MY SUN DAY NEWS
Each evening, I spend about 10 minutes preparing for the next morning. It is a habit started a few years ago that makes my mornings less busy. I choose and set out my clothes, put water in the tea kettle, and make my overnight oats. I also set out the dishes and utensils needed for breakfast, set out my dog’s food and review what I need to do the next day. Evenings are generally less busy, and by doing things the night before, it gives me a head start on the next day. It makes the next day more pleasant and productive.
A senior citizen’s sleeping habits are very strange indeed. You wake up at the butt crack of dawn and fall asleep right after Wheel of Fortune. Even when you are sleeping, your bladder decides to wake you up, or your brain suddenly remembers something you were trying to think of two days ago. Such was the case when Jim woke up screaming the name of a restaurant that we haven’t been to in over 25 years. The name in this sudden epiphany was Tony Spavone’s Ristorante in Bloomingdale, so off we went for a late lunch.
Huntley High School (HHS) offers a career and technical education culinary program that teaches students foundational cooking, baking, and food safety skills. Courses cover topics such as culinary preparation, nutrition, various cuisines, and service styles. Students learn to work with ingredients, convert recipe measurements, and explore multiple cooking techniques.
Joanne Thomas, HHS culinary teacher, has held all kitchen positions, from line cook to corporate chef consultant, in restaurants, banquet halls, and corporate foodservice suppliers. She has her own catering business and is an international travel chef.
As last month’s Health News report revealed, on Sept 18 the new Sec of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (APIC) issued new rules on COVID vaccination. The APIC left stand, at least for this year, the previous Federal Department of Food and Drug’s (FDA)’s approval for COVID vaccine for those 65 and over and those with at least one health condition making them more at risk for COVID complications. These will be covered by Medicare.
A good film doesn’t require a good protagonist. There is no obligation to the audience from any screenwriter that the character we follow throughout the feature be as flawless as Teflon, no moral ambiguity whatsoever. The Hays Code has been long gone now and we are adults that can discern right from wrong. The only sin of the filmmaker is to make characters that are boring. Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt would never be described as maximalist. Her dramas are quiet fly-on-the-wall observations of very grounded human beings. This is why the idea of creating a heist film felt so strange a genre for her to tackle. The Mastermind plays like a lost heir apparent to the works of Hal Ashby and Monte Hellman, a film that not only takes place in the 70s but beamed to us from that decade. Here we meet James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor), a failure in the truest sense of the word. He is the son of a judge and comes from wealth; went to school for architecture and can build furniture. However, he is jobless not because of outside forces but his lack of ambition.
A good film doesn’t require a good protagonist. There is no obligation to the audience from any screenwriter that the character we follow throughout the feature be as flawless as Teflon, no moral ambiguity whatsoever. The Hays Code has been long gone now and we are adults that can discern right from wrong. The only sin of the filmmaker is to make characters that are boring.
Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt would never be described as maximalist. Her dramas are quiet fly-on-the-wall observations of very grounded human beings. This is why the idea of creating a heist film felt so strange a genre for her to tackle. The Mastermind plays like a lost heir apparent to the works of Hal Ashby and Monte Hellman, a film that not only takes place in the 70s but beamed to us from that decade. Here we meet James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor), a failure in the truest sense of the word. He is the son of a judge and comes from wealth; went to school for architecture and can build furniture. However, he is jobless not because of outside forces but his lack of ambition.
I’m a 78-year-old veteran, and lately, the days have been feeling long and quiet. My wife passed away two years ago, and while I’ve done my best to keep going, it’s been tough. We were married for over 50 years. She was my rock, and the house hasn’t felt the same without her. I still get around okay, but some days I just don’t have the energy to cook or drive myself to the store. I miss having someone to talk to, share a meal with, or even just sit and watch TV. I know there are other vets out there like me, I just don’t know how to find them.
I’m a 78-year-old veteran, and lately, the days have been feeling long and quiet. My wife passed away two years ago, and while I’ve done my best to keep going, it’s been tough. We were married for over 50 years. She was my rock, and the house hasn’t felt the same without her.
I still get around okay, but some days I just don’t have the energy to cook or drive myself to the store. I miss having someone to talk to, share a meal with, or even just sit and watch TV. I know there are other vets out there like me, I just don’t know how to find them.
Homes get spooky for Halloween.
Waaaaaay back in the 1990s, when calling long-distance (outside my area code! On a landline!) was cost-prohibitive, my mother devised a system: In my college dorm, I would wait until Sunday evening when the phone rates went down after 10 p.m. I would call her at the top of the hour, ring once, then hang up. That was our signal. She would know that I was ready for our weekly phone call, so she called me back, usually while puttering in the kitchen, while my Dad picked up the extension in the living room close to his favorite chair.
“Where have all the birds, butterflies and bees gone?” asked Helen Wiederkehr, Sun City Resident, in a letter to the Sun Day News editor. “When my husband and I moved into Sun City in 2002 it was so beautiful, with abundant birds, wildlife and even insects like bees and fireflies. We used to see doves, tree swallows and cardinals everywhere. Not to mention killdeer running all over the golf course, of which I haven’t seen one for the last five or six years. Almost all have dwindled. I don’t know what has even happened to the squirrels in my neighborhood.” Wiederkehr suspects a specific cause.
“Where have all the birds, butterflies and bees gone?” asked Helen Wiederkehr, Sun City Resident, in a letter to the Sun Day News editor. “When my husband and I moved into Sun City in 2002 it was so beautiful, with abundant birds, wildlife and even insects like bees and fireflies. We used to see doves, tree swallows and cardinals everywhere. Not to mention killdeer running all over the golf course, of which I haven’t seen one for the last five or six years. Almost all have dwindled. I don’t know what has even happened to the squirrels in my neighborhood.”
Wiederkehr suspects a specific cause.
Jerry Straily, a Sun City resident, wrote a book that took years to finish. But this year, it’s published. The book is a memoir about his struggles and his journey to change. Straily said, “Unfortunately, all the events in this book are true. Most names in this book have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities. And yes, there is a heaven and a hell, and I’ve approached both. My book reveals a dysfunctional family life and what it leads to: pain, suffering, loss of trust, poor decisions, and a turbulent life.”
Jerry Straily, a Sun City resident, wrote a book that took years to finish. But this year, it’s published. The book is a memoir about his struggles and his journey to change.
Straily said, “Unfortunately, all the events in this book are true. Most names in this book have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities. And yes, there is a heaven and a hell, and I’ve approached both. My book reveals a dysfunctional family life and what it leads to: pain, suffering, loss of trust, poor decisions, and a turbulent life.”
When I was a kid, I was usually a bum. I’m talking about my Halloween costume, of course. I wasn’t a bum every day, though there are those who might dispute that.
When I was a kid, I was usually a bum.
I’m talking about my Halloween costume, of course. I wasn’t a bum every day, though there are those who might dispute that.
A few editions ago, I wrote about a treehouse I was building for my brother. After three months of weekend (and some weekdays) work, it’s done!
Denisee Garza has been busy with her successful business, DD Creations, for about a decade now. On November 1, DD Creations, will be part of the 10 businesses Shops on Main Village of Huntley incubator business shops at Route 47 and Main Street. Village officials hope most shops will be open at the former Hackett House site by or around November 10.
Denisee Garza has been busy with her successful business, DD Creations, for about a decade now.
On November 1, DD Creations, will be part of the 10 businesses Shops on Main Village of Huntley incubator business shops at Route 47 and Main Street. Village officials hope most shops will be open at the former Hackett House site by or around November 10.
Did you know that the tradition of selecting Miss Huntley goes back to 1949? This year, on July 19, another Miss Huntley was chosen for 2025. The Miss Huntley/Lake in the Hills Scholarship Pageant promotes the personal and professional growth of young women. The annual scholarship pageant celebrates the talents and accomplishments of young women in the community and aims to promote confidence, leadership, and personal development. The 2025 Miss Huntley is Destiny Tolbert, and Kruthi Aiyer was selected as Miss Lake in the Hills.
This November, the annual Flower Show, organized by the Huntley Area Lions Club, will celebrate its twelfth year. Since then, it has grown in attendance and popularity. This year, the show takes place on Wednesday, November 5, from 7-9 p.m. Carol Didricksen, chair of the event said, “This year, we have three florists creating and crafting beautiful floral arrangements in person.”
This November, the annual Flower Show, organized by the Huntley Area Lions Club, will celebrate its twelfth year. Since then, it has grown in attendance and popularity. This year, the show takes place on Wednesday, November 5, from 7-9 p.m.
Carol Didricksen, chair of the event said, “This year, we have three florists creating and crafting beautiful floral arrangements in person.”
During a recent visit to my parents’ home, I noticed a small plate on the kitchen counter with several pills just sitting there. It wasn’t the first time. My parents are both in their early 80s, no dementia, but I have started noticing some forgetfulness here and there — nothing major, just little things like repeating a story or losing track of time.
Annie, our English springer spaniel dog, brings my husband and me an indescribable amount of joy. Her exuberance for life, extreme loyalty, and constant affection lift our spirits each and every day. She is a blessing to us and by providing food, shelter and care we, hopefully, we bring her happiness.
People say we should review restaurants in Huntley. Be careful what you wish for, as you will soon see. Most suburbs have icons which differentiate them from their surrounding suburbs. Schaumburg has Woodfield, Rosemont has the Chicago Dogs Baseball Stadium, and even Berwyn has Svengoolie. We were wracking our brains on what Huntley could be famous for, then suddenly, it dawned on us.
2025 has been an amazing year for getting the creeps in cinema. From Sinners and Presence earlier to Bring Her Back and Weapons during the summer, the multiplexes have hosted so many superb entries in this genre. Many of which I have reviewed if you are interested in checking them out again. Currently, The Conjuring series is wrapping up with Last Rites having been in theaters for over a month now. Some of these are also streaming and on video-on-demand for home. However, I want to talk about some classic fare you might also see scrolling through the service queues as you search.
One of the most magnificent features of our community’s landscape is the fountain in the lake adjacent to the lodge. My husband and I just love seeing it as we drive up Del Webb Boulevard. It is beautiful at any time of day. What can you tell us about it?
Letters for the week of October 23.
The Theatre Company of Sun City is preparing for a ghoulishly good time for audiences as they announce their fall musical, The Addams Family.
We’re barely 30 days out from the day our youngest child moved away from home, and my Gentleman Friend and I are still rattling around, trying to find our groove. We knew this day would come, when we no longer lived with dependent children, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that we had no idea what that really entailed. We have both been hopelessly knocked off our game.
We’re barely 30 days out from the day our youngest child moved away from home, and my Gentleman Friend and I are still rattling around, trying to find our groove.
We knew this day would come, when we no longer lived with dependent children, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that we had no idea what that really entailed. We have both been hopelessly knocked off our game.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately pondering the life cycle of corn, as I’m sure you have, too. If there is any better way to mark the passage of summer in Illinois, I don’t know what it is. That thought came home to me the other day as I sat on the patio, shucking what would probably be the last of the best farmer’s market corn for this season. I was in no hurry, sitting in the Huntley autumn sunshine, admiring the perfect symmetry of a perfect ear of corn that would perfectly grace my dinner table that night.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately pondering the life cycle of corn, as I’m sure you have, too. If there is any better way to mark the passage of summer in Illinois, I don’t know what it is.
That thought came home to me the other day as I sat on the patio, shucking what would probably be the last of the best farmer’s market corn for this season. I was in no hurry, sitting in the Huntley autumn sunshine, admiring the perfect symmetry of a perfect ear of corn that would perfectly grace my dinner table that night.
It all started when Sun City resident Dave Nash lost his wife of 48 years, Rosemary, in April of this year. “I wanted to donate the shoes she had, which were in good condition, to someplace other than Goodwill. I started researching, and I found Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization.”
It all started when Sun City resident Dave Nash lost his wife of 48 years, Rosemary, in April of this year.
“I wanted to donate the shoes she had, which were in good condition, to someplace other than Goodwill. I started researching, and I found Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization.”
The Sun City Pickleball Charter Club, whose motto is “Game On” concluded its summer season with a three-day tournament ending September 20. “We had 200 participants, and they all played well,” Pickleball Charter Club President Pam White said. “We had participants from age 50 to 100, and some of the older players beat some of the younger ones.”
The Sun City Pickleball Charter Club, whose motto is “Game On” concluded its summer season with a three-day tournament ending September 20.
“We had 200 participants, and they all played well,” Pickleball Charter Club President Pam White said. “We had participants from age 50 to 100, and some of the older players beat some of the younger ones.”
When my daughter was in high school, she ran cross country. The meets, held in the fall, were long, difficult and often included 50-100 of the area’s best runners. During each race, I would position myself near the finish line and yell “Finish strong” repeatedly as Sarah and her friends ran by. Somehow, I hoped that this encouragement would help them beat their personal best time for the course. Seven years later, I find that this fall I am telling myself “Finish strong.”
There is a thin line between true emotion and sentimentality; one shows you how to feel, the other tells you how to feel. In film a deft hand needs to be employed to avoid banal musings in service of specificity. That is not the case with A Big, Bold Beautiful Journey, a film that could’ve been promising if it didn’t stumble on every cliche.
A once-straightforward seasonal vaccine process has become puzzling this year because of changes in new federal guidance. Understanding what has changed with this year’s COVID vaccine recommendations requires a brief review of the usual way vaccines are adopted each year in the US. Two federal agencies are involved. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)oversees review of the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines and is authorized to determine whether or not to approve vaccines for use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)is responsible for providing recommendations on how to use approved vaccines. This includes issuing annual U.S. adult and childhood immunization recommendations (referred to as “immunization schedules.”)
Let’s be honest, retirement isn’t what we thought it would be. Most of your free time is taken up by doctor appointments. Let us walk you through what making a typical doctor appointment entails. First you call the office, navigate through the phone system, finally get a real person to talk to, and make an appointment months in advance. Then you wait… Two weeks before your appointment you get a phone call telling you to check your email which tells you to check your text which tells you to confirm your appointment. Aren’t the golden years wonderful?
