Getting jolted by a lightning bolt (or two)

You would think that almost being struck by lightning in the morning would be the most exciting part of your day, wouldn’t you? I would have thought so, too — until it happened, and it wasn’t.

Fall into an adventure this season

On September 12, I received a text from my daughter Sarah. It read ‘A few of my friends and I are thinking about going to a concert this weekend.’ Without hesitation I responded ‘Great! Have fun!’ as soon as I hit the send button, I realized I should have answered a bit more cautiously. I quickly texted ‘Where is it?’

‘Colorado’ was the answer that followed.

The Wife: Stay home

This gets one star only because of Glen Close, who gives us an Oscar worthy performance as the wife, lost in the throes of a forty year marriage slowly going astray. This might have been a two star movie because of the fine acting all around, but the profanity blew the story out the door for us.

Gifford’s… not Kathy Lee

“What’s in a name”?

“You can’t judge a book by its cover”.

These two sayings apply to the restaurant we are reviewing today. The building’s exterior does not do justice to the beautiful wood accented interior. We are referring to Gifford’s Kitchen & Social in Elgin. Dining Duo Useless Information: This restaurants namesakes, Hezekiah and James Gifford, founded the city of Elgin in 1835.

Ask the Woodchucks: October 4, 2018

Our garage door keypad is not working. It has worked fine for six years but last week when I enter the code nothing happens.

The Craftsman hammerhawk lesson that will outlive Sears

When I read that Sears was closing still more of its stores nationwide, my nostalgia gland ached just a bit, because once long ago I learned a valuable life lesson in a Chicago Sears hardware department.

When I was a kid, my philosophy of life was: “Let Someone Else Break It.” It worked like this.

Keep in mind that this was in the mid-1950s, when snapping a photo was a big deal that required loading film into a camera, screwing on a single-use flashbulb, driving to a photo shop to have the film developed, and going back a week later to pick up the prints. It was faster to make a Thanksgiving turkey than a photo. I don’t think more than a dozen snapshots of me were taken before I entered high school.

Operation Finale: 4 star story, 2 star movie

The Oxford Dictionary defines Despot as “A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.” Adolph Hitler was such a person, and he spawned a number of others, including Adolph Eichmann, the mastermind of the holocaust, which was referred to by the Nazi’s, as “the final solution.” The horrors they unleashed on the world, the extermination of 6 million Jews, and after joining forces with the Japanese, sixty million war victims worldwide, will never be fully reconciled, until the end of time.

How now Blue Cow

Several of our loyal readers recommended a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Since we both love Polish food, we put it at the top of our list. One evening we jumped into the Mini-Mobile and headed out in search of kapusta pierogis. When we pulled into the parking lot, we spotted a sign over a storefront that said Polish Restaurant. We said to each other, “this must be the place.” We are referring to the Blue Cow Polish Restaurant in Lake in the Hills.

Ask the Woodchucks: September 6, 2018

Water keeps dripping down the copper tube on the side of our water heater onto the floor. Is this a problem, or is it normal?

Ask an Angel: September 6, 2018

I have been invited to a weekend getaway with a few friends. I would love to join them, but I feel guilty leaving my husband alone. I am his caregiver and can’t imagine someone taking my place, and I don’t think he would either. What do other people do when they want to be gone for any amount of time, and how do they deal with the guilt?

Dressing your landscaping for the seasons

Our family tends to use the same contractor for multiple generations. Although we do a lot ourselves (my husband stayed up until 12:30 installing a water softener last night), when we do ask someone to do something at our home, it tends to be a group mentality. The same person who washed the windows in my grandparent’s home washes windows for my mom and me. The same is true for the carpet cleaner.

Welcome to Alaska

The evening breeze gently stirs the forest of hemlock, pushing smoke from the alder wood fires toward our group. The aroma of freshly caught, grilling salmon spiced with a brown sugar glaze waifs in the air. The sky is bright and it will be for several more hours even though it’s already after 9 p.m. Yes, we’re in the land of the midnight sun, Alaska, and enjoying every minute of it. And, with 20 plus hours of daylight, you can see a lot during a single day.

Another chance to say, “Thank you for your service”

“Thank you for your service, Erin,” I said recently to a young lady I know who was about to be re-deployed again soon.

But Erin isn’t in the military, as you might have surmised from my expression of gratitude for her service. No, Erin is a teacher, and her “re-deployment” would begin as soon as the new school year opened in mid-August.

Ask an Angel: August 23, 2018

I know how important it is to stay hydrated. My spouse, however doesn’t like water and therefore doesn’t drink much. I worry about this. How can I encourage him to stay hydrated?

Ask the Woodchucks: Fix a Leaky Sillcock

You have two or more sillcocks on your house even if you don’t know the name sillcock. They are the outside faucets where you connect garden hoses and they often leak. If a sillcock leaks when the water is on, you are in luck as the fix is relatively easy. This leak is caused by a loose packing nut.

Schnitzel happens

Nancy has been having a craving for different types of ethnic foods lately. I hope she’s not pregnant! This time it is a craving for German cuisine. She was reminiscing about how her and her mother would go shopping at the Harlem Irving Plaza (HIP) and out to lunch. She remembered passing by a cute German restaurant on Irving Park Road in Norridge called Edelweiss. So again, into the Mini-Mobile, and off we went in search of schnitzel.

Crazy Rich Asians: a perfect title

I was not overwhelmed with this movie, although it was different and did have some moments. On my way out of the theater however, I talked to eight or ten others, all of whom gave it a hearty thumbs up. I will say this as an endorsement; no one got shot or killed, and there were no high-speed car chases. Tom Cruise would have been lost in this one, but then he’s not Asian.

Surveying garden design

For about 7 days this summer my daughter was consistently looking at her phone. While this isn’t out of the ordinary, what she was doing was mind-boggling to me. In preparation for moving into the Honors House at Kansas State University she had downloaded an app that allowed her to visualize what the interior of her dorm room might look like. She would longingly look at the 2” by 4” screen and picture herself there with her roommate succeeding in this wonderful environment that they created through a well-decorated room.

Tap dancing through the American medi-go-round

“Medications?” the nurse asked.

“None,” I said.

She stared at me. “Blood pressure meds? Cholesterol?” She was just trying to be helpful, because geezers my age can forget.

“Nope.”

She gazed at the computer screen in front of her. “I don’t know what box to check,” she said.

Ask the Woodchucks: August 9, 2018

My wife and I just moved into a house in Del Web and are doing some renovating as we move in. The Patio door needs replacing and the lock at the bottom doesn’t work, as it’s broken. The lock at the middle that locks to the frame on the wall has the handle broken. Plastic cover is broken off!

Landscape design 101 … and beyond

We all have those days we will never forget. It could be the milestones achieved such as weddings, birthdays or anniversaries. It could also be particular highs such as a birth of a grandchild or lows such as a death in the family. Sometimes the memories that stick with us the most are simply minutes spent with friends or hours spent alone.

Meeting around the table

The Neighborhood 35 Supperclub is on the road again. This time we traveled to the South Barrington Arboretum to “meet around the table” with our friends. What better place to do this than a restaurant with the name Incontro a Tavola, which loosely translates to “meeting around the table.”

Due to some new construction and the fact that the restaurant is by a roundabout, parking is a challenge. Just be creative and put on your walking shoes. Since Jim’s new knee is not playing nice, I was his own personal valet parking attendant.

Triple feature: three thumbs up

You may or may not have noticed I missed the last two editions, for a variety of reasons. Now that I am back in the saddle, there is a little catching up to do.

Ask an Angel: August 9, 2018

I never had trouble falling asleep or sleeping through the night. I would say over the past few years, this has changed and I am very frustrated. I don’t feel refreshed in the morning. You probably encounter this with others, what can I do?

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