MY SUN DAY NEWS
July 30, 2020
I measure my level of domesticity by the very high bar set by my grandmother.Ā As I head off to bed with two sinks full of dirty dishes, I silently say āGrandma would have never done this.āĀ When I hire someone to wash our windows, and I donāt take the time to wash every set of curtains while he is washing the windows, I feel like I am missing the mark.
The caulking around our shower has black mold that we can no longer remove. What can we do to eliminate this mold?
As we continue to watch southern states see a rise in COVID cases, Iām concerned about what our area will look like this fall.
Fifty years ago, when I was a graduate student at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina, I lived in a cheap row-house apartment built during the Depression. My next-door neighbor was Mike Coe, a young, self-proclaimed redneck.
The Dining Duo is overjoyed now that the restaurants have opened up. There are several reasons for this celebration. First, we get to dine out once again. Second, we don’t have to wrack our brains and to come up with some stupid subject for our column. Last, but not least, when we stay at home, we usually dream up some crazy plan and Nancy winds up in a cast or some sort of body brace.
Truth being stranger than fiction: that is a widely-known axiom. No author could certainly scribe a novel as weird and wild as the times we are in now. This is why we enjoy historical films and documentaries as part of our cultural diet. Features such as āDunkirkā and āTitanicā enthrall us even if you know the outcomes.
The one Sun City home device that we have gotten the most questions about is the flasher switch that flashes the outdoor lights to help fire and ambulance personnel find your house when you call them. That was 1990s technology.
As with most of our lives over the past 4 months, my sonās life has taken on a very narrow scope. As a freshman at Middle Tennessee State University, his life used to include get- togethers with friends, professors lecturing in classrooms, strolls around a gorgeous campus, Sunday morning church services and trips to Nashville.
My mother is scheduled to have her hip replaced in a few weeks, after suffering from chronic pain for many years. Her surgery has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she can hardly wait to be relieved of her chronic pain. Sheās in her mid-70s, and her care team seems hopeful for a quick recovery.
John Prine was a childhood neighbor of mine, though I donāt think I ever met him directly. He was a year and a half older than me, and we grew up just a bike ride apart ā I in Elmwood Park, and he in Maywood, no more than five miles away. His dad was a tool-and-dye maker, shaping the steel that my dad produced in his steel mill job.
John Prine was a childhood neighbor of mine, though I donāt think I ever met him directly.
He was a year and a half older than me, and we grew up just a bike ride apart ā I in Elmwood Park, and he in Maywood, no more than five miles away. His dad was a tool-and-dye maker, shaping the steel that my dad produced in his steel mill job.
The “Shelter in Place” order seems like has been going on forever and the Dining Duo is getting bored. While standing outside hoping to see other signs of life, our friend John goes zooming past on his bike. He stopped to talk, and we told him we would like to ride our bikes but it was too much work.
At this point last year, the weather was calm and we were enjoying all the season had to offer. It was also the height of the summer movie season. All this feels like a distant memory however. The loss of the cinema, that communal experience, has given us questions as to how can we move forward culturally?
May (when this story was researched and written) was Mental Health Awareness Month. For this part of the story Sun Day has turned to Scott Block, executive director of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, Jane Farmer, executive director of Turning Point, Phyllis Seyler, program manager of NAMI-McHenry County, and Dr. Melissa Katz, clinical director of Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest Suburbs.
We have all responded to the pandemic in different ways. For some, that response means sheltering in place while other members of our family bring us the essentials. For others, it means learning new ways of doing daily or weekly tasks; ordering food and communicating with others through cell phones, tablets and computers. For many, work now begins with a walk to the kitchen table instead of a 45 minute commute. My familyās response included an afternoon spent planting vegetable and herb seeds in containers with daily updates during dinner about their progress.
Should heating and air conditioning vents be cleaned and if so, how often?
Iām a senior who lives alone and am wrestling with disappointment as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Iām having difficulty sleeping at night, Iām lonely, and Iām over virtual visits. I just want to hug my children and grandchildren, but donāt know when it will be safe to do so. My family lives out of town, so a social distancing visit isnāt possible right now.
You wonāt need to listen very long before you hear this plea, āGet the country open again.ā This is not a lone voice pleading the case for resuming a normal life. After staying home week after week building to month after month, weāre hearing more of a collective shout that has registered with people throughout the U.S. āGet the country open again,ā has become a rallying cry.
I know, in a world so filled with death, itās a horrible thing to wish for the death of any person, place or thing, but this time I just canāt help myself. Because just a few months ago, Betelgeuse gave off some clear indications that it will die soon ā and I have to admit Iād like to see it happen.
This “Covid 19 quarantine” that we are all going through has really been an eye-opener. I have discovered that my loving bride of almost 46 years is a total, raving, lunatic. We all know that she feels I’m the moron, but here is a little look into life with Nancy.
Humans, we are creatures of habit. Ever since the beginning of time, we as a species has lived out lives in categories and order. Recently those routines have been seriously shaken out of balance. Luckily, our entertainment has changed much. We enjoy what we always have. So in that spirit, here are some items you might like if you into a particular taste of genre.
There is a black hose where the sump pump water exits the house to guide the water away from the foundation on houses with a basement. To keep it from freezing in the winter you probably removed this hose.
My husband is a stuff guy. I am a āless is moreā girl. His motto is why buy one of something when you can buy three and have a few extra? I only buy something when I absolutely have to. When he cooks, it is in large quantities, and he puts the extra in the freezer. Iām perfectly content with making just enough for that particular meal.
It has been about five weeks now since weāve spent time with my aging parents due to COVID-19. This is the longest that weāve spent apart, given that we live near each other and are used to visiting at least once a week.
From the view of a senior shopper, the supermarket experience is all new. Many supermarkets are following āsenior hoursā generally a few mornings a week. Among the stores in McHenry County, Jewel and Marianoās have scheduled āsenior hoursā into their operation.
I was eating Pringles the other day for the first time in a thousand years, and I wondered: āHow do they get them all to look like this, each of them perfectly nestled, each with the gentle swoop of a Panama hat brim without the crown?ā I have no idea why that can of Pringles ended up on my snack tray, because I never eat junk like that. Iām more of a health-food nut ā Fritos or Cheetos. Never Pringles.
I was eating Pringles the other day for the first time in a thousand years, and I wondered: āHow do they get them all to look like this, each of them perfectly nestled, each with the gentle swoop of a Panama hat brim without the crown?ā
I have no idea why that can of Pringles ended up on my snack tray, because I never eat junk like that. Iām more of a health-food nut ā Fritos or Cheetos. Never Pringles.
In keeping with the CDC Covid-19 guidelines, please āsocial distanceā yourself six feet from our photo!!!
So if you are anything like me, this has not been the easiest of times in terms of entertainment. A filmgoer like myself wants that larger than life experience that the theater offers. However, due to the threat that shall not be named, we are in this situation. But to paraphrase Jane Austen, we are always in the pursuit of a new film or show to watch. And the home theatre will have to do.
What can I use to clean the inside wall of a gas fireplace?
With age, it seems, comes self-awareness. We become aware of our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Our likes become more apparent as well as our dislikes. Our ability to verbalize what we need to feel comfortable, even happy, may also grow with time. Control. I have come to realize for me to feel comfortable, it often boils down to control. A calendar that is filled with professional and personal obligations make me happy.
I am a very concerned daughter who is worried about her mother. My mom, 68 years, has been on self-quarantine since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. I unfortunately live states away. My sister lives nearby, but because she continues to work in the hospital setting, she has chosen not to visit our mother during this crisis. My mom is used to spending a lot of time with my sister and her family throughout the week. She feels cut off and isolated.
