Skating past the winter of “Game of Thrones”

It’s here at last — the final season of “Game of Thrones!” Winter is here, when we’ll finally find out if things will end up happily or disastrously for…for…

OK, I’m faking it, because I’ve only seen a couple episodes of GoT over the past seven years or so. But I’ve read plenty about it — or at least just enough to know that it’s cool to call it GoT.

Click here to read our latest edition online in PDF format.

Let’s Dance performs the mysterious Glenn Miller

As the Let’s Dance Big Band prepares for its June 10 concert, Richard Chay explains the theme of this year’s performance.

“2019 marks the 75th year of Glenn Miller’s disappearance,” said Chay, who plays the drums and is the leader of the Let’s Dance Big Band.

Painting with egg-cellence

When sending a huge egg in the mail, careful packing is paramount. But when the egg in question isn’t just a chicken egg, or even a goose egg, but a giant egg made of polystyrene and covered in original artwork that took 110 hours to complete, the stakes are even higher.

With honors

What is something new you can see at the Sun City ballpark?

“Take your camera and go to the softball field, and in the box right off the parking lot by the drinking fountain, you will see a new memorial plaque for softball players who have passed away over the years,” advises Barry Cianciarulo, a Sun City Resident and a Veteran player of the Sun City Cougar 16-inch Softball Team.

“Our neighbors in Arlington Heights convinced us to come and take a look,” Arlene Selm said. “So, my husband, Dick, and I came and saw the models by where the lodge is. We really had no interest in any of the models. Nothing really caught our attention. But we came back and we fell in love with this model. It wasn’t there the first time we came through.”

A new leaf

Houseplants have always been a favorite for some people. Growing up, my mom always had spider plants hanging down from countertops or pots of ferns sitting on bookshelves. As a kid, I remember planting outdoor plants into indoor pots, just to see if they could grow in the kitchen, as opposed to a little garden we had to share with neighbors. I remember my mom digging through Home Depot and similar stores, looking for indoor greenery. What I don’t remember is my friends’ homes having these same indoor gardens.

Horsing around

Everything was quiet and peaceful at the new Alden Rehab Center in Huntley one recent April day.

Then, suddenly, a horse came trotting into the second floor patient therapy and activity area. Strangely, nurses and patients welcomed the animal happily, and a party was held. Cell phones were quickly turned into cameras.

Village says no to industrial usage of the outlet mall grounds

Huntley’s village board hasn’t made a final decision yet on the future use of the former outlet mall site, but they made an important one in the meantime.

They want mixed commercial uses on the remaining 60 acres, not industrial ones.

20-year cycle

In celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Sun City Community in Huntley, the clubs of Sun City have been solicited to provide information on the beginnings of the club, participate in activities during the Amazing Race scheduled on June 29th and of course they are at the New Residents Orientation to entice the new residents to join the many clubs offering many interests and activities to join.

Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners Annual Spring Plant Sale

This is being written on April 27. It is snowing, hard. Forecasters say more than six inches of the white stuff will fall today.

But this doesn’t faze the Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners organization. They are proceeding full speed ahead with their annual spring plant sale in Woodstock on Sunday, May 19. The event starts at 10 a.m. and runs until everything is sold out.

An Easter mystery: The case of the sketchy sleigh-coon

Easter this year was my first full-contact, no-holds-barred Easter in a long time.

It’s not that Easters didn’t “happen” for me over the past several years. But this was the first one in years that I spent in the good old-fashioned way: inundated by an infestation of kids.