gathered at the Village Inn restaurant to witness a game few thought was possible six months ago.

A Mexican hat dance

They say variety is the spice of life. That is why when we do our articles, we don’t review Chinese, Chinese, Chinese, or Italian, Italian, Italian restaurants all in a row. We try to shake things up and spice it up. What better way to spice things up than with a Mexican restaurant. We accidentally came across the El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant in Fox River Grove and wanted to give it a try.

I’m a full-grown adult with a degree and a career. I drive my own car. But when I go up to visit my parents, who are in their 90s and live in an apartment for seniors, it’s like I’m a kid again. It’s confusing, especially because now, our traditional roles are not as clear cut. In fact, they’ve been flipped on their head.

Acquiring a sweet appreciation for one of Dad’s lessons

Of all the many lessons my father taught me, the most valuable one that I live by every day may be his lesson about “acquired taste.”

I’m sure you know that term — the process of learning over time to like something that you found distasteful when you first experienced it.

Yuck, yuck, amuck

As the adult children and grandkids are back to work and school, things are getting back to seriousness. Reading “The New York Times” the other day, you would believe that there is no joy in the world at this moment. And, in some ways, that would seem to be correct. Doomscrolling over social media can be a daunting exercise that can leave you drained and unmotivated. However, I have been trying to look at the positive in life more. So, in a bid to not fall into a complete existential crisis, let’s put the drama away (for now) and focus on more comedic efforts.

Deal of the decade

We’ve all seen those ads on Facebook. Everything looks good and the prices seem fantastic. Some are legitimate, and others not so much. Case in point, Nancy and I are still waiting for our wind chines we ordered from a third world nation three years ago. Because of this, we decided to take Facebook ads with a grain of salt. But, we saw an ad for a restaurant in Geneva offering a Five Course Meal on Monday or Tuesday for $25 for lunch, and $30 for dinner. Nancy is very “frugal” and said, “we can’t pass this one up, what have we got to lose???” So, on we went to the Portofino Trattoria.

The fall back plan: thinking ahead for spring

Mornings at our house, while filled with the excitement of the coming day, can also be a bit busy. There are chores such as laundry and dishes that need to be done and Annie, our beloved dog, also needs to be let out and fed. Completing all of this before heading to work can be a challenge. In an attempt to make mornings a bit easier, I start preparing the evening before.

Ask an Angel: October 8, 2026

Before I even begin explaining my situation, I want to say that I’m feeling guilty even writing this.

It’s September and I’m feeling ‘vine’

I’ve always admired the tiny, white, star-shaped blossoms of Sweet Autumn Clematis, the vine that spills over fences and ledges in a profusion of sweet-smelling blooms in late summer.

Years ago, a neighbor shared a tiny little sprout, digging it up near her fence. Cradling it like a baby, I took it home, where I lovingly put it in the ground. But for years, it just didn’t get going the way I thought it would. I needn’t have worried. The perennial vine, years later, has firmly taken root.

Who assembled these assembly directions, anyway?

Some people see the words “Some assembly required” and consider it a deal-breaker, but for me it’s a challenge.

Especially when it’s two identical gizmos that require assembly, and you can challenge yourself to beat your record time in building the second one.

An industrial cafe

Our process for choosing restaurants to review is very complex. We see ads on Facebook, we receive recommendations from our loyal readers, and we google like crazy. But when all is said and done, the restaurant is decided by whatever Jim and I have a taste for. Jim has been whining for days wanting to go to a place for breakfast food. I spotted on Facebook a café in McHenry that serves breakfast and lunch, so off we went to Kim and Patty’s Café.

Indie summer

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day. Now it is back to business as usual. However, some of us don’t want the warm season to end yet. Mother Nature certainly doesn’t. Despite all the blockbusters, some smaller studios released some gems for us.

Ask an Angel: September 24, 2026

My wife and I are of an age where we’re starting to think about our last chapter in life. We’re in our late 70s, our kids are grown, and we’re considering moving to a senior living community. Our house has become too much to manage, and we’d like to be surrounded by an active community where we can make new friends and enjoy life.

Plant recommendations from a professional

Whether you realize it or not, you most likely have a plant in your yard that was grown by Midwest Groundcovers. As wholesale company, they supply local garden centers and landscapers with high quality plants that are bred to perform well in our area. Their plants add beauty, increase biodiversity, provide for a healthier living environment and allow for joy when incorporated into the landscaping around a home.

Starting with nothing is still starting

Yesterday, our 22 year-old son drove off to start a new life in Kansas City, MO.

In his car was not much more than his clothes, a guitar, and a crock pot.

Oh, the places a good corn-chat can take you

As our Illinois summer inches into autumn, it’s time once again to talk about corn. Especially with a boy or girl heading into a new season of their life, like high school or college.

As in: “If you were corn, what kind of corn would you be?”

Summer bummers

August is fading fast. Mild as it has been, the heat still feels like vernal. With all the rain, the humidity hasn’t subsided. But for all the hallmarks of late summer, the slowly changing sundown still heralds the end. Spooky season is around the corner as you, no doubt, have seen in any retail space. The brisk way we race to the next holiday without savoring the here and now. When I saw All Hollow’s Eve decor the moment I turned down a Target aisle, I recoiled like a vampire to a cross. Way too early! If we must concede, let’s at the very least watch some creepy fare that are part of the sunny times.

Step by step: ingredients of a good garden

Recipes are the key to any success that I have in the kitchen. Whatever I cook, regardless of how many times I have made the dish before, I always have a recipe. I view a recipe in the strictest sense as something that I simply must follow as I bake or cook. My skill set doesn’t allow for any deviation. Recipes recently allowed us to enjoy delicious baked parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes, sloppy joe sandwiches and key lime cheesecake. Our family has enjoyed scrumptious meals thanks to purpose-driven recipes.

CRAZY COUSINS

Jim and I are big fans of bocce ball. It is the only sport Jim doesn’t totally suck at. Nothing matches the thrill of seeing the bocce ball zig zag its way down our newly renovated bocce courts. It is also a great time to relax and chat between throws with friends and neighbors. During a recent game, our friend Lucy nonchalantly mentioned that her son and his two cousins own a Mexican restaurant. We told Lucy we would like to review it, and she said she hoped it would be a good review. That’s when Jim said, “it depends how well you play today.” Only kidding… We checked their menu online and a few days later we ventured out to Primos Locos in Elmhurst.

The emancipation of my inner twelve-year-old

It was one of those days when we were caricatures of ourselves. On a hot afternoon, my husband and I waited in line for coffee at our favorite little locally owned coffee shop. As we age, our coffee orders get more and more pretentious: Now we throw in “oat milk” or “half sweet” or “do you have a light roast?” at the barista, hoping she’ll notice that her customers are truly discerning coffee consumers. (She never seems impressed.)

Anyway, we’re ordering our pretentious drinks when I see my husband carefully punching in his card number on his phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

Another season of wicker basket family ties

I suppose you might gaze at a wicker laundry basket and ponder all the ways it suggests “family” to you, but my basket says “family” in a way that might not occur to you.

That’s because I keep an old wicker laundry basket on the patio, and I fill it not with laundry but with garden weeds until I figure out what to do with them next — compost, or yard-waste bag for disposal? But before the basket gets full enough for me to make that disposal decision, it gets visited daily by the latest addition to the family.