MY SUN DAY NEWS
Whether the discussion revolves around food or plants, there are some things we just donât like. For me, it is sushi and junipers. Junipers are an evergreen shrub that have a coarse texture and for many cause a slight rash when touched. Years ago, we had some junipers left over at the end of the season and I made the spur of the moment decision to plant them in the back of our yard. Each January for over 20 years, I enjoyed looking at those junipers as they were partially covered in snow. Honestly, I never really noticed them in the summer, but in the winter, they were one of the few plants in my back yard that actually looked good as the temperature dropped below zero. Although I donât advocate planting something in a yard that the homeowner doesnât like, I do advocate at least considering what plants may provide some winter interest. As the leaves fall, the vast majority of the branches in our landscaping will be bare for five long months. This column will focus on evergreen trees and shrubs that provide winter interest and stability in our landscapes.
My mother-in-law has a habit of staying up very late, often until 11 pm or midnight. While I deeply respect her independence and understand her desire to maintain her routine, I am increasingly worried about her safety when she is alone at night.
Iâm seeking advice on how to balance respecting her autonomy with ensuring her safety. Should I consider alternative caregiving options, or are there other strategies to address this concern?
The problem with passion projects is they tend to go stale if held on too long. I am as old as Megalopolis is. In different publications, Francis Ford Coppola would give commentaries about how far along he was. But no film came aboutâŚuntil now. However, I am sad to say that this is not a misunderstood masterpiece; to put it mildly, ambitious but flawed.
Every year we spend two glorious weeks with our best friends, who live in California, on the tropical island paradise known as Aruba. Right around now we start to get afflicted with island fever. What better way to temporarily cure this âfeverâ than by going to the Bahama Breeze Island Grill in Schaumburg.
Note: The views expressed in these political submissions do not reflect those of the Sun Day, its staff, or those associated to the Sun Day.
Sun City has been celebrating its 25th anniversary, but the grand finale will be held on Thursday, October 10. Prairie Lodge will host many activities for the celebration, offering two time slots to enjoy the festivities. The lodge will be closed for this event, and residents will require a ticket. Bill Niemasz, Sun City Board President, said, “The Lifestyle Committee seems to have put together an action-packed event that is worth the twenty-five-year wait.”
Sun City has been celebrating its 25th anniversary, but the grand finale will be held on Thursday, October 10. Prairie Lodge will host many activities for the celebration, offering two time slots to enjoy the festivities. The lodge will be closed for this event, and residents will require a ticket.
Bill Niemasz, Sun City Board President, said, “The Lifestyle Committee seems to have put together an action-packed event that is worth the twenty-five-year wait.”
âWhy on earth do you own a paper?â concluded an email thread from a rather agitated My Sun Day News reader, who was upset with us over the nature of the content of the letters weâve published recently. In an earlier email by the same reader, I was told âYou are part of the problem in this countryâ along with an accusation of biased reporting.
The Back-to-School season as the official beginning of our year. Weâre not big on resolutions in January, but back-to-school time inspires us to shake off the summer slump and get ourselves in gear. Last year at this time, my husband and I were feeling overwhelmed. We were overscheduled, tired, and worried about money. From our conversations surrounding these problems, a theme emerged: we were getting lax. Undisciplined. We knew what we needed to do, but we werenât bringing our A game.
The Back-to-School season as the official beginning of our year. Weâre not big on resolutions in January, but back-to-school time inspires us to shake off the summer slump and get ourselves in gear.
Last year at this time, my husband and I were feeling overwhelmed. We were overscheduled, tired, and worried about money. From our conversations surrounding these problems, a theme emerged: we were getting lax. Undisciplined. We knew what we needed to do, but we werenât bringing our A game.
Every season of the year has its own special charm, but if you cornered me and said, âOK, undecided voter, itâs time to make your choice,â I would cast my vote for autumn without a momentâs hesitation. Iâll admit that much of my love for fall is tied up in nostalgia, in memories that I will never relive again. Gone are the piles of elm leaves raked into the street and set ablaze, into which we kids would toss apples and potatoes, and then rake them from the ashes to eat, charred husks and all. I think that fragrant, savory memory is why I still like to toast bagels and English muffins almost black, until the smoke alarm threatens to squawk.
Every season of the year has its own special charm, but if you cornered me and said, âOK, undecided voter, itâs time to make your choice,â I would cast my vote for autumn without a momentâs hesitation.
Iâll admit that much of my love for fall is tied up in nostalgia, in memories that I will never relive again. Gone are the piles of elm leaves raked into the street and set ablaze, into which we kids would toss apples and potatoes, and then rake them from the ashes to eat, charred husks and all. I think that fragrant, savory memory is why I still like to toast bagels and English muffins almost black, until the smoke alarm threatens to squawk.
Sun City resident Harry Leopold was asked to fill the vacancy on the Huntley Village Trustee vacated by Mary Holzkopf. At the August 8 Village Board meeting, Sun City resident Harry Leopold was officially sworn in as the trustee. Leopold moved into Sun City in 1999. He said, “We were interested in Del Webb since [wife] Gini’s parents bought a Del Webb home in Arizona where we planned to buy. Then we heard that Del Webb was building in Huntley. We selected our house from an artist’s conception at the Outlet Mall. We were the third to close on our home on April 19, 1999.”
Sun City resident Harry Leopold was asked to fill the vacancy on the Huntley Village Trustee vacated by Mary Holzkopf. At the August 8 Village Board meeting, Sun City resident Harry Leopold was officially sworn in as the trustee.
Leopold moved into Sun City in 1999. He said, “We were interested in Del Webb since [wife] Gini’s parents bought a Del Webb home in Arizona where we planned to buy. Then we heard that Del Webb was building in Huntley. We selected our house from an artist’s conception at the Outlet Mall. We were the third to close on our home on April 19, 1999.”
Knee deep in treatments. But which ones work? Nearly half of adults over the age of 50 report knee pain in a one-year period with osteoarthritis (OA) being the most common cause. OA happens when the cushioning (cartilage-lining of joints) breaks down faster than your body can build it back up. Outside of knee replacement, medical treatment has focused on methods to relieve pain and stimulate the cushioning that the bodyâs cartilage naturally provides.
Knee deep in treatments. But which ones work?
Nearly half of adults over the age of 50 report knee pain in a one-year period with osteoarthritis (OA) being the most common cause. OA happens when the cushioning (cartilage-lining of joints) breaks down faster than your body can build it back up. Outside of knee replacement, medical treatment has focused on methods to relieve pain and stimulate the cushioning that the bodyâs cartilage naturally provides.
Sun City resident John Schwan has kept a memorable pickleball season going strong. Schwan recently won two gold medals in two Illinois Senior Olympics competition singles for age 75 plus. Illinois Senior Olympics conducts the games, offering with many sports for ages 50 and above.
Sun City resident John Schwan has kept a memorable pickleball season going strong.
Schwan recently won two gold medals in two Illinois Senior Olympics competition singles for age 75 plus. Illinois Senior Olympics conducts the games, offering with many sports for ages 50 and above.
Residents have shared their collections in the past, and Linda Lakomekâs collection is no exception. Lakomek, a Sun City resident, is not just a cookbook collector, but a dedicated one. “I have been cooking from my cookbooks since the 1980s, although the collection part didn’t start until 2003,â she said. âBut once it did, there was no turning back.â
Residents have shared their collections in the past, and Linda Lakomekâs collection is no exception.
Lakomek, a Sun City resident, is not just a cookbook collector, but a dedicated one.
“I have been cooking from my cookbooks since the 1980s, although the collection part didn’t start until 2003,â she said. âBut once it did, there was no turning back.â
With Autumn swiftly approaching, some of us are scrambling to find some indoor activities to involve ourselves in. Working with books as I do, it has become abundantly clear that streaming services are snatching up properties to adapt. Now, I canât speak to the source material. However, after watching these two shows, a question lingers. Does a show work because of the novel or are there other factors that supersede?
Hi there, Iâm writing to seek your advice regarding a health condition Iâve recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib). As a senior, this diagnosis has understandably caused me some concern, and I want to make sure Iâm doing everything I can to manage it effectively.
Situated in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles off the coast of South America, the GalĂĄpagos Islands proved to be a unique environment that doesnât exist anywhere else in the world. Situated on the equator and at the confluence of three major ocean currents, the islands are inhabited by a strange assortment of wildlife, thus one of the major reasons to visit. We all know about Darwin and his theory of evolution and that the islands were the inspiration for his work. The same species evolved differently based on the island on which they lived. Our daughter and her two sons recently visited and called it âAmazing.â
Chris, my husband, and I recently traveled to Nashville for Labor Day weekend. Christopher, our 23-year-old son, moved into his first post college apartment two months earlier, and this was the first chance we had to help him with the move. By my count, this is the ninth time we have helped our adult children make the transition from one living space to another. We know the drill.
Everyone needs medications at some point in their life. Our little puppy, Rosie, is no exception. Her medications are necessary to keep away those nasty fleas and ticks when she goes outside. We have tried everything, like putting her pill into liver sausage, peanut butter, or her (and Jimâs) favorite, the aerosol squirt cheese in a can. In the end, she will succeed in spitting the pill out on the floor while staring defiantly at us. The irony of this is, when she does go outside, her main diet consists of ants, spiders, and the occasional lightning bug. On our way to the vet to pick up her pills, we passed by a restaurant in Gilberts named Cruisinâ and decided to try it.
Letters for the week of October 3.
Bruce Busboom, a Sun City resident, has an accomplishment that probably no one else in Sun City can claim: he built a castle. It’s not just any castle, but one with a working drawbridge, a moat with mechanical crocodiles, and a pair of gargoyles spouting water 30 feet into a moat. Busboom said, “My claim to fame is that out of the 350 castles in the United States, I have a working drawbridge. Disney has a drawbridge that was raised once, but has not been used since. My drawbridge is 10 1/2 feet tall, 5 feet wide, 4.5 inches thick, weighs 660 pounds, and is held together with 180 stainless steel bolts. The ‘portcullis’ is the counterweight and picks up 700 pounds of scrap iron when it reaches the halfway mark. A trumpet fanfare plays when the drawbridge is lowered.”
Bruce Busboom, a Sun City resident, has an accomplishment that probably no one else in Sun City can claim: he built a castle. It’s not just any castle, but one with a working drawbridge, a moat with mechanical crocodiles, and a pair of gargoyles spouting water 30 feet into a moat.
Busboom said, “My claim to fame is that out of the 350 castles in the United States, I have a working drawbridge. Disney has a drawbridge that was raised once, but has not been used since. My drawbridge is 10 1/2 feet tall, 5 feet wide, 4.5 inches thick, weighs 660 pounds, and is held together with 180 stainless steel bolts. The ‘portcullis’ is the counterweight and picks up 700 pounds of scrap iron when it reaches the halfway mark. A trumpet fanfare plays when the drawbridge is lowered.”
I hate that one of my kids is struggling with clinical depression. I really do. It shouldnât come as a surprise, since my familyâs DNA is a rich broth of bad eyesight, crooked teeth, questionable hearing, and clinical depression. Going back several generations, the old black-and-white family portraits of my ancestors depict stern, thin-lipped farm folk in uncomfortably tight clothing and eyes cast downward. I know these photographs came before the age of âSay cheese!â but these earnest, hardworking relatives donât exactly look like theyâd be the life of the party.
I faced a challenge the other day I havenât met since I was twelve years old â a flat tire on my bicycle. Although I hadnât ridden a bike through most of my adulthood, pretty much every morning for the past couple years I take a ten-ortwelve-mile jaunt into the countryside, where I converse with the corn and cows if theyâre in the mood to listen. Whatever trials await me later, I always find a sense of peace peddling the pavement at the start of the day.
I faced a challenge the other day I havenât met since I was twelve years old â a flat tire on my bicycle.
Although I hadnât ridden a bike through most of my adulthood, pretty much every morning for the past couple years I take a ten-ortwelve-mile jaunt into the countryside, where I converse with the corn and cows if theyâre in the mood to listen. Whatever trials await me later, I always find a sense of peace peddling the pavement at the start of the day.
Each year, St. Vincent DePaul conferences around the United States hold a âFriends of the Poorâ walk to raise funds to carry out their mission of helping those in need in their local area. Sun City resident Kay Nelson has participated in this walk, supporting the efforts of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Hampshire. Nelson said, “Because our parish is relatively small, we used to join with a larger parish hosting the walk, but only 10 or 12 people from our parish would travel from Hampshire to walk with us.”
Each year, St. Vincent DePaul conferences around the United States hold a âFriends of the Poorâ walk to raise funds to carry out their mission of helping those in need in their local area. Sun City resident Kay Nelson has participated in this walk, supporting the efforts of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Hampshire.
Nelson said, “Because our parish is relatively small, we used to join with a larger parish hosting the walk, but only 10 or 12 people from our parish would travel from Hampshire to walk with us.”
Tony Pratt, a Sun City resident, enjoys volunteering and encourages others to donate their time. Pratt starting working with the Fox Valley Music Foundation in Aurora. The foundation promotes local musical artists and provides educational programs to help foster a love and appreciation for music in the community. Pratt said, “I got involved when I met a record store owner in Batavia. Kiss the Sky record store owner Steve Warrenfeltz, the former President of the Fox Valley Music Foundation, got me interested, and that’s how it began.”
Tony Pratt, a Sun City resident, enjoys volunteering and encourages others to donate their time. Pratt starting working with the Fox Valley Music Foundation in Aurora. The foundation promotes local musical artists and provides educational programs to help foster a love and appreciation for music in the community.
Pratt said, “I got involved when I met a record store owner in Batavia. Kiss the Sky record store owner Steve Warrenfeltz, the former President of the Fox Valley Music Foundation, got me interested, and that’s how it began.”
September 11 is a day that Americans across the country reflect on the attacks that stunned the world. Itâs a day that unites us in remembrance and reflection as we recall where we were when we heard the news of the planes hitting the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. A Sun City Resident, a Chicago firefighter, and twenty fellow firefighters traveled to the site. He will never forget that day.
Grandpa, Grandma, & Me (GG & Me) Charter Club members celebrated Grandparentâs Day on September 8 at GLO-BOWL in Marengo. It was a day of inclusivity and togetherness as grandparents, grandkids, and families came together to celebrate the occasion by throwing a few strikes.
Itâs been a while since Jim and I had Chinese food and sometimes our bodies start craving MSG. Anyone can find a Chinese takeout restaurant, but it is much more difficult to find a good Chinese dine in restaurant. While driving through Crystal Lake to buy some donuts, we spotted the Kirin King-Asian Cuisine and decided to drop in and check it out. The site is an older building and has housed several different restaurants during the past years. When walking in, there was a gigantic fish tank with lots of salt water fish swimming around (their sushi must be really fresh). There are a lot of steps to get into the restaurant and also into their dining area, so obviously this restaurant is not handicap accessible.
Itâs been a while since Jim and I had Chinese food and sometimes our bodies start craving MSG. Anyone can find a Chinese takeout restaurant, but it is much more difficult to find a good Chinese dine in restaurant. While driving through Crystal Lake to buy some donuts, we spotted the Kirin King-Asian Cuisine and decided to drop in and check it out.
The site is an older building and has housed several different restaurants during the past years. When walking in, there was a gigantic fish tank with lots of salt water fish swimming around (their sushi must be really fresh). There are a lot of steps to get into the restaurant and also into their dining area, so obviously this restaurant is not handicap accessible.
Chris, my husband and I recently purchased seven new appliances. While the process was a bit overwhelming, we honestly, just followed the advice of our sales person and made practical conservative choices. On the highly anticipated day of delivery, not only did our appliances arrive but so did reams of paper in the form of operating manuals. It took me hours to sort through the manuals, fill out the registration cards and luckily, in some cases, apply for energy rebates. My take away from this whole process was that plants should be sold with operating manuals. Specifically, trees. If all goes well, the trees in our yard will be alive and thriving decades after our appliances are relegated to the junk yard. More information should be given to the owner of the trees regarding their care than the owner of a microwave. In an attempt to right this wrong, this column summarizes a few key points for tree owners.
Hope everyone had a great Labor Day as the weather was quite exceptional. Now with the official end of summer behind us, some are heading back to work and others to school. Retirees, your endless summer has been spared. Often this time of year reminds me of notebooks and syllabuses, much to the chagrin of my friends. The perpetual student in me always sees the changing of the leaves as study season. However, I sometimes wonder what it would be like on the other side of the school desk.
