The need to make a difference — for better or worse

OK, I’ll admit it — my guilty pleasure is that I enjoy watching “American Idol.” Oh, it’s not my only guilty pleasure, but it’s the only one I’m willing to admit for now. Stay tuned.

For the record, the show today is way better than it was at the beginning, 22 years ago. Back then, the main focus was on delusional dreamers who had no idea how bad they were, and the only reason to watch the early episodes was to find someone to laugh about at the water cooler the next day. It was a guilty pleasure back then, too, I guess, especially if you found pleasure in cruel ridicule.

Oliver O’ Oliver

Those of you who grew up in the Chicago area will probably remember a TV show on WGN that was a staple of our childhood. We are referring to the show of all lunchtime shows, Bozo’s Circus. We ordered tickets when Nancy got pregnant, and we received them when our daughter was seven years old. One of Bozo’s sidekicks was Ray Rayner posing as the clown, Oliver O’ Oliver. The reason why we are babbling on about this show is because one of our loyal readers suggested Oliver’s Bar and Grill in Woodstock and we had no idea how to start this article. The best we could come up with was this lame Bozo’s Circus reference.

Ask an Angel: May 2, 2024

My mother-in-law’s diagnosis has been incredibly difficult for our family, and it has fallen on me to take on the role of primary caregiver. While I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to support her, I must admit that I am feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn for help.

It’s been particularly challenging to see my mother-in-law’s independence slowly slip away. Simple tasks that were once second nature to her now require assistance, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that she needs more support than I alone can provide.

Upcoming cicada emergence and what it means for your garden

While there are over 20,000 insects in northern Illinois, there is one insect that is receiving a tremendous amount of attention this summer. For good reason, it seems everyone is talking about cicadas. Millions of periodical cicadas from two different broods have begun emerging from the soil. This emergence is different because Broods XIII and XIX will emerge simultaneously. Dr. Stephanie Adams, a plant health specialist with the Morton Arboretum, has agreed to answer a few questions regarding the Cicadas.

Moon with a view

How many times have you had the opportunity to do a “once in a lifetime” event, TWICE? Fortunately for us, it happened the second time the weekend of April 7; the eclipse.

We took our granddaughter to downstate Illinois to see the eclipse in 2017, our first “once in a lifetime” activity. We initially planned on taking another granddaughter to the recent eclipse but she was out of town, so we decided to go on our own. Several steps were involved in our planning. The first was the path of the eclipse. Fortunately, there were several locations within a 4 to 6-hour drive where there would be a full solar eclipse.

That’s because the long-awaited 17-year cicadas are clearing their throats underground just beneath the trees right now, and soon the branches above will ring with their robust songs. And every other time in my life that they’ve come to visit—four times in total before this time — they somehow found a way into my mouth.

Landscaping that stands the test of time: making wise choices saves money

Weddings are such happy family occasions. They are filled with joy, laughter, dancing and help to create memories that the couple will cherish for years. It is with great anticipation that Chris, my husband, and I look forward to celebrating our eldest daughter, Mary’s wedding. Both Mary and her fiancé will work hard to create the day of their dreams. As the mother of the bride, the only decision I need to make is “What am I wearing to the wedding?” Honestly, the answer is a 15-year-old dress.

Ask an Angel: April 18, 2024

Recently, I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress due to the increasing demands of caregiving for my husband, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Every day seems like a new challenge as I try to balance his care, household responsibilities, and my emotional well-being. Watching someone you love slowly slip away is incredibly difficult, and it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.

Shrouded in darkness

April 8 was quite a momentous day for the nation. Hopefully, dear readers, you were able to catch even the minute of glimpses. A thunderhead came over the skies as our beloved moon fell into orbit, just transiting our sun. That star became like obsidian to some, varying degrees of shade for others. Vacationing in Indiana, I was able to witness ninety-eight percent coverage from the comfort of a lake house, bloody Mary in hand. Although not complete totality, the sight was beautiful just the same. Sudden shadows and birdsong transfixed me as the extremely waning crescent hung above us; an eerie experience indeed, but gorgeous as well.

Great Tata’s

When searching for restaurants to review, we seem to have fallen into a somewhat disturbing pattern. Unfortunately, our “golden years” are spent going from one doctor visit to another. We find ourselves googling for restaurants that are close to our next doctor appointment. Upon searching for restaurants in the Elk Grove Village area, our trained eyes spotted something totally different.

Relax, reset, recharge

Coming home to an empty house is eerie, even in broad daylight. There are strange creaks and clicks. Whistling drafts reveal themselves through cracks and doorways when there is no one else in the house.

I am accustomed to a house filled with voices and noise: laughter, instruments being practiced, “What’s for dinner?” being shouted, or the shower running for far too long. I’m used to hearing footsteps overhead, before they recede across the ceiling the way a shooting star appears in the corner of our eye, then disappear just as suddenly, leaving us to wonder if we only imagined it.

The cost of education? Consider the cost of ignorance

If my parents were alive today, Mom would be 101 years old. Dad would be 107.

Mom earned a high school diploma from Leyden High School, but Dad left school at 14 to get a job to help support his family during the Great Depression. Had it not been for such hard economic times, he would have earned his high school diploma, too.

That’s because our government a century ago felt that education was important enough to guarantee that young people have the right to be educated through high school, funded by taxpayers.

Makes sense: how gardens can appeal to the big five

The Great British Baking Show is one of my guilty pleasures. As time allows, I enjoy watching the bakers prepare indulgent treats such as Charlotte Royale, Stuffed Mouse Crumpets and Crème Filled Donuts. In between the inevitable kitchen mishaps and lighthearted competition are scenes of the gorgeous British countryside. The producers of the series focus on the plants almost as much as the recipes.

Ask an Angel: April 4, 2024

I’m writing in regard to my transition into retirement. After a fulfilling career, I find myself facing a new chapter of life — one that offers both opportunities and challenges, particularly when it comes to staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Throughout my career, I was accustomed to a fast-paced and active lifestyle, constantly on the move to meet deadlines and achieve professional goals. However, with retirement comes a significant shift in routine, and I now find myself with more free time on my hands.

Nostalgia kick

Youth is fleeting and time is short. In my forty-odd years on this planet, one thing has become painfully obvious. We were weird in our past and new generations will find unique ways to be weird too. In the hyper-fast capitalist machine that is entertainment, exploiting eccentricity in order to make by the numbers content has been a time-honored trade. Pushing all the familiar buttons, every studio hopes to get the same flavors from old formulas without understanding how them functions. And you think taking a movie like Road House would at least inspire a filmmaker to be bold and daring.

Size doesn’t matter

One afternoon Jim had a taste for Italian food. I told him that my bowling buddies, “The Pin Pals,” found a place in South Barrington that we enjoyed. Us girls work up quite an appetite since our bowling skills leave a lot to be desired. We hardly get any strikes and a three-game series usually takes about three hours. We feel like it’s not our fault since the bowling alley refuses to put up the bumpers for us.

Putting style on a pedestal

Thankfully, in the office where I work as a communications specialist for a public library, I am surrounded by people who love the written word as much as I do. As our team creates copy for newsletters, brochures, and even social media, we get to ponder and discuss the placement of commas, apostrophes, and semicolons. We debate, and sometimes we argue. When all else fails, we go to the ultimate source: the Associated Press Stylebook.

The AP Stylebook is a substantial volume for journalists, students, and writers that, to me at least, deserves its own podium, open to the page about nonessential clauses, marked with a rich leather bookmark, a single light trained on its text. Instead, it stands upright on my desk, crammed beside file folders and various notepads. As an improvised bookend, I prop it up with the mug I use to drink my daily cup of tea — it has “No Drama” emblazoned in gold letters on its side.

How many batteries does your house have?

As electronics move into every corner of our lives, most of them require batteries to operate. As these batteries die, the consequences can be from a minor annoyance to catastrophic failure in your house when the heat goes off and the pipes freeze. To avoid these problems, large and small, you need to know where all the batteries are located and when to change them.

Summer is here?

Recent fluctuations in temperature and barometric pressure makes this question inevitable. What really is this season? At time of writing, we have experienced multiple ebbs and flows in heat and cool. Multiplexes, however, have been in a cold spell with nothing of note gracing their screens. Usually blockbuster season isn’t until May, so it was a surprise to see what very well may be the biggest movie of the year drop in Dune: Part Two.

Ask an Angel: March 21, 2024

I am reaching out to seek your expertise and guidance regarding the care and well-being of my aging parents. As my parents are getting older, I find myself increasingly concerned about their health, safety, and overall quality of life. While I strive to support them to the best of my ability, I recognize that I don’t always know what I’m doing.

Check in at Checkers

A long, long time ago, in a suburb far, far, away, there lived two young foodies. They traveled near and far in search of new restaurants. This was a big adventure since there were no cell phones or GPS, they had to rely on Jim’s map reading skills and Nancy’s nagging. They ventured from their comfortable Hoffman Estates home all the way to what they considered the boonies of Woodstock. The reason for this trip was a restaurant called Deeter’s which featured excellent German/Swiss cuisine.

Move ahead a few millennia, and lo and behold, these two young foodies are now ancient and use a GPS in conjunction with Nancy’s nagging. As fate would have it, they now live in the boonies of Huntley, and Woodstock is their close neighbor.

Total eclipse of the park: preparing for a rare solar event

We all have those ‘Where were you when’ memories. For some it may be, ‘Where were you when man first walked on the moon?’ or others ‘Where were you on September 11, 2001?’ Although not nearly as globally significant many of us remember the answer to the question, ‘Where were you when you first experienced a solar eclipse?’

We take it for granted that whether or not we see it, the sun is above us in the sky each and every day. Clouds may obscure our view, but we know that the sun is there shining bright. This star influences our planet in several key ways. It determines our seasons, influences the climate, drives our weather patterns and assists in controlling the ocean currents. All living plants are dependent upon the sun and could not survive without it.

The ham that took it on the lam

I lost a ham today.

I know that’s not the kind of confession you expect to hear every day, but there it is:

Today, I lost a ham.

“How does someone lose a ham?” my friend Anne asked when I told her.

Why social media is boring me to pieces

I’d like to thank Elon Musk for purchasing Twitter. Ahem — I mean ‘X.’

As soon as Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters carrying a sink (the caption to the video read, “Walking into Twitter HQ. Let that sink in,”) it was clear that Musk was more concerned with crafting Dad-jokey quips than he was about making the platform better, or at the very least keeping it clear from hate speech and disinformation.