MY SUN DAY NEWS
As much as I’d like you to think that my Gentleman Friend and I have been married blissfully and perfectly happy for the past several decades, I’m going to take a risk and tell you that sometimes, we fight. Our fights aren’t typically the loud, plate-throwing variety. We’ve mastered the art of subtle tiffs, starting out as a tiny slight that grows into a stand-off —— and I am the half of us most guilty of this —— in an all-encompassing silence that can be louder than a freight train.
Have you ever listened to a song and been transported to another time in your life? The pull of memory is one of the most powerful tools on which media thrives. Every thirty years, a new phase is rehashed with goals of reeling generations with wistful longing. The allure of our past youth shoved in our faces in hopes of attaining our attention and our wallets. Some, though, are created by those who remember it and want to reflect on as we would but in art. While conglomerates utilize it in more shameless ways. Let’s sort through some of these.
You have two or more sillcocks on your house even if you don’t know the name “sillcock.”
They are the outside faucets where you connect garden hoses, and they often leak.
Spring is here in Sun City and so is the fun.
Since we are retired and have the word “sucker” tattooed across our foreheads, we volunteer for everything and have absolutely no free time. We checked our calendar and to our amazement, we found a day with no appointments. With this new found free time, what is the number one choice for a senior mental health day? Going for lunch and to a casino!!! Some of you may not realize that there is a new Hard Rock Casino being built a stone’s throw away in Rockford at the site of the Old Clock Tower Inn. While this in under construction, a temporary location is open in a strip mall right down the street. Upon further investigation, we discovered a restaurant which caught our attention while Googling restaurants near the casino and found the Stone Eagle Tavern.
For the past few days big black ants have been crawling on the floor of my office. I have been putting up with the presence of the ants because I thought they were needed to open the beautiful peony buds right outside my office window. It turns out though that it is a myth that ants are needed to open the flower buds on peonies. Ants, while can often be found on peonies, are not needed for the buds to open. Peonies buds can open on their own. This and several other gardening myths will be busted in today’s column.
Letters for the week of June 1.
I am writing to you today because I am an older adult who could benefit from home care, but I am scared because I don’t think it’s safe. I worry about letting strangers into my home and about the potential risks of having someone else help me with tasks such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.
Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for Dairy Mart May 20.
Shirley Kroot, Sun City resident, has raised over $120,000 for cancer research through the Komen Foundation, and currently, for the American Cancer Society. What prompted her to start fundraising? Kroot said, “I decided to start fundraising in 2003 when my cousin’s wife died of breast cancer. I sent out emails asking for donations. The first year, I raised $300 with little effort. I thought that with more effort I could raise more.”
Shirley Kroot, Sun City resident, has raised over $120,000 for cancer research through the Komen Foundation, and currently, for the American Cancer Society.
What prompted her to start fundraising?
Kroot said, “I decided to start fundraising in 2003 when my cousin’s wife died of breast cancer. I sent out emails asking for donations. The first year, I raised $300 with little effort. I thought that with more effort I could raise more.”
Herm Faubl started writing History Highlights at the end of 2012 and gave us about 10 years of dutiful writing and research that kept our past alive.
Pat Henning, Sun City resident, is a member of the Sun City Band that performed in the recent ‘Under The Big Top’ concert. Henning said, “A circus needs a balloon lady to make it complete. A friend of mine in a group I work with told me her daughter makes balloon animals, as well as magic so I was very happy when she called me and I was I’m able to arrange a plan for her to join our concert. When I saw her come, dressed in a cute clown-type outfit, I thought this is just perfect. And she was a hit.”
The Stingrays Swim Club recently announced their 9th year auction celebrated by their charter club’s members and guests. Nick Koplos once again served as Master Auctioneer on Saturday, May 13. All present were invited to enjoy the afternoon’s exciting venue of activities! This year’s first club chosen charity was “Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County,” which builds affordable housing for families in greatest need. Our second club chosen charity was “Wings,” which provides independence for adults and children escaping violence and abuse.
Sun City’s Prairie Singers welcomed their new director, Denise Caliendo, with a beautiful table set, ‘Welcome’ cake, and some other sweet treats. What brought her to Sun City? Caliendo said, “I got to know the members working with them last October to prepare for them for the holiday concert. I was asked to be the director here this year and I started in March.”
Sun City’s Prairie Singers welcomed their new director, Denise Caliendo, with a beautiful table set, ‘Welcome’ cake, and some other sweet treats.
What brought her to Sun City?
Caliendo said, “I got to know the members working with them last October to prepare for them for the holiday concert. I was asked to be the director here this year and I started in March.”
Biff Smith, a Sun City resident, caught the bug love. As a Volkswagen connoisseur, he catalogs the value of one of the oldest nameplates in automotive history still in use today. This all began when Smith’s wife, Nan, enrolled in a lifestyle presentation of Kiddieland. Kiddieland was an amusement park located at the corner of North Avenue and First Avenue in Melrose Park, Illinois.
Biff Smith, a Sun City resident, caught the bug love.
As a Volkswagen connoisseur, he catalogs the value of one of the oldest nameplates in automotive history still in use today. This all began when Smith’s wife, Nan, enrolled in a lifestyle presentation of Kiddieland. Kiddieland was an amusement park located at the corner of North Avenue and First Avenue in Melrose Park, Illinois.
My friend Lynn loves language, as I do, and she often posts an interesting or unusual word on her Facebook feed. But because she knows that I visit Facebook about as often as I visit my furnace filter or smoke alarm batteries, she sent me her most recent wonder-inspiring word via text. The word was “sonder.”
My friend Lynn loves language, as I do, and she often posts an interesting or unusual word on her Facebook feed. But because she knows that I visit Facebook about as often as I visit my furnace filter or smoke alarm batteries, she sent me her most recent wonder-inspiring word via text.
The word was “sonder.”
My husband is in a week-long standoff with a robin who insists on building a nest on the crossbeam of our porch. We are a bird-friendly family. We don’t put chemicals on our lawn, put out birdseed in the winter, and we are delighted when our bird friends chirp happily from the branches of our crabapple tree out our front window. But even our bird loving has limits.
My husband is in a week-long standoff with a robin who insists on building a nest on the crossbeam of our porch.
We are a bird-friendly family. We don’t put chemicals on our lawn, put out birdseed in the winter, and we are delighted when our bird friends chirp happily from the branches of our crabapple tree out our front window. But even our bird loving has limits.
According to EatingWell, here are 10 fruits packed with a huge amount of health benefits! Backed by researchers and other experts in the dietary field, the following fruits are known to increase your fiber count, as they boost your body with crucial antioxidants and vitamins.
Nothing screams “date night” like an evening out with your significant other at a nice romantic Italian restaurant. “Screams,” being the operative word, will be explained later. Please read on… Jim had a taste for his favorite Italian dish, Veal Saltimbocca, and the restaurant that made it the best years ago was Cucina Bella in Algonquin.
Nothing screams “date night” like an evening out with your significant other at a nice romantic Italian restaurant. “Screams,” being the operative word, will be explained later. Please read on…
Jim had a taste for his favorite Italian dish, Veal Saltimbocca, and the restaurant that made it the best years ago was Cucina Bella in Algonquin.
As we head past spring showers into May flowers, the plethora of entertainment options start to widen. Even with the impending writers’ strike in Hollywood, enough material is in the can so as to stem any hiatus. Summer movie season is just around the corner. However, before that glut of cinematic cheese clogs up the multiplex, let’s look at some smaller films. These entries offer us some new perspectives as well as fresh takes on old stories from a female perspective.
Sometimes it seems that negativity surrounds us. News outlets consistently report on the number of shootings the previous 24 hours, online posts glorify what in the past would have been considered by some inappropriate behavior and forecasters doom and gloom with respect to the weather and inflation. As humans our behavior tends to lead us to complain more than we express our gratitude. With all of this pessimism it is immensely gratifying to know that there is a group that works incredibly hard to support creativity and innovation as it relates to environmental, social and economic issues.
I am writing to express my concern about access to healthcare as I approach retirement age. As an older adult male, I have seen many of my peers struggle to obtain the care they need, particularly those with limited financial means.
Letters for the week of May 18.
The Strutters will be performing on Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at Drendel Ballroom celebrating their 20th anniversary. Dancing, romancing, and more, the Sun City Strutters will be delving into two decades of memories. Nancy Kutska, General Manager of the Strutters said, “The Sun City Strutters started offering tap with Jackie Cesarone in 2003. The group added ballet in 2004 with Mary Wyatt and jazz in 2007 with Valarie Stroud.”
The Strutters will be performing on Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at Drendel Ballroom celebrating their 20th anniversary. Dancing, romancing, and more, the Sun City Strutters will be delving into two decades of memories.
Nancy Kutska, General Manager of the Strutters said, “The Sun City Strutters started offering tap with Jackie Cesarone in 2003. The group added ballet in 2004 with Mary Wyatt and jazz in 2007 with Valarie Stroud.”
I have been hovering on the edge of tears for the past several months, for reasons I won’t go into here but which should be obvious to anyone who has followed my column recently. But my son sent me over the edge recently when he texted me out of the blue: “I don’t know if I’ve told you this recently, but I love you, Dad.” For the record, he tells me that often.
I have been hovering on the edge of tears for the past several months, for reasons I won’t go into here but which should be obvious to anyone who has followed my column recently. But my son sent me over the edge recently when he texted me out of the blue: “I don’t know if I’ve told you this recently, but I love you, Dad.”
For the record, he tells me that often.
These days, most of us are suffering from an enormous amount of stress. Let’s, therefore, take a look at one enormous relief treatment for this uncontrolled anxiety. Mayo Clinic, in its Healthy Lifestyle/Stress Management article, states the following mostly unknown information about the benefits of laughter. While a good sense of humor can’t cure all health issues, the positive effects of laughter appear to be increasing in number!
The only thing better than reading a book is talking about them with others. Book clubs provide motivation to read stories you perhaps may not have read otherwise. They also provide you with an avenue of community, and an opportunity to meet and connect with people. The Neighborhood 26 Book Club reached a milestone this April.
The only thing better than reading a book is talking about them with others. Book clubs provide motivation to read stories you perhaps may not have read otherwise. They also provide you with an avenue of community, and an opportunity to meet and connect with people.
The Neighborhood 26 Book Club reached a milestone this April.
The Sun City Board authorized the spending of nearly $225,000 on upgrades to parts of the Prairie lodge at the April 26th Board meeting.
I never met a notebook I didn’t like. My bookshelf is crammed with journals with creamy white paper. Some of the books have beautiful covers with vibrant colors; others are simply notebooks, the kind with the spiral binding made of metal wire. On the pages, I scrawl goals, recipes, scraps of ideas that I write down quickly, thinking I’ll come back later and recapture some brilliant idea that I didn’t want to let slip away.
For almost 60 years, the Huntley Park District has been a true community treasure. The 28 acres donated by Mr. Edwin Deicke in the 1960’s has grown to 175 acres that currently make up 15 parks. Tens of thousands of people of all ages have enjoyed spending time in the parks as well as facilities such as Cosman Cultural Center and Stingray Bay. Wesley Peete, the Director of Parks and Facilities, has graciously agreed to share some of his knowledge about the parks with our readers.
