MY SUN DAY NEWS
The old song says, âItâs the most wonderful time of the year,â but the weeks before Thanksgiving and spanning all the way to New Yearâs Day can be a difficult obstacle course for many of us. The local radio stations barely wait 24 hours after Halloween to switch over to holiday music. It may seem incongruous to drive through streets lined with golden maple trees while hearing âFrosty the Snowmanâ over the speakers, but here we are. As the ghosts and cobwebs are cleared away, the bells and wreaths and candy canes immediately rush onto the scene to cram every crevice with lights, tinsel, and excess.
The old song says, âItâs the most wonderful time of the year,â but the weeks before Thanksgiving and spanning all the way to New Yearâs Day can be a difficult obstacle course for many of us.
The local radio stations barely wait 24 hours after Halloween to switch over to holiday music. It may seem incongruous to drive through streets lined with golden maple trees while hearing âFrosty the Snowmanâ over the speakers, but here we are. As the ghosts and cobwebs are cleared away, the bells and wreaths and candy canes immediately rush onto the scene to cram every crevice with lights, tinsel, and excess.
Sun City Concert Band is celebrating its 20th anniversary this December with two performances of âA Musical Celebration – 20 Years of Favoritesâ in Drendel Hall at 7 p.m. December 7 and 1 p.m. December 9.
On a cold wintery day, October 31, 2023, Mary Schlee and Sue Wallace provided Sun City residents with some hot beverages and donuts while collecting items for the Grafton Food Pantry.
The bursts of fall snow did not stop residents from dropping by and bring their donations.
Bocce Club is one of Sun Cityâs largest charter clubs, with over 700 members each summer coming Monday through Friday to play bocce. Bocce courts from June to August are filled with residents playing, laughing, and socializing with one another as they all enjoy the famous Italian game. But the club may soon come to an end if no one volunteers to be president or vice president.
Bocce Club is one of Sun Cityâs largest charter clubs, with over 700 members each summer coming Monday through Friday to play bocce. Bocce courts from June to August are filled with residents playing, laughing, and socializing with one another as they all enjoy the famous Italian game.
But the club may soon come to an end if no one volunteers to be president or vice president.
Although I am as much a slave to technology as the next guy, I donât embrace it willingly. I never play video games. I donât listen to music while riding my bike. I refuse to jam a white stick in my ear so I can talk to distant people as I walk. It would be a stretch to call me a luddite, but itâs fair to say Iâm luddite-adjacent.
Although I am as much a slave to technology as the next guy, I donât embrace it willingly. I never play video games. I donât listen to music while riding my bike. I refuse to jam a white stick in my ear so I can talk to distant people as I walk.
It would be a stretch to call me a luddite, but itâs fair to say Iâm luddite-adjacent.
A holiday tradition for Sun City Sunflower Garden Club is the House Walk for Charity. This year the event is on December 14, from 1-5 p.m. Sun City residentsâ homes, decorated for the holidays, will be open to visitors. This is a ticketed event and may sell out.
A holiday tradition for Sun City Sunflower Garden Club is the House Walk for Charity.
This year the event is on December 14, from 1-5 p.m. Sun City residentsâ homes, decorated for the holidays, will be open to visitors. This is a ticketed event and may sell out.
Youâre getting that itch to travel, so what do you do first? Most likely, step one of any travel plan is to decide where youâre going to go, and how youâll get there, and then everything else tends to flow along. But, what if somewhere in the process everything comes off the rails and you have to make changes? It doesnât mean your trip is a disaster even though Iâve been told about some that did go that way, but it does complicate the whole process. But even disasters sometimes provide memories that tend to last.
Lately, Jim and I have been reviewing restaurants that cater to senior citizens. Because of this, we received a letter from one of our loyal readers recommending an âold schoolâ favorite. With empty stomachs and pockets to match, we took our readerâs advice and decided to try Andyâs Restaurant in Crystal Lake.
As we approach the much-loved Thanksgiving holiday, it feels like an appropriate time to give thanks to all that our landscaping, our community and nature give to us. As I write this column, I am able to view the beauty of sunshine filtering through the bright red leaves on a maple tree. This common fall sight has brightened my afternoon and brought joy. It is by our interactions with nature, that joy can be found throughout the day.
Iâm writing to you as a senior who is feeling rather down around Thanksgiving this year. While the holiday season has always been a time of joy and togetherness for my family, recent changes in my life have left me feeling somewhat disconnected and melancholic. Thanksgiving used to be a time of gathering with loved ones, sharing stories, and expressing our gratitude for each other. Today, Thanksgiving looks much different as family members have moved away and gatherings have become smaller. This shift has left me feeling lonely.
Some people may be really mad about what I am about to write, put off by what is considered sacred. But as we well know, even our idols are human; nobodyâs perfect. In theaters, Priscilla comes to us from writer/director Sophia Coppola, just a little over a year after Baz Luhrmannâs rapturous bedazzled send-up to the King.
Some people may be really mad about what I am about to write, put off by what is considered sacred.
But as we well know, even our idols are human; nobodyâs perfect. In theaters, Priscilla comes to us from writer/director Sophia Coppola, just a little over a year after Baz Luhrmannâs rapturous bedazzled send-up to the King.
Letters for the week of November 16.
What was once a milk condensation factory has now turned into luxury apartments in downtown Huntley.
Sun City Resident David Applegate is putting the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what his father, Harold M. Applegate, did for a living. Applegate is aware of some of the story. âMy father retired in August 1975 at the rank of Eâ9, Chief Master Sergeant serving in the Strategic Air Command (SAC), working at The Vault,â he said.
Sun City Resident David Applegate is putting the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what his father, Harold M. Applegate, did for a living.
Applegate is aware of some of the story.
âMy father retired in August 1975 at the rank of Eâ9, Chief Master Sergeant serving in the Strategic Air Command (SAC), working at The Vault,â he said.
Three Sun City Homeowners Association Board of Directors candidates have been elected. Results were official as of Oct. 18.
I recently learned that former MSDN reporter and Sun City resident Dwight Esau passed away. To put it bluntly (because Dwight wouldnât have it any other way when it comes to things published in a newspaper) the news stung. News does that sometimes, often times. It stings.
I recently learned that former MSDN reporter and Sun City resident Dwight Esau passed away.
To put it bluntly (because Dwight wouldnât have it any other way when it comes to things published in a newspaper) the news stung. News does that sometimes, often times. It stings.
Tragedy is the first thing that shows up when I turn on the news, or log in to social media. The cruelty that humans can perpetrate on other humans takes my breath away. In so many ways I want to retreat into the world that I believe existed when I was a young child, where everyone was a friend and anyone would offer help if you needed it. Besides the spectacle of war, natural disaster, and crime broadcasted on our screens, tragedy has touched my own community, too. A 17-year-old boyâs life was cut short this week, and the high school where my daughter attends has been reeling from this senseless snuffing out of a beautiful life that was just getting started.
Tragedy is the first thing that shows up when I turn on the news, or log in to social media. The cruelty that humans can perpetrate on other humans takes my breath away. In so many ways I want to retreat into the world that I believe existed when I was a young child, where everyone was a friend and anyone would offer help if you needed it.
Besides the spectacle of war, natural disaster, and crime broadcasted on our screens, tragedy has touched my own community, too. A 17-year-old boyâs life was cut short this week, and the high school where my daughter attends has been reeling from this senseless snuffing out of a beautiful life that was just getting started.
The 170th Illinois State Fair was a success for the Woodchucks this August. Members From Sun Cityâs Woodchucks Charter Club entered their hand-crafted pieces in the competition. Rich Escallier, Judy Escallier, and Ed Cuttle came back with winning ribbons. Cuttle, who has been a member of Woodchucks for 17 years, not only won a blue ribbon and first place, but also took the honor of âBest in Show in All Crafts.â âBest in Showâ includes categories of metal, wood, ceramic, and glass, and Cuttle won for his beautiful segmented vase. The vase was made with white ash, mahogany, wenge, and bloodwood cherry, with six coats of Minwax Tung Oil.
The 170th Illinois State Fair was a success for the Woodchucks this August. Members From Sun Cityâs Woodchucks Charter Club entered their hand-crafted pieces in the competition. Rich Escallier, Judy Escallier, and Ed Cuttle came back with winning ribbons.
Cuttle, who has been a member of Woodchucks for 17 years, not only won a blue ribbon and first place, but also took the honor of âBest in Show in All Crafts.â âBest in Showâ includes categories of metal, wood, ceramic, and glass, and Cuttle won for his beautiful segmented vase. The vase was made with white ash, mahogany, wenge, and bloodwood cherry, with six coats of Minwax Tung Oil.
Many people visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Maybe one percent of those visitors make the trek to the bottom. A smaller percent do the hike known as the Rim-to-Rim (R2R). The percentage only gets smaller of those who do it in one day. Sun City residents Mike Grantham, Larry Lindahl, and Doug Jenks did just that on Thursday, September 7. What existed on avid hiker Doug’s bucket list, became a reality when Mike and Larry with their triathlete experience brought their endurance training knowledge to the adventure.
Director of Development Services Charlie Nordman had previously presented trustees with conceptual plans brought forward by petitioner Kelley Williamson and Bakley Development, LLC for the construction of a 6,000-square-foot gas station/convenience store at the northwest corner of Route 47 and Noah Avenue.
Seven years ago, when this NASA spacecraft was launched, my wife Mary and I witnessed its ascent into space at the Kenedy Space Center and wished it âGodspeed.â Along with thousands of cheering visitors that day and many in the country watching TV, we excitedly viewed and heard the spectacular, perfect, and right-on-time liftoff.
On Thursday, October 26, the Prairie Lodge in Sun City hosted their bi-annual consumer showcase for residents and the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products and services and residents to do home renovations and plan the next stages of their life.
Years ago, when I taught high school English, I assigned students to write an essay about some real person they considered to be a hero, and why. I met with each student beforehand to discuss their choice, to ensure they understood the assignment and were going in the right direction. And when a boy named Jim said his hero was Jean-Claude Van Damme, I asked him why.
Years ago, when I taught high school English, I assigned students to write an essay about some real person they considered to be a hero, and why. I met with each student beforehand to discuss their choice, to ensure they understood the assignment and were going in the right direction.
And when a boy named Jim said his hero was Jean-Claude Van Damme, I asked him why.
On July 24, at Bowl-Hi Lanes, a 57-year-old bowler went into cardiac arrest. Bowlers began bystander CPR. Now, Robert McIntyre is alive and doing well because there were individuals who were trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR can increase survival for cardiac arrest victims by up to four times.
On July 24, at Bowl-Hi Lanes, a 57-year-old bowler went into cardiac arrest. Bowlers began bystander CPR. Now, Robert McIntyre is alive and doing well because there were individuals who were trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
CPR can increase survival for cardiac arrest victims by up to four times.
To my Faithful Readers during the past two decades, due in large part to my personal family problems and to my fairly recent traumatic multi broken femur fall, I now conclude the writing of my last H & W Column. At this time, however, I do find it pertinent to advise all of you about some very important tips (from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) on how to avoid these damaging and unnecessary falls.
My dad is a senior Veteran facing challenges in his life. Having served our country with pride and dedication, heâs now in a situation where he requires help and Iâm unsure where to turn. He has some physical difficulties that are making it challenging for him to lead a comfortable and fulfilling life.
Once upon a time in Crystal Lake there was a family business called Frankâs Barber, Toy, and Hobby Shop. Think about it. You could get your son a model airplane, your daughter a Barbie doll, and get a haircut all in one place. This is one stop shopping at its finest. Curiously enough, this place is no longer in business. The Giangrande family took over the location and it is now da Baffone Cucina Italiana.
To paraphrase Jane Austen, there is no greater enjoyment like reading. Of course, she never lived to see the age of moving pictures on large screens nor the advent of cathode rays and LED.
To paraphrase Jane Austen, there is no greater enjoyment like reading.
Of course, she never lived to see the age of moving pictures on large screens nor the advent of cathode rays and LED.
Tucking our children into bed used to be a treasured ritual. It included snuggling and reading a book, a bath, combing their hair, brushing their teeth and, of course, hugs, kisses, and a made-up story about something fanciful. Our wonderful little ones are now fully independent and employed adults living in three different states, so the bedtime ritual in our home, while no less important, is not nearly so treasured. Taking medication, brushing oneâs teeth, and setting out clothes for the next day just doesnât hold the same appeal.
Sun City Resident Ken Lydecker is all ready for fall on Rocksprings Lane. His décor has caught the eye of many neighbors and residents.
