Ask the Woodchucks: More information on Merillat cabinet hinges

One of my readers who has Merillat cabinets was able to diagnose a manufacturing problem that caused his cabinet doors to not close properly. He was able to recreate a defective hinge detent by punching it with a pin punch and get his cabinet doors to close.

A Christmas Eve tale of changing tides

The greatest gift of any holiday may be to remind us how far we have traveled down the road since the last time that holiday rolled around — or even over the past half-century or so of holidays.

Last Christmas was the first Christmas I spent without my wife in almost a half-century. She had passed away from a Valentine’s Day stroke in 2018, and I spent last Christmas day in Florida, paddling alone in my kayak, feeling the tides change.

But this Christmas, almost two years after Gail’s passing, I had other thoughts on my mind.

Let’s get ‘Nasty’

One year after Jim retired, we finally closed on the selling of our industrial building. This required us to deal with several banks. Somehow things like this never go easy for the Dining Duo. You can write a check on a paper airplane, fly it through the bank lobby, and they will snatch it up and take your money. Asking for a withdrawal is another story.

Ask an Angel: January 16, 2020

I am a senior living alone. My adult children and I are close relationally, however, two of them live far away. My one daughter that lives nearby is an accountant and is very busy this time of year. My closest friend spends the winter months with her daughter in Florida. December always keeps me busy as I prepare for the holidays and have opportunities to spend quality time with my children and grandchildren. January leaves me feeling empty and isolated, even though I just had a wonderful holiday season. Do you have any suggestions for those struggling with the post-holiday blues?

That’s why, as I stood in Southwestern Michigan in October, listening to the guy casting into the Black River as it flowed into Lake Michigan, I kept listing for the moment his tales started to stretch beyond believability.

Putting your mind at ease from Seasonal Anxiety Disorder, sharing the holidays

It may be easy to put you in the holiday spirit by watching the classic movie Miracle On 34th Street or driving around neighborhoods on the lookout for lots of holiday decorations and lights. But pressure from the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas over such things as financial stress and demands on your time can bring on the holiday blues.

Ask the Woodchucks: Cleaning and caulking a shower

How do we remove the black mildew that is building up on the caulking in our shower? The shower has marble slabs on the three sides opposite the door that are caulked at the bottom and sides.

The Dining Duo: Best of 2019

“Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.” Here in Del Webb, as we all get older, that seems to be getting easier and easier to do. We are no exception. We keep a binder with all of our articles, and every year, we take out last year’s reviews, spread them all over the floor in the family room of the Dining Duo’s palatial estate, and attempt to come up with ten of our best restaurants for 2019.

Richard Jewell – great film, ugly script

I have seen virtually every Clint Eastwood movie that he has acted in or directed. I watch them for several reasons, first they are always terrific films and I can rest assured that despite the rating there will be little or no profanity, nudity or useless sex scenes. Richard Jewell is an exception.

Ask an Angel: December 19, 2019

My family and I recently relocated to my husband’s hometown and are grateful to live within minutes of his grandparents. While it’s nice to be able to pop in with our little boys and visit them at the drop of a hat, seeing them slowly decline in health is bittersweet. Recently, we’ve noticed that they seem to have less and less energy and aren’t up for large crowds or long visits.

Out-of-style leather jackets—collect ‘em all!

I slipped the leather jacket on and walked to the upright mirror, with a chorus of three female “Oo-o-ohs” echoing behind me. Always a good sign.

It was a beautiful leather jacket, the kind I could never afford when they were in style decades ago. The leather was soft and supple (“like buttuh” some might say) and it fit me perfectly. It was the bomber style I love, with snap closures at the wrist, leather collar, and zip-up front. Slash pockets on the side, and two internal pockets with buttons to close them for security. Even a zip-out liner for extra warmth on cold, windy days.

Dark Waters – indeed they are

Dark Waters is a true story. In 1978 a lone farmer outside of Parkersburg W. Virginia, took the first step in a journey that literally turned into an odyssey lasting almost forty years. He had lost 190 of his cattle, and he blamed the drinking water in the creek running through his property.

¡El Breakfast!

T’was the day after Thanksgiving, the turkey’s picked clean, the relatives all left, and the house looks like a crime scene.

The leftovers were wrapped, and put away with care, in hopes that we have, another dinner to share.

New cancer technologies offer hope

Thoughts of a gigantic blender may pop into your mind should you see or need medical treatment on the new linear accelerator at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. The linear accelerator by Varian Medical Systems costs just under $3 million. It’s ensconced in a vault of the newly expanded $9.5 million cancer center.

Salvation Army red kettles ring in the season with new initiatives

A little girl opens her hand and her mom places a few coins on her palm. Her fingers curl up on top of the coins. The Mom and her daughter step forward. A smile from the volunteer bell ringer encourages them. Mom lifts her daughter just a few inches. The little girl’s eyes are now even with the top of the red kettle. From there, the girl puts her hand over the opening of the kettle and the coins slide in.

Ask the Woodchucks: December 12, 2019

My wife recently inherited a large mirror that she wants me to mount on the wall. I’m not sure if a molly bolt would be strong enough.

Ask an Angel: December 12, 2019

My elderly parents are relatively healthy. They live on their own and can navigate their lives with little help. While I’m grateful that my parents are doing so well at their age, I still get concerned about their health. My daughter is expecting her first baby later this month. My daughter has expressed concern over my parents, her grandparents, meeting their first great-grandchild because she’s a first-time mom and worried about protecting the health of her newborn.

Pierce’s Promise

For 20 minutes, Kristi Cordle talked to her son, Pierce, on his cell phone in the middle of his shift. Kristi could tell he was upset and confused about something, but she couldn’t tell exactly what was wrong. She didn’t know then that he tried to “walk it off” in the hallways of the hospital where he worked. He couldn’t walk it off and so he told staff he was going outside to his car.

Sinking my teeth into the Tooth Fairy’s essence

It was a tooth-popping weekend when the grandkids came to visit, and one more chance to learn how far out of the loop I have fallen.

“Do you want to pull it?” I asked Olivia as she sat at the dinner table, wiggling that little bicuspid in her lower jaw. She had three teeth in her head that were ready to jump ship, but this one was likely to be the first to weigh anchor.

Chugging through Colorado

In September 2019, Eileen and I (N17) traveled from one of the lowest points in Colorado, Royal Gorge, to one of the highest, Pikes Peak. Earlier in the year, my wife stated, “I have a conference in Colorado and you should come with me.” Since I really enjoy the mountains, I immediately said, “Yes!” and so began our planning for the trip.

Ask the Woodchucks: November 21, 2019

I have a badly stained bathroom sink drain; it’s stained rusty. I have tried OxyClean, CLR, bleach, and BonAmi to get rid of the stain. Nothing even makes a dent! It is only in the master bathroom of our Drury model.

Ford v Ferrari: At 7000 rpm, things begin to fade

I left the theatre, adrenalin flowing after watching some of the most scintillating car racing scenes ever on screen, jumped into my four cylinder Subaru and raced home at five miles an hour over the speed limit. Its’ been seven hours since I left the cinema and my heart is still pumping as I think about what I saw.

A happy village

Restaurants come and go, and that is why we have been writing this column for seven years, and have never repeated a restaurant. There is a relatively new restaurant on Randall Road, which took the place of a barbecue restaurant which was obviously not as “famous” as they would have hoped to have been.

Ask an Angel: November 21, 2019

For the past fifty-five years, my elderly parents have always hosted a large Thanksgiving family dinner. Including everyone, there are over four nuclear families represented and nearly forty people in total. Everyone looks forward to this event and everyone chips in something, regardless of my mom’s insistence to take care of it all.

American democracy in the crosshairs

As frightening as it is to imagine a madman with an assault weapon targeting indiscriminate victims, it is even more harrowing to imagine a weapon like that in the hands of a madman who views himself as a patriot.

Someone, for example, like major league umpire Rob Drake, who on October 22 tweeted this threat: “I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020.”

Movies 2019 year to date

A combination of a publication break and some personal travel plans conspired to keep me away from the movie theater in time for this edition of the Sun Day. So, I thought I would take an early look at the year in movies so far.

Volunteering, it’s in our nature

The butterfly population in Northern Illinois is growing! It was recently reported on the radio that volunteers who spend time monitoring butterflies on public lands had seen an increase in butterflies this summer compared to previous years. While of course, I am thrilled that the efforts to support the butterfly population are working, I am more interested in the volunteers and their efforts.

Let the flame of a candle light the way to change

Mary pulled a kitchen knife on her father. She couldn’t think of any other way to stop him from choking her mother. Mary doesn’t remember how she rationalized her action almost 30 years ago but she recalled going to school the next day. She aced her math test and put on the perfect smile.

“No one else outside the walls of my home suspected anything. After all, how could the girl with straight A’s and awards for citizenship, leadership, and perfect attendance raise suspicion of a problem at home,” Mary said.

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