MY SUN DAY NEWS
The new year is a time for planning ahead as well as reminiscing about the “good ol’ days.” Our thoughts wandered to our youth when there were drive-in restaurants and hot cars. Nancy grew up in Franklin Park and was the proud owner of a Ford XL with a 429 cu. in. engine with dual quad Holley carburetors. This was her pride and joy and her parents’ worst nightmare.
I’m writing to seek your advice regarding a matter close to my heart. During the holiday season, I noticed a subtle yet concerning shift in my elderly loved one’s behavior and health. Previously a vibrant and social person, my aunt seemed more withdrawn and fatigued, displaying a noticeable decline in her usual enthusiasm for family gatherings and festive activities.
Last year, on August 30, 2023, at a Sun City Softball game, one of the players, Dave Rodiek, collapsed.
Laurie Pokorny, watching the game, said, “I remember it being a beautiful day, with the bleachers packed with fans for both teams. The teams got one inning in, and then, before they could start the second inning, Dave collapsed in the dugout.”
Blame the cold of January or the bleak sun-less days that zap me of my energy and motivation, but I have become a full-time seeker of pleasures. Throughout the day, I’ll do what I need to do, whether it’s work or household chores, but if I don’t have a carrot dangling right before my nose, then what is it all for?
After the New Year’s celebrations wrap up, many will make their resolutions for 2024. In Sun City, many opportunities for volunteerism are available. The Sun City Sew N Sews charter club has groups that provide community and worldwide services. In 2023, one of the club groups, Sun City Project Linus, reached a milestone to celebrate.
About a week before Christmas, my daughter came to my house and noticed a worn, beat-up plastic water bottle on the nightstand next to my bed. “How long has that been there?” she asked. “Probably four or five years,” I said. “I refill it in case I get thirsty through the night.”
About a week before Christmas, my daughter came to my house and noticed a worn, beat-up plastic water bottle on the nightstand next to my bed. “How long has that been there?” she asked.
“Probably four or five years,” I said. “I refill it in case I get thirsty through the night.”
Sun City Residents Sue and Ed Birth are proud of their son, Eddy, who is coming into his own as a singer-songwriter. Sue said, “We have a talented singer-songwriter son. He has an EP and two albums to his credit. Eddy releases a new song every five weeks for his next album. He writes all the music and lyrics for his original portfolio of over 100 songs. Eddy performs regularly in Madison, Chicago, and the tri-cities. He plays guitar, harmonica, piano, accordion, theremin, ukulele, and pretty much any instrument he picks up. His musical story is amazing.”
Sun City Residents Sue and Ed Birth are proud of their son, Eddy, who is coming into his own as a singer-songwriter.
Sue said, “We have a talented singer-songwriter son. He has an EP and two albums to his credit. Eddy releases a new song every five weeks for his next album. He writes all the music and lyrics for his original portfolio of over 100 songs. Eddy performs regularly in Madison, Chicago, and the tri-cities. He plays guitar, harmonica, piano, accordion, theremin, ukulele, and pretty much any instrument he picks up. His musical story is amazing.”
For the past several months the headlines have heralded the news about weight loss drugs containing semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy). Their popularity has skyrocketed being featured on tv and the internet with endorsements by doctors and celebrities. As one local pharmacist I spoke with said Wegovy is “flying off the shelves.”
3…2…1…Happy New Year! After all the bottles pop and the ball drops, the new year is already underway. But what if by the time you read this, a New Year’s resolution has not yet been made. It is not too late, so do not give up!
Following a public hearing at the Dec. 21 Huntley Community School District 158 (D158) Board of Education (BOE) meeting, board members agreed in a vote of 7-0, to adopt the 2023 tax levy.
How time flies when you’re having fun!!! After 12 years, 249 restaurants, and 4,380 cholesterol pills, we’re still alive and passionate about what we do. It’s not easy to constantly stuff fatty foods in our faces and live to tell about it. The truly amazing thing is our pictures are in the paper that is circulated around Huntley, and no one has suspected a thing.
I’m a widow in her seventies seeking advice on managing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Over the last few years, I’ve found myself slipping into a state of loneliness and melancholy after the rush of the holiday season. The isolation of widowhood, compounded by the gloomy weather, weighs heavily on me. I’ve heard that engaging in hobbies and activities can combat SAD. However, as someone who spends a lot of time alone, I struggle to find motivation or inspiration to pursue such interests.
Here is hoping you had a wonderful Christmas and your New Year is bright with possibilities. How does one create the opportunity for the kind of growth and change? Sometimes out of painful experiences we can be free to heal and move forward. Others continue to wallow in those feelings in order to function. This may seem like a rather heavy introduction, but it only fitting to ponder this when sitting down to watch Netflix’s May December.
After four days in Barcelona, we decided to take the train versus the plane from there to Madrid as we wanted to see more of the countryside. We were surprised to find, as the song goes, mainly “the plain in Spain.” Long stretches of the plain were only occasionally broken with a vineyard or small herds of roaming cattle but otherwise, only gently rolling hills. I wasn’t sure what I expected but still, the ride was quiet, comfortable, and restful. Once we entered Madrid, all that changed. From the quiet of the countryside to the chaos of the city!
Crystal Lake residents Heather and John Barnes not only welcomed a new addition to their family but also now happen to hold the honor of having the first baby to be born in 2024 at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital.
Letters for the week of January 11
Making gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. Cookie dough is cut and shaped into appropriate components to build a house. The elaborate, cookie-walled houses, decorated with icing and a variety of sweets, became associated with Christmas tradition. Gingerbread houses also became popular with the Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel. They find a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest.
Making gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. Cookie dough is cut and shaped into appropriate components to build a house. The elaborate, cookie-walled houses, decorated with icing and a variety of sweets, became associated with Christmas tradition.
Gingerbread houses also became popular with the Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel. They find a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest.
As a “band wife,” I’ve attended hundreds and hundreds of band concerts, band festivals, and marching band performances because my husband is a high school and college band director. I miss very few performances. I don’t go because I’m obligated, but because I love it.
For Sun City resident Nedra Reeves, the hills are alive with the sound of Christmas this year. Reading about book clubs online, she came across clear ornaments filled with miniatures of books. She started making a unique ornament for her granddaughter to commemorate her role in Sun City’s production of The Sound of Music.
For Sun City resident Nedra Reeves, the hills are alive with the sound of Christmas this year.
Reading about book clubs online, she came across clear ornaments filled with miniatures of books. She started making a unique ornament for her granddaughter to commemorate her role in Sun City’s production of The Sound of Music.
Ask someone to share their favorite Christmas memory, and they’ll probably tell you about that cherished present they got when they were young. Or the joy in their children’s eyes when they came downstairs to see all the presents beneath the tree. Or the snowy trip into the pines to find the perfect tree to cut down. Something like that. But for me, it’s cookies.
Ask someone to share their favorite Christmas memory, and they’ll probably tell you about that cherished present they got when they were young. Or the joy in their children’s eyes when they came downstairs to see all the presents beneath the tree. Or the snowy trip into the pines to find the perfect tree to cut down. Something like that.
But for me, it’s cookies.
Mike Ciffone, a Sun City resident, remarked about the elegantly-decorated Prairie Lodge and noted the decorated bar in the Fountainview area. Sun City Sunflower Garden Charter Club members are responsible for many of the trees and holiday decorations. Ciffone said, “First and foremost, I would like to thank our Board of Directors, as they responded to community input concerning the Welcome Center and rescinded to remove the bar.
Mike Ciffone, a Sun City resident, remarked about the elegantly-decorated Prairie Lodge and noted the decorated bar in the Fountainview area. Sun City Sunflower Garden Charter Club members are responsible for many of the trees and holiday decorations.
Ciffone said, “First and foremost, I would like to thank our Board of Directors, as they responded to community input concerning the Welcome Center and rescinded to remove the bar.
Sun City’s Tall Oaks Tennis Charter Club members continued their supported The Rotary Club of Huntley’s second “Running of the Elves” on Saturday, December 2, in downtown Huntley. The race benefited the Huntley community and Scholarships for Huntley Students. The Very Merry Huntley event was held downtown with a farmer’s market, craft fair, cookie walk, carols, and many other activities. Over 30 members of the Tennis Club joined.
Sun City’s Tall Oaks Tennis Charter Club members continued their supported The Rotary Club of Huntley’s second “Running of the Elves” on Saturday, December 2, in downtown Huntley.
The race benefited the Huntley community and Scholarships for Huntley Students. The Very Merry Huntley event was held downtown with a farmer’s market, craft fair, cookie walk, carols, and many other activities. Over 30 members of the Tennis Club joined.
As many Sun City residents pack for warmer climates, it is important to spend an hour or so to prepare your house for the winter. When you are going to be away for a week or more you should prepare your home so there will be no surprises on your return.
What, exactly, is a Christmas movie? The definition has gone through some transmutations. Traditionalists rail against ever adding new works to this cultural canon. No Die Hard or The Nightmare Before Christmas for you! I am not a particular fan of these two; however, movies like this are a kind of prism with which many shades are noticeable. Some see joy, others feel melancholy. A Charlie Brown Christmas has endured because of this dichotomy. This is where The Holdovers is nestled in.
I’m a daughter-in-law, and this Christmas, my husband and I will be hosting his elderly parents at our home. While I’m looking forward to spending time with them and creating cherished memories, I’m also concerned about making the holidays as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for them.
Letters for the week of December 14.
At Sun City’s Grandma, Grandpa & Me Charter Club Breakfast with Santa, Nora Hrdlicka ponders Santa’s question if she has been good all year.
Funny how a space can be completely empty, but as soon as live music starts, people arrive from everywhere. That’s the power of music. That’s an occurrence that happens often at Sun City’s Prairie Lodge. Sun City resident Jim Sura plays the grand piano in the lodge while residents walk, play cards, or meet near the Fountain View area. He even plays when no one is around.
Funny how a space can be completely empty, but as soon as live music starts, people arrive from everywhere.
That’s the power of music. That’s an occurrence that happens often at Sun City’s Prairie Lodge. Sun City resident Jim Sura plays the grand piano in the lodge while residents walk, play cards, or meet near the Fountain View area. He even plays when no one is around.
On a cold day in mid-November, my husband came in from outside, his cheeks flushed with excitement. With a smile, he said, “The roses are still blooming!” Long after the other plants in our garden faded and settled in for a winter nap, the rosebush on the southeast side of our house continued to grow and stretch toward our bedroom window so that when we awoke and pulled up the shades, the palest pink, delicate petals rested serenely with faces open wide, patiently waiting for us to begin our morning.
On a cold day in mid-November, my husband came in from outside, his cheeks flushed with excitement. With a smile, he said, “The roses are still blooming!”
Long after the other plants in our garden faded and settled in for a winter nap, the rosebush on the southeast side of our house continued to grow and stretch toward our bedroom window so that when we awoke and pulled up the shades, the palest pink, delicate petals rested serenely with faces open wide, patiently waiting for us to begin our morning.
With daylight growing ever-shorter, I was gazing out the window at sunset yesterday watching the light fade, when a traffic-jam of sunlight-related thoughts collided in my brain. The first was the memory of a powerful passage from a novel by Elie Wiesel, in which a man is waiting to execute a political prisoner who has been sentenced to die at sunset. He says you know night has arrived when you’re gazing out a window in the evening and you suddenly realize that you’re looking at your reflection in the darkening glass instead of the landscape outside.
With daylight growing ever-shorter, I was gazing out the window at sunset yesterday watching the light fade, when a traffic-jam of sunlight-related thoughts collided in my brain.
The first was the memory of a powerful passage from a novel by Elie Wiesel, in which a man is waiting to execute a political prisoner who has been sentenced to die at sunset. He says you know night has arrived when you’re gazing out a window in the evening and you suddenly realize that you’re looking at your reflection in the darkening glass instead of the landscape outside.
