MY SUN DAY NEWS
Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) was the feeling expressed by the more than 100 Hampshire residents in attendance at the February 27 meeting of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission. According to Jay Hedges, Village Manager for the Village of Hampshire, “the members of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission voted 6 to 0 against two rezoning requests by Light Properties.”
Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) was the feeling expressed by the more than 100 Hampshire residents in attendance at the February 27 meeting of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission.
According to Jay Hedges, Village Manager for the Village of Hampshire, “the members of the Hampshire Planning and Zoning commission voted 6 to 0 against two rezoning requests by Light Properties.”
Recently our family grew by 4 paws. Annie, an English Springer Spaniel puppy joined our household. She has taught me just how beautiful the frost is on the ground as the sun is rising, to appreciate the joy in running through 4 inches of freshly fallen snow and to listen, really listen when birds are chirping nearby. She is acutely away of noises, that frankly, I would not really even hear. This has brought a greater appreciation of all of the birds in our area, even during the winter.
Birds play a substantial part in keeping our ecosystem healthy. They pollinate plants, disperse seeds, control pests, act as an early warning system for the spread of disease, distribute nutrients, protect wetlands and much more. So much more that they are considered crucial for people and the planet to thrive. Preserving bird diversity helps everyone.
The Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) is returning to the Village for the 2023 season. The downtown area roughly bordered by Church, Coral, Woodstock and Dwyer streets including all of Main Street and the Village Square is included in DORA.
We are told that it’s wrong to lie, cheat and steal as children. A fact that is drilled into are heads by parents and authority figures. Between every movie on TCM, shorts under the title Crime Doesn’t Pay demonstrate “real” stories of youngsters being sullied by notorious acts of violence and larceny. You wouldn’t think this to be true by the countless films and television shows devoted to criminals and their ability to thwart capture, even thrive. It is the bread and butter that most media companies bank on as entertainment. Upon scrolling I happened onto a couple entries that intrigued me.
For years, and years, and even more years, Panera Bread has teased us with a location supposedly opening in the famed restaurant row on Route 47 in Huntley. The paint on the sign announcing this new location is rapidly fading, but our hopes have not. We just could not wait any longer, the suspense was killing us. If Panera Bread will not come to us, the Dining Duo will go to Panera Bread, and that’s just what we did. We jumped into the Mini-Mobile and headed out to the Panera Bread in Algonquin.
I am writing to you about a senior in my life who has recently lost her sense of purpose. Annie is a beloved member of our community, but she has been feeling lost and unmotivated lately. She’s expressed to me that she doesn’t feel like she has a reason to get up in the morning anymore and that she doesn’t know what to do with her time. Annie has always been an active person, but lately, she seems more withdrawn. She told me in confidence that she feels extremely lonely and isolated.
The Huntley Area Public Library now offers Kanopy, a streaming movie service. By introducing Kanopy to your devices, you can explore films that matter.
The Sun City Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC) had sent requests to companies for proposals for engineering and design services to evaluate the usage of the common areas within Sun City. At the February 22 Sun City board meeting, a motion was on the agenda for the board to approve an agreement with Teska Associates for such services. The cost of the Teska agreement for their services was quoted at $40,000. When asked where the money was to pay the $40,000, Board Treasurer Jim Sanecki replied, “It’s not in the budget.”
The Sun City Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC) had sent requests to companies for proposals for engineering and design services to evaluate the usage of the common areas within Sun City. At the February 22 Sun City board meeting, a motion was on the agenda for the board to approve an agreement with Teska Associates for such services.
The cost of the Teska agreement for their services was quoted at $40,000. When asked where the money was to pay the $40,000, Board Treasurer Jim Sanecki replied, “It’s not in the budget.”
Last June, Russ Becker was featured for his Castle made of pennies. Talking about the project gave Becker the bug to keep building. He took out his stash of pennies and started to build again. He started on August 11, 2022, and completed a scale model of the Lincoln Memorial on September 16, 2022.
With our remaining daily fewer hours of sunlight, comes the chilly and windy gray weather that can bring on “winter blues.” While we appear to have conquered half of our seasonal Midwest winter climate, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remind us of the usual sad and less energized feelings, accompanied by less interest in activities, that can alter a person’s mood at this time.
Thirty years, three months, fifteen days, and two hours. That’s how long Larry Casey served as a Chicago Police officer. Casey moved to Sun City two-and-a-half years ago. Sergeant Casey was the third generation of men in his family to join the Chicago Police Department. Casey said, “Having had a grandfather and father in the Chicago Police Department, the choice of becoming a police officer was relatively simple.”
Thirty years, three months, fifteen days, and two hours. That’s how long Larry Casey served as a Chicago Police officer. Casey moved to Sun City two-and-a-half years ago. Sergeant Casey was the third generation of men in his family to join the Chicago Police Department.
Casey said, “Having had a grandfather and father in the Chicago Police Department, the choice of becoming a police officer was relatively simple.”
The Sun City Computer Club sent an alert to its members regarding a serious data breach at LastPass, a major software provided of Password Management software. The Computer Club featured password managers at a recent club monthly meeting.
The Village of Huntley has reestablished its tree replacement program for 2023 and beyond. With $50,000 in the FY23 budget the village is anticipating an increase in participation as compared to 2022. There were only nine applications for tree replacements in 2022.
The immediate neighborhood serves as a satisfactory landscape on weekdays for morning and evening walks with the dog, but on the weekend, the forest calls. As soon as I step onto a curved path winding through the trees, my lungs begin to tingle; I gulp the air laced with the perfume of soil and wood and leaves in various stages of birth, life, and decay. I can’t get enough of it! Even bare branches teem with life.
Today is February 23 — one of the least-sexy days of the year. Of course, “sexy” can be defined in different metaphorical ways. If by “sexy” you mean “important or exciting,” then there’s plenty of sexy to go around on this date in history.
Today is February 23 — one of the least-sexy days of the year.
Of course, “sexy” can be defined in different metaphorical ways. If by “sexy” you mean “important or exciting,” then there’s plenty of sexy to go around on this date in history.
Caring for houseplants has always been a bit of a struggle for me. This winter, I have tried to educate myself as to how to care for them properly. Thankfully I found the book Tiny Plants: Discover the joys of growing and collecting itty-bitty houseplants by Leslie Halleck. It is a mix of beautiful pictures, funny observations and wonderful advice. For this column, I am interviewing the author.
The Dining Duo is getting old, and like the commercial says, we are starting to become our parents. We must admit, we now eat our main meal at 1:00 in the afternoon and try to be back in the safe confines of our beloved Del Webb before dark.
With a spate of disappointing releases in theaters, nothing displeases me more than to tell you all not to head out. Theaters are hurting for business at this moment and it pains me to say that. Hopefully I will have more choices in the following issue for your next trip. For now, that same cinematic experience can be had on television these days. Whether you peruse cable or streaming those big stars and grand production values haven’t been sacrificed.
I am writing to express my concern about my aging parents. They are in their late 80s and continue to live independently in their own home. However, I’ve been noticing some changes to their well-being that have me worried. My mom has some memory issues, as I’ve observed her experiencing increased forgetfulness and mood swings. My dad’s memory is intact, but he seems to struggle with everyday household tasks. I understand that aging can bring about these changes, but I feel that it’s time I address them promptly.
Letters for the week of February 23.
The power of first love. This is a story of reunited high school sweethearts. Cliff and Linda Dungey, Sun City residents, were high school sweethearts. Then, they spent a lifetime apart. Now, they’ve found their way back to each other. Linda said, “We met in high school. I was in the choir, and he was in the orchestra. I was on stage performing in Annie Get Your Gun and I looked down at the boy playing the cello and thought he’s kind of cute.”
The power of first love. This is a story of reunited high school sweethearts.
Cliff and Linda Dungey, Sun City residents, were high school sweethearts. Then, they spent a lifetime apart. Now, they’ve found their way back to each other.
Linda said, “We met in high school. I was in the choir, and he was in the orchestra. I was on stage performing in Annie Get Your Gun and I looked down at the boy playing the cello and thought he’s kind of cute.”
When I was in high school, I remember learning about sharecropping and the New Deal. Although, “learning” isn’t quite right. What’s more correct is I remember my history teacher talking about sharecropping and the New Deal, but I wasn’t learning much of anything because I wasn’t paying attention. To me, he was just yawning on about another boring historical moment. I was a bad student. A very bad student.
Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) January article on “The Real Secret to Lifelong Fulfillment” explains the following historic findings. Begun in 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked its original group number of 724 men and more than 1300 male and female descendants over three generations. During that period of time, thousands of questions and hundreds of measurements have been asked to find out, as individuals age “What really keeps people healthy and happy?”
Tim Farrell, Village Director of Public Works and Engineering, presented a resolution at the January 12 meeting of the Village Board to “authorize a $70,000 Professional Services Agreement with the Christopher B. Burke Engineering firm for a feasibility study for a roundabout at the intersection of Huntley-Dundee Road and Kreutzer Road.”
Almost everyone has a story about what they did or accomplished during the pandemic. Ken Lydecker moved to Sun City from his residence of 35 years in 2019, right before the pandemic. During the stay-at-home order, Lydecker managed to travel, in a way: he built a diorama of our country from coast to coast. There are village squares from small-town America to the sparkling wonderland of the North Pole. Lydecker kept on building and creating the town of Bethlehem, a haunted village, a medieval village, and even a basketball court. He was not new to this kind of project.
Almost everyone has a story about what they did or accomplished during the pandemic. Ken Lydecker moved to Sun City from his residence of 35 years in 2019, right before the pandemic. During the stay-at-home order, Lydecker managed to travel, in a way: he built a diorama of our country from coast to coast.
There are village squares from small-town America to the sparkling wonderland of the North Pole. Lydecker kept on building and creating the town of Bethlehem, a haunted village, a medieval village, and even a basketball court.
He was not new to this kind of project.
Looking at my son’s face, it is easy for me to see him as he was when he was an infant, with silken hair kissed with just a touch of blonde. Or as a toddler, the way his cheeks would jiggle when he took halting, determined steps across the living room. I was there for all those little moments as he grew up: the birthday parties, the book reports, and the Band-Aids. But that little toddler with the blonde hair is no longer around. That sweet, bespectacled student leaning over his homework has grown up.
Looking at my son’s face, it is easy for me to see him as he was when he was an infant, with silken hair kissed with just a touch of blonde. Or as a toddler, the way his cheeks would jiggle when he took halting, determined steps across the living room. I was there for all those little moments as he grew up: the birthday parties, the book reports, and the Band-Aids.
But that little toddler with the blonde hair is no longer around. That sweet, bespectacled student leaning over his homework has grown up.
Amazon just recently announced the arrival of a new Prime membership benefit from Amazon Pharmacy called RxPass. The new program offers patients affordable access to commonly prescribed generic medications that treat more than 80 common health conditions, according to Amazon Regional PR Specialist Erica Duncan.
Amazon just recently announced the arrival of a new Prime membership benefit from Amazon Pharmacy called RxPass.
The new program offers patients affordable access to commonly prescribed generic medications that treat more than 80 common health conditions, according to Amazon Regional PR Specialist Erica Duncan.
Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) made a joint appearance at the January meeting of the Sun City Computer Club. Guest speakers from Consolidated School District 158, Dr. Chris Budzynski, the Chief Technology Officer and Dr. Bryan Zwemke, an Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Learning and Innovation, described how STEM fits into the district’s curriculum.
The table where I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day is a fine piece of furniture. Made of pecan wood with wood-peg construction, it has four craftsman-style drop leaves, held in place by sliding wooden bolts under each leaf. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture—but not only because of the features that attracted me to it when I bought it new 13 years ago. It took two accidental scar-kisses upon that table to remind me daily of how blessed I have been in love.
The table where I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day is a fine piece of furniture. Made of pecan wood with wood-peg construction, it has four craftsman-style drop leaves, held in place by sliding wooden bolts under each leaf. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture—but not only because of the features that attracted me to it when I bought it new 13 years ago.
It took two accidental scar-kisses upon that table to remind me daily of how blessed I have been in love.
Jim Sanecki, Sun City Board Treasurer, presented the Fiscal Year 2022 year-end financial statements at the January board meeting.
