MY SUN DAY NEWS
Philanthropy lives in the hearts of people with generosity in their bloodstream. You’ll find philanthropic people with heart-warming examples of generosity across the country and in every community of McHenry County. Community foundations have philanthropy as their vision, connecting people who care with causes that matter.
Some folks at Sun City might say the situation with the association’s board of directors these days is ideal.
The management of this beautiful, peaceful resort goes on quietly and efficiently while the residents enjoy their retirement, charter clubs, special interest groups, family visits, and some opt for their rocking chairs. The issues ought to be managed well in an active adult community, right?
According to Bill Turner’s recent article (Summer 2019), “Food For Thought” in “At The Lake,” a Geneva Lakes Area Magazine, the Keto Diet (a modern day version of the Atkins Diet) depends on our daily food intake going away from their high use of carbohydrates and instead going towards high-quality fats and proteins usage.
A little care and a lot of patience, two traits that Albert Pollastrini credits to helping his common garden flowers grow to an astonishing six feet. “I planted them around Mother’s Day. I bought them from Menard’s and they came with a bit of fertilizer. By the Fourth of July, they started to really bloom. They moved pretty rapidly. Now they reach to just above the windowpane. I almost need a step latter to cut flowers for the house,” Pollastrini said.
A little care and a lot of patience, two traits that Albert Pollastrini credits to helping his common garden flowers grow to an astonishing six feet.
“I planted them around Mother’s Day. I bought them from Menard’s and they came with a bit of fertilizer. By the Fourth of July, they started to really bloom. They moved pretty rapidly. Now they reach to just above the windowpane. I almost need a step latter to cut flowers for the house,” Pollastrini said.
Robert Moravec, Sun City Resident is known for many accomplishments. He is #3 on the Sun City 16-inch softball team, Agents. He is an avid Chicago Bears, White Sox, and Blackhawk fan. He collects sports memorabilia. He is Neighborhood 3 Block Captain for the Neighborhood Watch program. He is a twenty-year member of the Crystal Lake Lions Club where he has served as a president and currently the used eyeglasses chairman.
Letters for the week of September 19.
Jim is having his midlife crisis at age 70, oh lucky me, that means he’ll probably live to be 140!!! Time to go out looking for a small fun car to boost his ego during his crisis. He always wanted a Smart Car after seeing them in Europe, and it would be a perfect fit in our garage since we want to get a golf cart also. Our first goal was to see if Jim, being 6’4″ tall, could fold himself into this miniscule vehicle. To our dismay, we learned that they are no longer sold in the United States.
If you are a Downton Abbey fan this movie is a must see. When it ended the audience (almost a full house) applauded and cheered. On the way out the “buzz” exceeded that of any movie I can recall. And rightly so; the total production was amazing from beginning to end.
I took a time-machine trip with a friend a couple weeks ago. Well, to be honest, the machine was actually a 2012 Subaru Outback. But it had no trouble carrying us back into the past.
I took a time-machine trip with a friend a couple weeks ago.
Well, to be honest, the machine was actually a 2012 Subaru Outback. But it had no trouble carrying us back into the past.
Happy National Indoor Plant Week! Yes, it really is a thing. Kind of a made up holiday like the recent Grandparents Day or the upcoming Sweetest Day. That being said the benefits of having indoor plants are most definitely not made up. They are very, very real.
Last week I opened the “inside” garage door to our house and heard a loud pop. It sounded like a balloon burst. Now the door doesn’t close by itself. There are 2 large cylinder type hinges on this door. Are these spring-loaded? Did one or both of them snap? How do I go about getting the door fixed?
Neighborhood 28 has been conducting food drives since 2006 for the Grafton Food Pantry. And, the great support by our neighborhood continued on a recent bright sunny day!
My dad is approaching his 80th birthday. While he is in somewhat good health for his age, my mom worries about his health. He hasn’t had a physical exam for a few years now. He claims he feels great, aside from a few aches and pains that come with age. When he has a cold, he refuses to see a doctor, saying he’ll just take it easy.
During World War II in the 1940s, hemp was tough and provided American troops with stout rope and parachute cords. Domestic production of it was considered “patriotic.” Today, hemp is in many products and markets that serve the economy. Bottom line: Hemp-growing has come to Huntley and Kane County. But this story isn’t only about reviving a product, it‘s about a man with a strong connection to the history and building of Sun City. It’s about Tom Manning, and his roles in the community’s history. Tom was a Huntley-area concrete contractor and farmer when Del Webb Corp. came to Huntley and started building Sun City in the mid to late 1990s. Seeing an opportunity, Tom hooked his concrete company to Del Webb’s project to build the first Sun City outside America’s sun belt.
During World War II in the 1940s, hemp was tough and provided American troops with stout rope and parachute cords. Domestic production of it was considered “patriotic.”
Today, hemp is in many products and markets that serve the economy. Bottom line: Hemp-growing has come to Huntley and Kane County.
But this story isn’t only about reviving a product, it‘s about a man with a strong connection to the history and building of Sun City. It’s about Tom Manning, and his roles in the community’s history. Tom was a Huntley-area concrete contractor and farmer when Del Webb Corp. came to Huntley and started building Sun City in the mid to late 1990s. Seeing an opportunity, Tom hooked his concrete company to Del Webb’s project to build the first Sun City outside America’s sun belt.
Last winter, when it was too cold to do anything outside of the house, and when I had a free trial of YouTube TV, my friend Kera and I decided it would be fun to distract ourselves from the negative temperatures outside and watch ABC’s “The Bachelor.”
Just outside the Solarium, overlooking Whisper Creek Golf Course’s eighteenth hole, visitors to Sun City’s Prairie Lodge & Welcome Center might notice a new addition to the outdoor patio: a firepit. “We wanted to give the residents another gathering area, in this case one that was outside,” Dennis O’Leary, president of the Sun City Community Board of Directors, said.
Just outside the Solarium, overlooking Whisper Creek Golf Course’s eighteenth hole, visitors to Sun City’s Prairie Lodge & Welcome Center might notice a new addition to the outdoor patio: a firepit.
“We wanted to give the residents another gathering area, in this case one that was outside,” Dennis O’Leary, president of the Sun City Community Board of Directors, said.
Traveling is a common activity that many participate in throughout their lifetime. Betty “Lulu” Lucille Winkelman is no stranger to the world, having been to 19 foreign countries and on 90 cruises total. What makes Winkelman’s love of adventure so extraordinary is that even on her 100-year birthday, she continued her favorite hobby on board a cruise to Costa Rica. A birthday trip made unforgettable by the 100 flowers gifted to her and the 4,000-person chorus singing “Happy Birthday.”
Traveling is a common activity that many participate in throughout their lifetime. Betty “Lulu” Lucille Winkelman is no stranger to the world, having been to 19 foreign countries and on 90 cruises total.
What makes Winkelman’s love of adventure so extraordinary is that even on her 100-year birthday, she continued her favorite hobby on board a cruise to Costa Rica. A birthday trip made unforgettable by the 100 flowers gifted to her and the 4,000-person chorus singing “Happy Birthday.”
In cities and villages across the U.S., millions of people hugged their loved ones and called family members living further away. The emotions that poured out on September 11, 2001, and for the days and weeks that followed, ran very deep into the soul of America for we were tested in a way that we’d not seen since the attack in 1941 at Pearl Harbor.
We’ve had a very unusual summer in northern Illinois because of prolonged wet weather. But this doesn’t surprise Water Resource Specialist Scott Kuykendall. He’s always alert to extremes. A staff member of the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development, Kuykendall is very aware of increasing precipitation patterns. He is preparing for the annual McHenry County Water Forum on Flooding.
We’ve had a very unusual summer in northern Illinois because of prolonged wet weather. But this doesn’t surprise Water Resource Specialist Scott Kuykendall. He’s always alert to extremes.
A staff member of the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development, Kuykendall is very aware of increasing precipitation patterns. He is preparing for the annual McHenry County Water Forum on Flooding.
Sun City Softball reached the end of the season and dove into the week of playoffs. On August 19 in its bid for the playoffs, the #4 ranked Nationals beat the #1 Ranked Lumbarjacks with a stunning score of 12-2.
Sun City Softball reached the end of the season and dove into the week of playoffs.
On August 19 in its bid for the playoffs, the #4 ranked Nationals beat the #1 Ranked Lumbarjacks with a stunning score of 12-2.
A call for improvements in the world of mental health may seem a natural one after the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. The reaction to mass shootings in general seem to be based on the status of gun control regulations and perceptions that mental illness leads to violent behavior. The responses are two-fold; tighten laws for access to guns and improve the mental health system.
A call for improvements in the world of mental health may seem a natural one after the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.
The reaction to mass shootings in general seem to be based on the status of gun control regulations and perceptions that mental illness leads to violent behavior. The responses are two-fold; tighten laws for access to guns and improve the mental health system.
When I was a kid, Mom had a little pearl-handled pistol that she kept in her top dresser drawer. I wasn’t supposed to know where it was — but I did. And sometimes when Mom and Dad were in the yard I would sneak into their room, take the gun out and play with it because it was prettier than any toy I owned. I don’t know if it was loaded, because I never pulled the trigger. It may have had a safety that would have kept it from firing if I had pulled the trigger, but I don’t know. I just pointed it here and there and pretended I was shooting bad guys. I squinted one eye and stuck my other eye into the end of the barrel to see what it looked like down there.
When I was a kid, Mom had a little pearl-handled pistol that she kept in her top dresser drawer. I wasn’t supposed to know where it was — but I did. And sometimes when Mom and Dad were in the yard I would sneak into their room, take the gun out and play with it because it was prettier than any toy I owned.
I don’t know if it was loaded, because I never pulled the trigger. It may have had a safety that would have kept it from firing if I had pulled the trigger, but I don’t know. I just pointed it here and there and pretended I was shooting bad guys. I squinted one eye and stuck my other eye into the end of the barrel to see what it looked like down there.
Many new people have moved to Sun City in the last ten years. I am taking this opportunity to review ten items that you should address to keep yourself safe and avoid costly repairs.
Gardening is said to add years to your life and life to your years. In order for those years to pass more beautifully and easily for gardeners, the Perennial Plant Association has developed a Perennial Plant of the Year (PPOY) program. For the past 29 years, members of this non for profit organization have met each summer and voted on which perennial flower they best exemplifies certain characteristics. Characteristics of past PPOYs include low maintenance, disease and insect resistant, have interest over several seasons and are hardy. Here is a summary of the past 10 years’ worth of what could be considered the best of the best perennial flowers.
You may only think of the Dining Duo as charming, witty, and knowledgeable restaurant critics. While this is absolutely true, it is not the only avocation that we have. We are also bocce ball athletes!!! Every Friday morning we psyche ourselves up, jump into the mini-mobile, and head out to do battle at the bocce courts. This is the first year that I get to have Jim as my partner, oh lucky me!
My recently published story on the FASTING Diet has motivated me to continue the diet theme throughout my next three H&W articles. Each proposed change in your eating habits attempts to inform readers of a variety of ways to eat healthier and maintain/lose weight.
Thanks to one of our “email” readers, Dianne Morton who lives in Virginia. She tipped me off about this movie, as I had not heard about it. A little research suggested it might be worth our time, and as it turned out it most certainly was.
The Huntley Hoofers and for the first time including the new group the Sun City Spirits, are getting together to have an Open House/Show on September 11 in Drendel Ballroom in Prairie Lodge at 7 p.m. They are looking forward to demonstrating the dances that they have been working on and hope to provide an entertaining evening. They hope to dance, shake and cheer to delight the audience.
I am at a loss when it comes to making conversation with my grandpa. I have a good relationship with him but was always a little closer with my grandma. She passed away a few years ago, and since her passing, my grandpa seems a little withdrawn. He moved to assisted living about two years ago, and while he is doing well health-wise, he has occasional memory lapses. He lights up when I come to visit, especially when I bring my family (he loves watching my little ones toddle around the halls), but after the basic, “How are you, what’s new,” I find myself searching for conversation topics and ways to connect with him. Do you have any suggestions on how I can better engage my grandpa in conversation?
Letters for the week of September 5.
