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Geezer Moments: June 2, 2011

This month we start off with one from Elba of N33. She writes: “A recent Saturday I was to pick up my husband Arnold at the Anderson Car dealership in Crystal Lake where he went to take our daughter’s car for service. He went on ahead of me, but I went to the Honda dealership instead (also in Crystal Lake), parked, got out, talked to one of the sales people, whom we know, started walking towards the service department, AND THEN THE LIGHT WENT ON.

The Federal Gift Tax

The current economic environment has created some unique circumstances for us Baby Boomers. Our sources of income from retirement resources may be fixed or declining due to market losses, yet, we see ourselves needing to pay for goods and services that are rising in cost. We may also need to subsidize family members who are victims of the unemployment crisis or fund long term care costs for aging parents.

Tip 18: Setting the water heater temperature

Question: How to I correctly set the water heater temperature? I believe it should be set around 120 degrees.

Doctors speak in numbers – what are yours?

“70,” said my Doctor’s nurse at the counter of the waiting room. Her concerned face and my naïveté prompted me to ask what this test result number meant.

Take the bus

As people head into their senior years, individual autonomy and mobility may decline but thanks to Grafton Township’s Senior Bus Service, that should stop you from getting around.

Northern Illinois Quilt Fest to Begin in July

After almost two years of planning, organizers of a quilting/tourism event have their “houses in order” and “ducks in a row” for Illinois’ first tourism festival featuring magnificent quilts in a variety of venues. Between July and September of this summer, main streets to museums, quilt shops and quilt guilds, nurseries, barns and bed and breakfasts from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River will showcase the best in quilts as public art.

Laughter by Paul: June 2, 2011

A man who was involved in an extremely serious accident was unable to speak when he regained consciousness.

Not a Bad Day

As I hit the swinging doors, the sounds of tumbling pins, noisy racks, and granite balls coasting over slick varnished lanes vanished behind me. The sidewalk was still warm from baking in the hot summer heat, but the evening air was cool and I felt like walking. Heading south, down Cicero Avenue,I passed the BelPark picture show and the heavy scent of buttered popcorn came wafting out into the street … carried by the icy conditioned atmosphere of the double feature emporium. I was tempted. But I passed on the popcorn and continued up the street.

Mike Fenton brings autoharping across the pond

World class autoharping came to Huntley when British harper Mike Fenton performed a house concert on May 18. On his way to the California Autoharp Gathering, Mike stopped for a few days in the Chicago area to adjust to jet lag, pursue leads for upcoming articles about ‘50s musicians, and, if possible, have a concert.

Mistakes: June 2, 2011

After running the article titled “Home value down, property taxes up, residents want answers” in the May 19 edition of the Sun Day we received several phone calls and emails regarding the same two points that we feel need clarifying.

Resident Reporter: June 2, 2011

Early in April, Sun City resident Rev. Carol Gats, pastor of Living Waters Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, was invited by Sate Rep. Jack D. Franks (D-Woodstock) to the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives in Springfield to provide the Opening Invocation.

Celebrity Scramble: June 2, 2011

These are cryptograms consisting of quotations by famous people, past or present. Each letter in the puzzle stands for another letter. Today’s clues are as follows.

SunCPAC Q&As: June 2, 2011

Q: What is a Model Report?

Laugh Tracks: June 2, 2011

A cartoon by John DiDonna.

The first step

It is tough to imagine those old pairs of shoes that get tossed aside after several years could mean anything to anyone, but half a world away, they can have a huge impact.

CONDO FOR RENT: Eighth Wonder of the World

After ten years and one defunct president, it looks like my wife and I will soon be moving on to greener pastures…but not without lugging with us the mortgage of a 600sq/ft condo posing as an 800sq/ft one. But, hey, you do with what you have to work with, right? It’s not a perfect world, after all. And it’s for certain not a perfect housing market.

Nest egg

All the years Jerry and Patty Case saved for their retirement, they never quite planned on actually having a real nest egg to care for someday. But that’s what they got when robins went to work on their front stoop, constructed a perfect nest inside a decorative planter box, and laid three eggs.

Home value down, property taxes up, residents want answers

Residents in the Rutland Township portion of Sun City saw substantial increases in their tax bills this year, with some increasing as much as 20 percent. The residents of Rutland Township are now seeking the answer to why their taxes were increased so dramatically this year.

Property tax increase spurs residents to form analysis group

Kane County’s mailing of its 2010 real estate tax bills to Rutland’s Sun City residents, payable in 2011, caused a groundswell of negative reaction. Many Sun City taxpayers discovered that their real estate tax had grown substantially, some nearly 20%.

Ask the Woodchucks: Live and in person

On April 20, every workbench in the Millgrove Woodshop was covered with broken furniture and parts of furniture. Small teams of Woodchucks hovered around each bench, squinting at their projects and talking to the other team members, deciding on the best way to fix the problems.

Stories from the Foxhole

A soldier named Joe and I were told to go to an abandoned railroad station in Germany. Our orders were to throw a hand grenade into the RR station. I fired my gun with a full clip of ammunition in the window of the station. I then threw the hand grenade into the RR station.

Game on!

Bob Kennedy is one tough softball player. At the Sun City Softball League’s opening ceremonies on May 14, he showed up at Eakin Field wearing shorts and a light jacket amid 45-degree temperatures and 20-mph wind.

Gray in May

On July 28, 2009, I knew very little about Brain Tumors. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I just wasn’t “AWARE.”

Survey says…?

For almost ten years, and with the help of the Huntley Area Public Library Friends Foundation, professor of marketing at UCLA, Dr. Aimee Drolet Rossi, collected data for her research into the “aging consumer” to determine, among other results, how aging affects a person’s decision-making process, and in turn, how that impacts a person’s buying patterns in today’s market place.

Phyllis Balk: December 27, 1929 to May 4, 2011

Phyllis Balk, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, retired nurse, and active volunteer in Illinois and New York, died peacefully at age 81 on May 4, 2011 after an extended illness. She was born Phyllis Lorraine Munter in Moline, IL on December 27, 1929 to Fritz and Alma (Eldean) Munter, both of Swedish heritage.

Credit vs. Debit Cards

A 2010 survey conducted by Credit.com revealed how American consumers pay for their purchases. The survey said 40% use cash, 39% use debit cards, and only 21% use credit cards. Apparently the downturn in the economy has driven the majority of consumers to not spend what they don’t have.

Some pull their weight, while others just wait

The other night I wanted to watch a TV benefit concert for victims of the disastrous storms that ravaged the Midwest and South in late April. Musicians from all over the nation were going to donate their talents to inspire citizens to give freely to help their fellow Americans. It’s the kind of thing that serious musicians have done for generations, for music has the power to move others to courageous and unselfish action.

A spot of tea anyone?

Someone had said that we Americans make so much more out of the royal wedding (between William and Kate) than the Brits do. Do you say, now?