The BIG chicken

As you go north on Route 47 things seem to get bigger. You approach the town of Hebron, and immediately you see a giant basketball cleverly disguised as a water tower. This undoubtedly was the game ball when the Hebron High School won the IHSA championship in 1952. Drive past the downtown area, look on your left, and there stands as Henery Hawk, the cartoon character would say, “that is the biggest chicken ever I see.” It must be a monument to Foghorn Leghorn. He is standing guard in front of Crandall’s Restaurant in Hebron.

To bee or not to bee?

Tonight, like most nights, Chris, my husband, made us a delicious dinner. A fresh salad and chicken quesadillas were enjoyed by my daughter, my son and me. Strawberry Baked Alaska, compliments of my daughter, Sarah were served for dessert. This morning we enjoyed coffee and fresh baked blueberry muffins for breakfast. While we all appreciate each other’s time and talents in the kitchen, none of it would be possible if not for the bees and other pollinators. The tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapeños and even the coffee that nourish our bodies were only harvested after pollinating insects helped to produce them.

Ask an Angel: June 30, 2022

I’m concerned about my husband. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has always been an avid gardener. He (and I) have reached the point where we can no longer garden as he’s used to doing. The constant bending over to plant flowers causes my back to flare up. My husband’s Alzheimer’s prevents him from staying safe outside in the heat and sun.

Sometimes Dad’s lessons taught other lessons as well

Dad and I were always close, and he had a big impact on the way I think today. For example, Dad instilled a strong respect for truth in me at an early age — because honesty didn’t come naturally to me at first.

When I was little, my philosophy was “Let someone else break it.” It worked like this: If I was tossing a ball around in the house and broke a lamp, I would painstakingly reassemble the pieces and then tiptoe out of the room. The next time somebody walked through the house, the lamp would rattle apart, right before their eyes. Son of a gun. And I was nowhere in sight.

Each morning begins with a ritual

Our ritual each morning is this: he pads barefooted to the kitchen. He is a fast waker-upper; I am not. Even though my eyes are still closed, I follow along by listening to the sounds he makes. I hear the shoosh of the water from the tap going into the tea kettle, and the click of him turning on the stove. He tends to favor the burner at the back of the stove to the right, while I am partial to the front burner on the left. With the water set to boil in a bright turquoise-colored kettle that I bought one day when I was feeling sad and drab, he crosses over to the far end of the living room where I hear him lower himself to the ground where he does pushups on a mat.

Weeding between the lines: How to cultivate your lawn

After the drought last year, the rain this year has been a welcome relief. With the rain, though, has come a proliferation of weeds throughout planting beds and lawns. Although I don’t abide by the belief that a lawn has to be completely free of weeds, a well-kept lawn and maintained planting beds do enhance the look of a property and lead to more enjoyment from its owners.

There are no strict guidelines of what is a weed or what is an acceptable plant. A plant that is growing where it is not wanted is considered a weed. Weeds, when given the opportunity, multiply, often stealing nutrients and moisture from the soil, from other more desirable plants. They can crowd out good plants resulting in the stunted growth of the good plants.

Because it turns out there are more than 50 varieties of Ken dolls out there — Cali Cool Ken, Tropical Vibes Ken, Hip Hoodie Ken, and more. And now they come in a variety of skin tones and body shapes that include slim, broad and original.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Distances definitely play into that picture. It’s so large that its flag only needs one-star, perfect for the Lone Star State. Texas also has five, yes five, of the largest cities in the US: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth.

Dressing up a dead corpse

History is, basically, the stories we tell ourselves. Fact is muddled somewhere in it, but it is some human element that binds it together. Much of historical dramas operate on this principle. No film could completely depict the events as they unfolded. However, we don’t expect it to be created from whole cloth either. A balance is struck between the machine of Hollywood filmmaking and the adherence to the truth. In some ways, this can yield middling results. Much of Netflix’s latest Operation Mincemeat falls into this region.

Jur-’in’, Jur-’out’

We had a very enjoyable New Year’s Eve celebration partying with new friends Rich and Melody. At that time, we agreed to go out to dinner in the new year. Five short months later, we finally got together and met them at Jurin Sushi-Teppan in South Elgin.

Reducing your utilities bills naturally

Natural gas prices are at an all-time high. In May of 2021, the average price of natural gas in Northern Illinois was 53 cents per therm. By May 2022, that price had risen to 111 cents per therm. This is a 109% increase. ComEd recently proposed a 199-million-dollar rate increase for 2023. We depend upon natural gas to heat our homes, electricity to run our appliances, and our utility bills continue to escalate.

Ask an Angel: June 2, 2022

My family and I plan to visit my parents over the summer. We live out of state and usually get together about four times a year. Since COVID, our visits have spread out. They haven’t been out to visit us yet, stating they’re concerned about variants of COVID as they travel. My parents are approaching their 80s. I noticed during our last visit that they seem to be struggling. My sister lives nearby but doesn’t appear too concerned for their health. She also heavily relies upon them, specifically my mom, to watch her children while she works.

Meeting the usual suspects to relearn what’s really important

Carol and I love to take a brisk walk every day — usually at least three miles or so, and usually at sunset. It’s a great way to let whatever seemed so important throughout the day to dwindle and fade back into a “So, that happened” memory, and let us refocus our minds back to what’s really important.

Hope takes root

It was a gorgeous day at the garden center. A gentle breeze danced through the heavily perfumed air, playfully mixing and mingling with the sweet and savory scents of the flowers and herbs. The earthy scent of grass clippings and warm soil felt like a tender embrace, comfortable and calm.

What’s new in 2022

New, for many, represents exciting, different, a chance to try again. A new haircut just waiting to be admired, a new page in the calendar ready to be filled in or even simply a bright new day just waiting to be enjoyed.

Each year brings a whole new set of plants that are introduced to gardeners across the United States. Hybridizers devote years and indeed sometimes their entire lives developing new plants.

Comedy through the ages

Well for those who saw the last film I reviewed, you might need a much needed break from brutality. As good as The Northman was, it’s not a film to easily shake off after viewing. As I saw the box office numbers come in, it was both disheartening and understandable the weak totals that Viking epic brought in. A needed dose of mirth is just what the doctor would order. With the wealth of options what does one choose? And, after all, humor is highly subjective. In my fumbling way, let me guide those over to HBO Max for a couple choice program to get your yucks in.

Sweet and savory

Normal people celebrate holidays on their appointed day and for one day only. Not so in the Dining Duo’s household. Any holiday that is in tribute to Nancy, such as, Grandparent’s Day, her birthday, Mother-in-Law’s Day, Groundhog Day, April Fool’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, and especially Mother’s Day, always turns into a weeklong gala celebration extravaganza.

Ask an Angel: May 19, 2022

Our neighborhood holds an annual garage sale and this is the year we’re going to participate. My husband and I are ready to downsize to a smaller, ranch-style home. We’re both retired and our kids have flown the nest. We’ve accumulated a lot over the 20 years we’ve lived in this home. I want to use the neighborhood garage sale as an opportunity for my husband and me to begin sorting through our belongings. However, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed.

Going Up? The harrowing ascent to the Yellow Brick Road

For a good five minutes, I was convinced I was going to have to listen to the Elton John concert while stuck in an elevator.

At, least, it felt like five minutes: the time it took for the elevator to arrive to take us up to our seats in the nosebleed section, where our seats were located at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. We were there to see Elton John perform live for his Farewell Tour.

We were relieved, my friends and I, to see there was an elevator operator, who had an air of authority perched on a stool in front of the panel of elevator buttons.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” said a woman to the elevator operator. “Up, please.”

Trying to wrap my head around “cat-think”

I am not a “cat guy,” so sometimes I need help understanding how “cat people” think. Today is one of those times.

A few weeks ago, Carol Pavlik wrote in this paper about her attempt to adopt a cat, only to be thwarted by a woman sitting behind a desk who peppered her with stern questions. What was her policy on declawing? Did she have a vet? What would the cat be fed? She answered carefully and thoughtfully, because she had “nothing but good intentions for our hypothetical kitty!”

Pagan rite and firelight

Mythos and their power over us have been in the zeitgeist in the last decade. A glut of superhero films continues to fill multiplexes, our modern equivalent to ancient tales. It is enough to take them for granted as base culture. However, this was not always the case. Equal parts anthropology and religion, these tales passed down were inspiration for many writers going forward. No greater motivation has ignited plots as revenge. And no grander presentation has graced the screen as Robert Eggers’s latest.

In the ‘tiki, tiki, tiki, room’

Isn’t it true that everyone is a kid at heart? It’s safe to say that at one time or another, most people have been to Disney World, either by themselves, with their children, or possibly with their grandchildren. There are a few classic attractions that everyone remembers, either good or bad. One is that boat ride with those cute little dolls from all over the world incessantly singing, “It’s a Small World.” It took us several years to get that nauseating song out of our heads. Another is the Haunted Mansion where a holographic ghost suddenly appears sitting next to you. Our grandson is now in therapy.

Home harvest: saving some green by farming your own food

A recent trip to the grocery store left me feeling completely unfulfilled and concerned about the future. What should have been a 15-minute dash into the store to get a few essentials (i.e. milk, eggs, cereal, salad and honey) lead me to recalibrate my life choices. I noticed the eggs were more expensive than usual, but put them into the cart anyway. I drew the line, though, at purchasing a $7 jar of honey. I wasn’t trying to purchase Manuka honey or even honey comb. I simply wanted a small jar of clover honey to enjoy on toast the next morning for breakfast. While staring at the yellow price sticker on the shelf, I simultaneously realized while I could afford to spend that much on honey, I certainly wasn’t going to.

Ask an Angel: May 5, 2022

My husband recently had a health scare. We’re both in our mid-60s and have had few health concerns until recently. During my husband’s annual dermatologist appointment, where his doctor found a small bump on his ear. A biopsy confirmed it was skin cancer. Fortunately, it was diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma, and he had it removed a week ago. His doctor said that it’s common to find growths on ears, especially in men prone to wearing baseball caps. These hats protect their scalps but offer no UV protection for their ears. My husband wears sunscreen but often neglects to put it on his ears.

Sometimes you just can’t beat old-school

After having lunch at a restaurant with my son recently, we got into the car and I turned to look over my shoulder as I backed out of the parking space.

“Wow,” he said, “you still do that old-school.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, which is pretty much par for the course for me when it comes to conversations with members of generations that are less vintage than mine.

“What are you talking about?” I said.

‘Scape plan: How to create a sustainable environment

Our time is finite. We have absolutely no control over the amount of time in each hour, day, week, month or year. What we can control is how we spend that time. As the author of this column and a landscape professional I can honestly tell you the less time I spend working in my yard the better. I would rather spend time enjoying my yard rather than working in it. Sustainable landscaping is a pathway towards less work and more joy.

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