MY SUN DAY NEWS
July 26, 2018
Nancy and I seem to be slaves to our food cravings lately. First it was Chinese food, and now Nancy had an insatiable desire for lasagna. She remembered that one of the stops on a Del Webb Senior Safari was Carrabbas Italian Grill. The one she went to is now closed, so the next closest one we found was in Woodridge. Off we went in the Mini-Mobile, Nancy salivating at the thought of having her craving satisfied.
I have lived in Sun City since 1999. Some of my windows are very difficult to open and close. How can I repair them?
My husband and I are in the process of trying to consolidate some of our belongings and organize our important documents. It’s overwhelming. What do people do to get organized?
There are only two kinds of people in this world, and the difference between them is irreconcilable.
No, I’m not talking about Republicans and Democrats. True, they’re irreconcilable, but when it comes to politics there’s also a third group—Independents—who are also maddeningly irreconcilable.
Every home in Sun City should be equipped with fire extinguishers. The most likely location to have a small fire that you could fight with a fire extinguisher is in the kitchen. However, a grease fire in a pan on the stove should not be blasted with a fire extinguisher. If you do that, you will blow the grease and the fire onto the wall behind the stove and possibly set the whole kitchen on fire.
I had to quit my job so that I could care for my husband, who has early onset dementia. He is doing well but showing signs of irritation and frustration over little things. I know it is the disease, but I find I don’t want to take him with me when I go out because his behavior is unpredictable.
When writing columns, I usually have a purpose in mind. Being a former horticulture teacher, the purpose is usually educational in nature. Sometimes I try to be informative or inspirational, and occasionally I go out on a limb and try to be funny. Today, the column is purely a series of reflections.
The World Cup is in full swing, and the entire planet is excited about “Futbol”, except for the U.S. We call it soccer and consider whatever “da Bears” do to be football. So what better way is there to join in the celebration since Mexico is in the World Cup, but with a dinner at Sammy’s Mexican Grill in Elgin.
So many languages, so little time, right? Sure, you have those moments when you get upset with yourself for not following through with your plans to learn at least one other language, or maybe even three or four. By this point in your life, you thought, you would be able to take an around-the-world trip and chat with anybody you met.
So many languages, so little time, right?
Sure, you have those moments when you get upset with yourself for not following through with your plans to learn at least one other language, or maybe even three or four. By this point in your life, you thought, you would be able to take an around-the-world trip and chat with anybody you met.
Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Willkommen. No matter how you say it, the idea conveyed is the same: ‘Come in and enjoy your time with us.’ What a wonderful thought and feeling.
Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Willkommen.
No matter how you say it, the idea conveyed is the same: ‘Come in and enjoy your time with us.’ What a wonderful thought and feeling.
The Winter Games are over in South Korea but will restart in China in 2022. With the past Summer Games of 2008 and now the Winter coming up, there has been a resurgence of visitors to the area. Most expect this to increase over the next few years, so if you want to get ahead of the crowd, now is the time to plan your trip. Herb and Jackie of Del Webb took what they described as “an awesome trip to China in October for 15 days.” They gave such an excellent analysis of their trip, and most of the story is in their own words.
The Winter Games are over in South Korea but will restart in China in 2022. With the past Summer Games of 2008 and now the Winter coming up, there has been a resurgence of visitors to the area. Most expect this to increase over the next few years, so if you want to get ahead of the crowd, now is the time to plan your trip.
Herb and Jackie of Del Webb took what they described as “an awesome trip to China in October for 15 days.” They gave such an excellent analysis of their trip, and most of the story is in their own words.
Michael Chrichton was a prolific author; his books have sold over 200 million copies. Arguably one of his best was Jurassic Park, published in 1990, an instant best seller, a book I could not put down, and if you read it you probably couldn’t either.
When I returned from Arizona there was a large pile of crushed rock beside my front porch. I could not think of why someone would pour crushed rock there or what it was for. On closer examination there was a hole under the stoop. It was becoming clear that an animal was carving out a den under the front porch. In removing the gravel I found that 6 five gallon buckets full had been removed from under the front porch. Occasionally over the years, chipmunks had made their homes under the porch but they only removed about two cups of gravel.
When I started caring for my elderly mother, I felt confident that I could be the caregiver she needed me to be. However, I quickly learned that I can’t do it all. I am considering day care or homecare. What is the best way to go?
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The sun was shining, the birdies were chirping, and the Del Webbers were out walking their fluffy white doggies. What does the Dining Duo do on such a lovely afternoon? I’m glad you asked. We hop into the Mini-Mobile and venture out in search of food. We do have to keep up our strength, you know. It was such a gorgeous day for a drive in the country, and we wanted to go to Ream’s Meat Market in Elburn for some sausages to put on the barbie that evening.
I saw a sweet little black ’57 T-bird ragtop roadster tooling down the street the other day, and I couldn’t help but think of my Uncle George. I guess nobody in the family was all that surprised when my Uncle George pulled up to the curb in front of our house in his shiny new Ford Thunderbird that Sunday long ago when I was eight or nine years old. He was, after all, my mother’s brother, and he often came to visit.
I saw a sweet little black ’57 T-bird ragtop roadster tooling down the street the other day, and I couldn’t help but think of my Uncle George.
I guess nobody in the family was all that surprised when my Uncle George pulled up to the curb in front of our house in his shiny new Ford Thunderbird that Sunday long ago when I was eight or nine years old. He was, after all, my mother’s brother, and he often came to visit.
I never ever, ever, ever (and I mean never) go to horror films. I’ve been writing reviews for nine years, and have yet to see or comment on one during that time. Nonetheless, I do have (some) history with scary movies. The first one I can recall seeing was Psycho, the classic Alfred Hitchcock film starring Anthony Perkins, released in 1960. The climactic scene had my heart humming for days. The second was The Exorcist, released in 1973. The special effects were limited but so very effective.
A caregiver helps my mother once a week. She assists mom with showering, and recently mom has begun refusing her showers. I am wondering what has happened and if this is normal. What can we do to get her back on track?
In the last issue, we tried to answer a question about hanging cabinets on a garage wall that was insulated with foam. We were not familiar with that type of construction and did not properly answer the question. One of our readers was familiar with foam-insulated walls and provided us with the following answer.
“Yu” know what they say about Chinese food? They say, “after you’ve had it, a few hours later, you’re hungry, and want it again.” This saying proved to be true with us. We just reviewed a Chinese restaurant, and we found ourselves having an overwhelming desire for Chinese food again.
As I woke up yesterday, my muscles ached, my brain was foggy and I desperately wanted to reverse the process and crawl back into bed. As I began to focus my mind on the day’s events, I stopped and smiled.
“Make your bed,” Mom said every morning, immune to any common-sense argument I might offer: “But Mom, it’ll just get messed up again tonight.” “Make your bed.”
“Make your bed,” Mom said every morning, immune to any common-sense argument I might offer:
“But Mom, it’ll just get messed up again tonight.”
“Make your bed.”
I am the main caregiver for a family member, and I can oversee her care even though I work full time. Recently, her care needs have changed, and I have found myself spending more time on the phone and trying to manage appointments and other issues while at work. I feel pulled in so many directions, plus I have guilt of taking care of personal issues on company time.
It was a dark and stormy Saturday afternoon, and Jim and I had an intense craving for Chinese food, but we didn’t want to venture far from home. We drove up to what we thought was a new restaurant with shiny brand new signage. We were, as Confucius would say, confused because the front window had the old restaurant’s website on it, and the welcome mat also had the old restaurant’s name on it.
The doors on our kitchen and bathroom cabinets don’t self-close any more. Our house is an original Del Webb house built in 2001. The hinges are Amerock and they have a flat spring steel spring built into the hinge that closes the door. The spring no longer is strong enough to close the door, and some of them are broken.
How many of you remember what was going on in June 1977? I, for one, can’t forget, that’s the month my wife Annamarie and I were married. And coincidentally that was the month of the premiere of the first and (most assuredly the best) Star Wars movie. That my new wife and I saw it while on our honeymoon may or may not be ironic, but it was special.
Roses and hydrangeas are the two plant types for which I consistently asked questions. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that every day during the spring and summer someone asks me a question about either Endless Summer Hydrangeas or Knockout Roses.
My new driver’s license will arrive in the mail any day now, and like any official government document these days, it will be a blend of lies, concessions, confessions and near misses.
As the houses in Sun City get older, and lubricant on door hinges dries up, they start to squeak.
In less than 7 days I will hug my daughter, Mary, for the first time in 4 months. She has spent the last semester studying abroad in London. Over the course of those four long months, she has stood in awe among the rocks at Stonehenge, explored the Catacombs in Paris, eaten octopus from the city market in Barcelona, and walked along the shores of Sardinia, Italy.
