MY SUN DAY NEWS
My husband and I, along with our two boys (7 & 5), are visiting my husband’s grandmother in a few weeks. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen her, as we live out-of-state. She currently lives in a memory care facility. My father-in-law has told us that she mostly has good days. She’s very forgetful but seems healthy otherwise. I’m writing for suggestions as to what to do during our visit. She’s always been hard of hearing, and conversation can be challenging, even before she had dementia.
Letters for the week of August 11.
The Property Manager plays an important role in addressing the needs of Sun City Residents, supporting the boards, ensuring efficient operations, and planning for the future. Residents are familiar with those activities. But do you know the staff is making a difference in our surrounding community also? First Service Residential took on the challenge of bringing a glimmer of fun in the form of “Party in a Bag” to help a child celebrate their birthday.
Deanna Loughran, Sun City Executive Director said, “As a parent, it broke my heart knowing that some kids would not be able to celebrate their birthday. I remember all the fun celebrations my kids had. One of the last ones I had for one of my daughters, was a Hawaiian-themed one.”
I consider it a good day when I remove an even number of socks from the dryer. I always put in an even number, that I know. With military-like precision, I unroll each and every sock from the hamper and verify its mate before throwing it in the wash. But somehow, by the end of the drying cycle, something’s gone awry. There’s usually one, lonely sock. I keep the single socks. What else can an optimist do? Admittedly, I have looked up articles like, “37+ Unusual Uses for Lonely Socks,” but I just wasn’t really in need of a sock puppet or golf club covers or windshield wiper cozies. I once made a cardboard box to go above my wash machine and labeled it “Sock Orphanage.” Soon, it was overflowing with socks, yet when I dumped them all out to sort them, none of them seemed to match.
I consider it a good day when I remove an even number of socks from the dryer. I always put in an even number, that I know. With military-like precision, I unroll each and every sock from the hamper and verify its mate before throwing it in the wash. But somehow, by the end of the drying cycle, something’s gone awry. There’s usually one, lonely sock.
I keep the single socks. What else can an optimist do? Admittedly, I have looked up articles like, “37+ Unusual Uses for Lonely Socks,” but I just wasn’t really in need of a sock puppet or golf club covers or windshield wiper cozies. I once made a cardboard box to go above my wash machine and labeled it “Sock Orphanage.” Soon, it was overflowing with socks, yet when I dumped them all out to sort them, none of them seemed to match.
When we were young, the search began even before school let out in early June: Which kids would be taking a vacation outside of Illinois, and could they find a way to smuggle some fireworks home without Mom or Dad finding out? The grand prize, of course, was the cherry bomb. Its waterproof wick meant that it could be used to sink the ships of yuletides past. Every Christmas we asked Santa for plastic model kits of the great ships of America’s proud naval history. We assembled them through the dark, dreary months of late winter, and by summer the kits had been built, played with, and abandoned to the back of the closet.
When we were young, the search began even before school let out in early June: Which kids would be taking a vacation outside of Illinois, and could they find a way to smuggle some fireworks home without Mom or Dad finding out?
The grand prize, of course, was the cherry bomb. Its waterproof wick meant that it could be used to sink the ships of yuletides past.
Every Christmas we asked Santa for plastic model kits of the great ships of America’s proud naval history. We assembled them through the dark, dreary months of late winter, and by summer the kits had been built, played with, and abandoned to the back of the closet.
Boney Bones: that’s the name that Joanie Berg was known by at St. Hedwig. “In the forties, my sister Sally, who was two years older, and I were put in St. Hedwig’s orphanage in Niles. My mother died of cancer at the of 34 and my father was in the U.S. Army in Europe, fighting the Germans,” Berg said.
Boney Bones: that’s the name that Joanie Berg was known by at St. Hedwig.
“In the forties, my sister Sally, who was two years older, and I were put in St. Hedwig’s orphanage in Niles. My mother died of cancer at the of 34 and my father was in the U.S. Army in Europe, fighting the Germans,” Berg said.
Even though older adults are living longer in this country, almost 61% are dealing with multiple chronic conditions. CONSUMER REPORTS states “This makes solid medical care essential as we age…for older people errors are “much more likely to have consequences – their physiology is just not as adaptable.” Furthermore, Americans over the age of 50 say that 20% of them have doctors (who) have made assumptions about them based on their age, which can lead to inappropriate care. (For instance, both my husband and I fairly recently fainted in two foreign countries due to overcrowded conditions with heated temps, made worse through an overdose of blood pressure meds having been prescribed to both of us. This was due to our family physician not taking into account that we both had been very physically active in our daily routines for years.)
Legacy sequels are a different breed altogether. With your typical follow-up, usually only a short time has passed between films. But when that duration spans decades, pressure begins to mount. You are no longer looking to please one demographic but multiple. Is the subject/theme even relevant anymore? How does one remain faithful to countless fans of original source material while ushering in future devotees? In recent years, only a select few have managed to thread that needle.
Characters of Character is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a firm foundation for children to establish strong civic values and we are focused on the Huntley Hospital!
On Monday, March 23, 2020, Barbara Duriau started a Facebook group. Our world was quickly becoming very narrow because of the pandemic related lockdowns. Barbara took a picture of the view from her apartment in Amsterdam, Netherlands and posted it on the ‘View from my window’ Facebook group. Within 23 days, over 1 million people were posting pictures that were taken from their own windows. By day 34, 2 million people were able to virtually travel to France, Italy, Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Monaco, and Vatican City because they were part of the Facebook Group ‘View from my window.’ As is frequently the case, I was a bit late to the party.
The Huntley Heaters, a team made up of softball players from the Sun City Softball League, played in a senior 16” softball tournament in Elk Grove Village on July 13. (Photo provided)
A friend of ours, Mike, was performing a blues show one Wednesday evening and invited us to come and listen to some blues trivia and music. Truth be told, it was also his birthday and the audience was to be peppered with a lot of his friends. This was all happening at the Trio Grille in Marengo. When we arrived, we were looking for an entrance to the restaurant and discovered the restaurant was inside the Glo-Bowl bowling alley. We didn’t bring our bowling shirts or shoes, but we went in anyway and were escorted to our table.
A friend of ours, Mike, was performing a blues show one Wednesday evening and invited us to come and listen to some blues trivia and music. Truth be told, it was also his birthday and the audience was to be peppered with a lot of his friends. This was all happening at the Trio Grille in Marengo.
When we arrived, we were looking for an entrance to the restaurant and discovered the restaurant was inside the Glo-Bowl bowling alley. We didn’t bring our bowling shirts or shoes, but we went in anyway and were escorted to our table.
I’m concerned about my mom. She relocated from Ohio to live closer to me. While I love having her nearby, she has yet to establish her social network. I work part-time, and she watches my children until me, or my husband can pick them up after work. I see her multiple times a week, and she insists on having us over for Sunday lunch. Initially, she didn’t have many opportunities to socialize due to the pandemic. Now that things are pretty much back to normal, she doesn’t seem interested in finding friends.
Letters for the week of July 28.
Wilbur Wright said, “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.” Sun City has its share of residents that have a background in aviation or just a love of flying. The Aviation Interest Group is inviting those residents to join their group.
Wilbur Wright said, “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.”
Sun City has its share of residents that have a background in aviation or just a love of flying. The Aviation Interest Group is inviting those residents to join their group.
I want to tell you for a minute about an unsung hero. Sorry, I can barely keep a straight face just writing that because unsung hero is probably an overstatement so far as our readers are concerned, but the term is still apt because he’s both unsung and a hero to this newspaper. His name is Kurt Kuehnert, and after ten years, he recently retired from his Advertising Manager position.
I want to tell you for a minute about an unsung hero. Sorry, I can barely keep a straight face just writing that because unsung hero is probably an overstatement so far as our readers are concerned, but the term is still apt because he’s both unsung and a hero to this newspaper.
His name is Kurt Kuehnert, and after ten years, he recently retired from his Advertising Manager position.
As the population in McHenry and Kane Counties continues to grow rapidly, will there be enough drinking water to satisfy the demand? Yes, with smart planning, a region-wide collaboration and residents as well as businesses adopting a strong water-conservation ethic. That’s the word from local and state water experts.
As the population in McHenry and Kane Counties continues to grow rapidly, will there be enough drinking water to satisfy the demand?
Yes, with smart planning, a region-wide collaboration and residents as well as businesses adopting a strong water-conservation ethic.
That’s the word from local and state water experts.
I’m in a good mood today, and I have heavy traffic to thank for it. I know that’s a crazy thing to say, unless you’re an ambulance-chasing lawyer or a psychiatrist who sees dollar signs in other people’s misery. But I’m neither of those things, so go ahead — call me crazy.
I’m in a good mood today, and I have heavy traffic to thank for it.
I know that’s a crazy thing to say, unless you’re an ambulance-chasing lawyer or a psychiatrist who sees dollar signs in other people’s misery. But I’m neither of those things, so go ahead — call me crazy.
If you were an active camper, does not mean you have to give up camping when you hit your golden years. Esther Bell, a Sun City resident, camping for 55 years continues to hitch her camper to the wagon and get back to nature. Bell said, “In college, we went camping to a spot with no water, and no toilets. We brought big coolers, dug our latrines, and hung our toilet paper on branches. That trip as difficult as it sounds, but it was made worse when a tent started on fire from a spark from a campfire.”
If you were an active camper, does not mean you have to give up camping when you hit your golden years. Esther Bell, a Sun City resident, camping for 55 years continues to hitch her camper to the wagon and get back to nature.
Bell said, “In college, we went camping to a spot with no water, and no toilets. We brought big coolers, dug our latrines, and hung our toilet paper on branches. That trip as difficult as it sounds, but it was made worse when a tent started on fire from a spark from a campfire.”
Every so often, I’ll have a week where it seems as if my coworkers hate me. Later that same week, my husband will start eyeing me in that way that convinces me he’s desperate to divorce me. My friends won’t call — a sure sign that they absolutely cannot stand me. And it isn’t just people turning against me — it’s dinner, scorched in the oven; the latch on the window that snaps off in my hand as I hurry to let the smoke from the oven escape. It’s the spot on my favorite pants, rendering them unwearable.
Did you know that heat-related illnesses are the most risky and dangerous for older adults? This becomes true with the presence of age-producing conditions and medications that can increase susceptibility to heat. Extreme heat has continued to become more common in the U.S. With higher outdoor temperatures, more heat-related illnesses, such as heatstroke, are found annually.
It was announced at the May 25 Sun City board meeting that four cameras were purchased at a cost of $9,000 and that they would be installed at the Tall Oaks Courts for unspecified purposes. Executive Director Loughran did state that “they’re not for security purposes.”
Six sample illustrations for a new monument sign at the recently renamed Veterans Memorial Field were presented at the June 22 meeting of the Sun City Board. The illustrations showed stone signs that were in the six feet high by nine feet wide range with ornamental stones as embellished frames.
Film fests have been a breeding ground for the next generation of talent. From major leaders like Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino, to niche filmmakers like Wes Anderson, they all got their start at one place: The Sundance Film Festival. Started in 1978 and spearheaded by Robert Redford, the event has happened every January in Park City, Utah. Many features and shorts are presented and attended by bigwigs in Hollywood. If you happen to be the lucky director, bid wars between studios are common. And with the need for more content means more competition. But some are just hype.
As the 10th largest state in the United States, Michigan possesses a large amount of natural resources. From wetlands to sand dunes, from forests to lakes and rivers all are just waiting for us to explore and enjoy. One of the state’s natural resources is called Oudolf Garden.
Whenever Nancy and I have a day dedicated to running errands, we always like to plan out our itinerary in the morning while sucking down coffee and watching cartoons. Our travels that day would take us to Schaumburg where Nancy had to get the obligatory COVID test before having a medical procedure in a few days. As a reward for Nancy having to bear the horrific ordeal of having a cotton swab jammed up her nose, she requested to have lunch at Heng Wing Restaurant in Palatine.
I’m a spousal caregiver to my wife, who has Parkinson’s disease. Her care needs are beginning to exceed what I can manage. Although we have daughters in the area who stop by frequently during the week, we don’t want to become a burden to them.
Huntley pitcher Jori Heard fires a strike in action earlier this season. She was named first team all-state.
Letters for the week of July 14.
Sun City resident Bob Begora began to worry about the pineapple top he had planted in a small pot two years ago, as he noted not much progress had occurred in its growth. Having been a wholesale produce buyer for major hotel chains for over 30 years, Begora has had the opportunity to experience the whole pineapple lifecycle through his visits to plantations in Hawaii and always had the idea in his mind to grow a pineapple of his own.
Sun City resident Bob Begora began to worry about the pineapple top he had planted in a small pot two years ago, as he noted not much progress had occurred in its growth.
Having been a wholesale produce buyer for major hotel chains for over 30 years, Begora has had the opportunity to experience the whole pineapple lifecycle through his visits to plantations in Hawaii and always had the idea in his mind to grow a pineapple of his own.
