MY SUN DAY NEWS
October 9, 2014
From the top of the world to the bottom is approximately 12,416 miles, North Pole to the South Pole. A lot of miles to travel to reach these extremes of the earth, both similar in nature but still unique unto their own selves. And that’s what a Del Webb resident, Ruth Ann Houston, undertook: travel to both extremes to see what’s there!
Return with us now to those exciting days of yesteryear. Let us bring back memories of a time when restaurants used linens as opposed to using paper. When men actually wore shirts with collars. When dining out was a luxury and not a necessity.
Several months back, looking for something to read, I Googled the New York Times best-seller list and up popped the book “Gone Girl.” I’d not heard of it but sales of over 6.5 million copies and months on the list convinced me to give it a try. When I finished reading, I realized that author Gillian Flynn had crafted a mystery quite unlike anything else I had read before.
My 16 year old daughter and I are struggling. It seems that every other day we argue about something. My straight-laced, couldn’t-tell-a-lie-if-her-life-depended-on-it daughter is still infinitely dependable and honest; we just continue to butt heads.
Q. I was in the hospital recently, and I just received a bill for my stay. I learned I wasn’t considered a patient, but rather I was there under “observation.” What happened? I am stuck with a pretty hefty bill now.
The sudden and unexpected loss of a family member several years ago set the wheels in motion for a comprehensive look at how my wife and I manage our personal “business” affairs. After the accidental death of one of our son-in-law, I sat down with my daughter to help her sort through the finances, as her husband had taken care of all aspects of that part of their lives.
Q. Can you give a few tips on preparing for an emergency?
Things that are different always seem to attract the most attention. A bright yellow car among grey and black vehicles may get a second look. A particularly tall person, pardon the pun, stands out in a crowd. As a redhead, unfortunately, I knew by the time I was 5 that I was different.
As fears about white sugar and high fructose corn syrup sweep health conscious people in America, so called “natural sweeteners” are gaining in popularity. The biggest one is agave nectar or syrup.
The audience certainly enjoyed this movie. Billed as a comedy, there was plenty of laughter throughout from those in attendance. Unfortunately, much of the humor was based on profanity and/or sexual innuendos, which limited the enjoyment for your frequently cynical movie critic.
On a recent Saturday, our friends Steve & Deb came over for an afternoon of noshing and Sangria followed by local dining in the evening. Since they both love “bar food,” we decided to try D. C. Cobb’s in the historic Woodstock Square.
You see them everywhere these days—those grand displays of young love meant to guarantee a long life together. You know what I mean—the airplane sketching “I love you Tori” in a tracery of wispy clouds across the blue sky above the beach.
Quick, name the two largest waterfalls EAST of the Mississippi! I do believe you were able to name Niagara Falls but could you name or would you even know the second: Cumberland Falls in Kentucky. I didn’t, and I actually grew up not too far from there.
If your house was built after 2005, it probably has a fire suppression system (sprinklers), especially if it is an attached property in neighborhood #34. You can verify this by looking for sprinkler heads high on the inside walls.
You are seated in an upscale restaurant. Your hand slowly reaches over to a marker on your table. You slowly turn it from the red to the green side. This immediately unleashes a steady stream of Gauchos running over to you with selections of meat impaled on three foot long swords. The name of this carnivore’s dream is the Texas de Brazil Churrascaria in Schaumburg.
Woody Allen excels in three distinct arenas in the world of entertainment. First, as a young man he was as good a stand-up comedian as I have seen, but that goes all the way back to black and white TV. Secondly he writes movie scripts with a distinct and creative flair, almost all of them “out of the box” experiences. Finally, he takes those scripts and turns them into great movies, particularly if he doesn’t act in them, as lately has been the case (thank goodness!).
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I pulled into the parking lot at Maine South High School, my familiar morning stopping point for the past 30 years of my life. As I walked from my car to the building, I dawdled a bit to breathe in the fine clean air beneath the impossibly blue sky.
Question: Our roof has black streaks on the shingles. Does this mean the roof is wearing out and the gravel has worn away?
It seems we all want the most out of our purchases. Weather it is a Diet Coke filled up to the very top, a new appliance that runs more efficiently than the old one, or a cell phone that is also a calculator, gaming device, and weather predictor. Throughout the summer I have spoken to many homeowners that are requesting perennial flowers that have flowers on them for several months.
If you are a diet soda lover, here is something to consider. That soft drink may be refreshing but evidence is mounting that it is cancer in a can. Studies have reinforced the view that Aspartame may cause breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma.
Q. Every time I go to the doctor, I feel rushed and it seems like I don’t have his full attention. Is it just me?
Some people think that a restaurant critic’s life is an easy one; we beg to differ. You have to research new venues, try to find them, eat extraordinary amounts of food, write about it, and then diet the rest of the week. Then along comes the next issue, and it’s “Déjà vu all over again.” Every once in a while, however, our efforts are rewarded.
Somewhere in America, there is a college with lawns so green and perfect that no student would think of setting foot off the sidewalk to crush so much as a single blade of grass.
This is an extraordinary film and in many respects worthy of the four star accolades awarded it by most main stream movie critics. Unfortunately Richard Linklater, the creator, writer and director, chose to stuff the story full of unneeded, unnecessary, and useless profanity, which, for many, will diminish this otherwise brilliant piece of work.
My daughter holds those around her to very high standards. She has the same standards for herself. As her mom, she expects me to fill out school forms promptly (this is not an easy task, I might add), keep the household running smoothly, and provide love and guidance when needed.
Many of the Woodchucks, besides being competent woodworkers, have plumbing, electrical, and general maintenance skills. Four years ago, we decided to share those skills with Sun City residents through a column in the Sun Day newspaper. The column you are now reading is our 100th.
Stevia is a small herbaceous shrub, about 20 inches tall, native to Paraguay and Argentina. The leaf is 25 to 30 times sweeter than sugar cane. Used for generations by native Guarani Indians as a sweetener for food and drink, it was not discovered by civilized man until 1899.
Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. They loaded up Jack’s minivan and headed north.
Honey, in its raw, unfiltered, unheated, unprocessed state is a good food used sparingly. It is a food containing natural antioxidants, enzymes, and amino acids—along with other nutrients.
When I was in fourth grade, our teacher, Mrs. Crane, used to read to us every afternoon after recess. One afternoon, she read a story called “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. In the story, a woman named Johnsy is stricken with pneumonia and lies dying in her hospital bed. Her bed faces a window and on the brick wall outside her window is a vine.
