MY SUN DAY NEWS
Letters for the week of May 30.
Inside a pole barn, a dedicated group of aviation enthusiasts has undertaken a monumental endeavor to resurrect a piece of history. The rare B-17E, fondly known as Desert Rat after the name found painted on the side of the plane’s fuselage, was initially built as a bomber aircraft delivered to the Army Air Forces on April 14, 1942, before being converted into a cargo plane.
The restoration project is led by Desert Rat’s owner, Mike Kellner, who first found the plane chopped up into pieces back in 1984 in an overgrown field near Bangor, Maine, according to Desert Rat restoration volunteer, Bill Stanczak.
Daughters and sons hold close, cherished memories of their mothers, whether it be a trip, a celebration, or a note in a lunch bag. Some are lucky to have special sentimental items. Candi Thuringer has kept some beautiful crocheted items that her mother, Melly, made for her two daughters. Each outfit is a piece of the past.
Thuringer said, “My mother crocheted and was a seamstress. Everyone she loved got a beautiful crocheted blanket. We have a special round crochet blanket that is a treasure. She crocheted so many different things for my daughters. My daughters both came home from the hospital in the most beautiful, crocheted blanket woven with hues of soft colors and an outfit that mom had made.”
My husband carter and I saw an article in a magazine in 1985/86 that Del Webb offered three-day getaways in their communities that we could visit. We stayed in a home with a golf cart and gave us an idea to help us decide if we wanted to retire in their community. We drove and stayed in many Del Webb communities – Arizona, California, South Carolina, and Florida, and we enjoyed all our stays but when we returned home to Schaumburg, Illinois we knew we wanted to stay here in Illinois for our golden years with our family.
It’s hard to say if a hummingbird is mourning just by the look on its face, but I think the hummers in my yard this spring are sad about the changes in their neighborhood. That’s because their favorite resting spot, the old purple cherry plum tree in my yard, is gone. It blew down on one of those blustery days in late April, just before the hummers got back in town.
It’s hard to say if a hummingbird is mourning just by the look on its face, but I think the hummers in my yard this spring are sad about the changes in their neighborhood.
That’s because their favorite resting spot, the old purple cherry plum tree in my yard, is gone. It blew down on one of those blustery days in late April, just before the hummers got back in town.
My daughter’s high school prom fell on a gorgeous spring day. The air was fresh and damp with the scent of lilacs and new life springing from the ground. While posing for photos, the breeze made the skirts of the girls’ gowns sway, a hint at the dancing that would happen later. My daughter, tall and slender, stands at the apex of most of the group pictures. She is taller than the other girls, so she tips her head slightly, not out of shyness, but in deference to the height difference. She is as elegant as I’ve ever seen her. The dress she is wearing, she told me, makes her feel beautiful. I can see it, too; the way her shoulders are back, the way her eyes sparkle, the way she delicately lifts her skirt to navigate stairs, revealing her strappy black shoes.
My daughter’s high school prom fell on a gorgeous spring day. The air was fresh and damp with the scent of lilacs and new life springing from the ground. While posing for photos, the breeze made the skirts of the girls’ gowns sway, a hint at the dancing that would happen later.
My daughter, tall and slender, stands at the apex of most of the group pictures. She is taller than the other girls, so she tips her head slightly, not out of shyness, but in deference to the height difference. She is as elegant as I’ve ever seen her. The dress she is wearing, she told me, makes her feel beautiful. I can see it, too; the way her shoulders are back, the way her eyes sparkle, the way she delicately lifts her skirt to navigate stairs, revealing her strappy black shoes.
Debby Bailey, a Sun City resident, volunteers at Young at Heart, an animal shelter, and is working hard to raise funds for the organization. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to saving the lives of senior pets. At a high school reunion, Bailey reconnected with Debbie Phillips. Bailey said, “We immediately bonded again, both having in common the love of animals, especially cats. I found out that Debbie wrote a book about her cat, Heidi. It was a children’s book, ‘The Empty Bed: Tails of Heidi’. It was so cute, and I loved the story and the illustrations.”
Debby Bailey, a Sun City resident, volunteers at Young at Heart, an animal shelter, and is working hard to raise funds for the organization. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to saving the lives of senior pets.
At a high school reunion, Bailey reconnected with Debbie Phillips. Bailey said, “We immediately bonded again, both having in common the love of animals, especially cats. I found out that Debbie wrote a book about her cat, Heidi. It was a children’s book, ‘The Empty Bed: Tails of Heidi’. It was so cute, and I loved the story and the illustrations.”
Just a few weeks ago, my dad experienced a minor stroke, and while we are grateful that it wasn’t severe, it has left us all quite shaken. As their adult daughter, I want to do everything in my power to support my Mom and Dad through this challenging time.
We have been having a rough couple of months (health wise), and both of us needed a fun date night with dinner and a show. What better way to combine both of these than at a Japanese hibachi restaurant. We literally have to lock Rosie in her crate since she is an escape artist and opened the latches and got out twice!!! Feeling confident that she was secured, we jumped into the Mini-Mobile and headed out to Arlington Heights to dine at Rokbonki Japanese Steakhouse.
Maintaining relationships can be difficult. We all have a variety of individuals with whom we have some sort of relationship. It may be a friend from elementary school that we have lunch with every few years, an adult child that we talk on the phone with each day or a cousin with whom we exchange Christmas cards annually. The level of the relationship, the type of contact and the frequency of contact varies. Some relationships ‘wither on the vine,’ as the saying goes, because we don’t invest enough time and energy in maintaining them others remain strong no matter the amount of effort.
Sun’s out and we are headed into outdoor season. With eighty-degree weather coming this early, that spring fever has been blasted into overdrive. The old joke persists that Chicagoland residents don’t have more than two seasons. And upon the drive to work, men in hard hats and caution lights block the roadways. While sitting in traffic, I could see some local tennis courts filled with would-be athletes practicing. I remember getting my racket and friends to do just the same. But I never had the same fervor as others. Certainly not like the characters we find in Challengers.
A widely-known saying by an unknown author reads: “When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.” Wrigley, a St. Bernard, was a beloved figure in Sun City. His gentle nature and friendly demeanor earned him the title of ‘mayor’ and ‘mascot’ of our community. His massive size was matched only by his even bigger heart, which he shared freely with everyone he met.
A widely-known saying by an unknown author reads: “When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.”
Wrigley, a St. Bernard, was a beloved figure in Sun City. His gentle nature and friendly demeanor earned him the title of ‘mayor’ and ‘mascot’ of our community. His massive size was matched only by his even bigger heart, which he shared freely with everyone he met.
Two high school students from Italy, Ilaria and Giulia, have been guests in our home for the past ten days. This completes an exchange student experience my daughter enjoyed at one of their homes earlier this month. It is wild to me that over a week ago, we picked up two strangers from the airport. Ten days later, tears rolled down my cheeks as I said goodbye as they left for their flights home. I will miss them, my new Italian daughters. My own daughter, with three older brothers, now has sisters she can call her own.
Two high school students from Italy, Ilaria and Giulia, have been guests in our home for the past ten days. This completes an exchange student experience my daughter enjoyed at one of their homes earlier this month.
It is wild to me that over a week ago, we picked up two strangers from the airport. Ten days later, tears rolled down my cheeks as I said goodbye as they left for their flights home. I will miss them, my new Italian daughters. My own daughter, with three older brothers, now has sisters she can call her own.
OK, I’ll admit it — my guilty pleasure is that I enjoy watching “American Idol.” Oh, it’s not my only guilty pleasure, but it’s the only one I’m willing to admit for now. Stay tuned. For the record, the show today is way better than it was at the beginning, 22 years ago. Back then, the main focus was on delusional dreamers who had no idea how bad they were, and the only reason to watch the early episodes was to find someone to laugh about at the water cooler the next day. It was a guilty pleasure back then, too, I guess, especially if you found pleasure in cruel ridicule.
OK, I’ll admit it — my guilty pleasure is that I enjoy watching “American Idol.” Oh, it’s not my only guilty pleasure, but it’s the only one I’m willing to admit for now. Stay tuned.
For the record, the show today is way better than it was at the beginning, 22 years ago. Back then, the main focus was on delusional dreamers who had no idea how bad they were, and the only reason to watch the early episodes was to find someone to laugh about at the water cooler the next day. It was a guilty pleasure back then, too, I guess, especially if you found pleasure in cruel ridicule.
I had the unimageable happen to me this past summer, I was bit by a mosquito IN MY BACKYARD IN HUNTLEY and contracted West Nile Virus. I was in Three Lakes, Wisc. when the full effects of the virus hit me, a guesstimate of four to five days after I was bit, I had cold-like symptoms throughout the night. I was sitting in the kitchen of our rented fishing cabin early morning when I realized I couldn’t stand. An ambulance was called and my 6-month journey began.
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) of the United States Postal Service is making a significant contribution to end hunger in the Huntley community. They are sponsoring the Annual Stamp out Hunger food collection on Saturday, May 11. This event, held every second Saturday in May, mail carriers in over 10,000 cities and towns across the country collect donations. This initiative, which began in 1993, has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive. Harriet Ford, President of Grafton Food Pantry, emphasizes the crucial role of our community in this effort.
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) of the United States Postal Service is making a significant contribution to end hunger in the Huntley community. They are sponsoring the Annual Stamp out Hunger food collection on Saturday, May 11. This event, held every second Saturday in May, mail carriers in over 10,000 cities and towns across the country collect donations. This initiative, which began in 1993, has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive.
Harriet Ford, President of Grafton Food Pantry, emphasizes the crucial role of our community in this effort.
John Schwan, a Sun City Pickleball Charter Club member, is a national champion after winning his age bracket gold medal at the Minto US Open Pickleball Championship April 14 in Naples, Fla.
The Young Authors’ program, an initiative sponsored by the Huntley School District, provides a platform for kindergarten through 8th grade students to showcase their creative writing skills. The program’s goal is to foster a love for writing and storytelling, encouraging students to express their unique perspectives and ideas. Each student had the unique opportunity to pen their original stories, which esteemed community volunteers then evaluated. The selection process is rigorous; one exceptional winner was chosen for each grade level. The judging panel, including dedicated community volunteers from Sun City, played a crucial role in the selection process. Their commitment and expertise were instrumental in identifying the most outstanding authors. Their names include Judy Cieciwa, Julie Ford, Pat Hector, Dolores Kuta, Mary Nogar, Diane Nolan, Sandra Pelka, Kathy Render, Joan Riffner, Valerie Tomanica, Barbara Yarbrough, Dolores Kuta, Karen Hutchings, Darcy Chadwick, and Heather Elder.
The Young Authors’ program, an initiative sponsored by the Huntley School District, provides a platform for kindergarten through 8th grade students to showcase their creative writing skills. The program’s goal is to foster a love for writing and storytelling, encouraging students to express their unique perspectives and ideas. Each student had the unique opportunity to pen their original stories, which esteemed community volunteers then evaluated. The selection process is rigorous; one exceptional winner was chosen for each grade level.
The judging panel, including dedicated community volunteers from Sun City, played a crucial role in the selection process. Their commitment and expertise were instrumental in identifying the most outstanding authors. Their names include Judy Cieciwa, Julie Ford, Pat Hector, Dolores Kuta, Mary Nogar, Diane Nolan, Sandra Pelka, Kathy Render, Joan Riffner, Valerie Tomanica, Barbara Yarbrough, Dolores Kuta, Karen Hutchings, Darcy Chadwick, and Heather Elder.
Those of you who grew up in the Chicago area will probably remember a TV show on WGN that was a staple of our childhood. We are referring to the show of all lunchtime shows, Bozo’s Circus. We ordered tickets when Nancy got pregnant, and we received them when our daughter was seven years old. One of Bozo’s sidekicks was Ray Rayner posing as the clown, Oliver O’ Oliver. The reason why we are babbling on about this show is because one of our loyal readers suggested Oliver’s Bar and Grill in Woodstock and we had no idea how to start this article. The best we could come up with was this lame Bozo’s Circus reference.
On April 11th Consumer Reports issued a statement about the popular lunch kits, Lunchables (prepackaged boxes of deli meat, cheese, and crackers marketed mostly for children.) Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, stated “The Lunchables and similar lunch kits we tested contain concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals that can lead to serious health problems over time. The USDA should remove Lunchables from the National School Lunch Program and ensure that kids in schools have healthier options.”
My mother-in-law’s diagnosis has been incredibly difficult for our family, and it has fallen on me to take on the role of primary caregiver. While I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to support her, I must admit that I am feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn for help. It’s been particularly challenging to see my mother-in-law’s independence slowly slip away. Simple tasks that were once second nature to her now require assistance, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that she needs more support than I alone can provide.
My mother-in-law’s diagnosis has been incredibly difficult for our family, and it has fallen on me to take on the role of primary caregiver. While I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to support her, I must admit that I am feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn for help.
It’s been particularly challenging to see my mother-in-law’s independence slowly slip away. Simple tasks that were once second nature to her now require assistance, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that she needs more support than I alone can provide.
While there are over 20,000 insects in northern Illinois, there is one insect that is receiving a tremendous amount of attention this summer. For good reason, it seems everyone is talking about cicadas. Millions of periodical cicadas from two different broods have begun emerging from the soil. This emergence is different because Broods XIII and XIX will emerge simultaneously. Dr. Stephanie Adams, a plant health specialist with the Morton Arboretum, has agreed to answer a few questions regarding the Cicadas.
Memorial Day is just around the corner. As is tradition, war movies and films about military life are usually the fare aptly supplied on channels like TCM. At the cinemas, however, this seems to be a different story. My plan was to view Civil War, the latest from writer/director Alex Garland. Wading into that discourse proved a bit challenging. His polarizing hot takes tend to divide both audiences and critics alike. Besides, from what I have seen, this feels like a film less to do with politics than what division does to its citizens. History does have a way of repeating itself but also is much stranger than fiction. So, I took another path and am here recommend a real American Civil War story.
How many times have you had the opportunity to do a “once in a lifetime” event, TWICE? Fortunately for us, it happened the second time the weekend of April 7; the eclipse. We took our granddaughter to downstate Illinois to see the eclipse in 2017, our first “once in a lifetime” activity. We initially planned on taking another granddaughter to the recent eclipse but she was out of town, so we decided to go on our own. Several steps were involved in our planning. The first was the path of the eclipse. Fortunately, there were several locations within a 4 to 6-hour drive where there would be a full solar eclipse.
How many times have you had the opportunity to do a “once in a lifetime” event, TWICE? Fortunately for us, it happened the second time the weekend of April 7; the eclipse.
We took our granddaughter to downstate Illinois to see the eclipse in 2017, our first “once in a lifetime” activity. We initially planned on taking another granddaughter to the recent eclipse but she was out of town, so we decided to go on our own. Several steps were involved in our planning. The first was the path of the eclipse. Fortunately, there were several locations within a 4 to 6-hour drive where there would be a full solar eclipse.
However Mother’s Day looks for you this year, hopefully these ideas inspire you to spoil your mom. Or, moms send this to your kids to give them hints! Let’s get a head start to celebrate our moms!
r only four days each year, this large and sprawling crabapple tree at the corner of Cherry Hill and Oak Grove catches the eyes of many passersby and neighbors alike.
Dolores Fischer of Sun City never knew much about her father’s service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. With only a plain brown box she found among her parents’ things containing pictures and military forms, she thought she’d never know the full details of her father’s bravery. But 25 years after his death, Dolores made the discovery of a lifetime. When Dolores Fischer was a junior in high school studying WWII, her U.S. History teacher suggested that his students interview their fathers who were war veterans. Fischer knew that her father flew in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, flying Boeing B-17s, a four-engined heavy bomber aircraft. Beyond that, details were scarce. When she asked him to let her interview him, he seemed uneasy.
Dolores Fischer of Sun City never knew much about her father’s service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. With only a plain brown box she found among her parents’ things containing pictures and military forms, she thought she’d never know the full details of her father’s bravery. But 25 years after his death, Dolores made the discovery of a lifetime.
When Dolores Fischer was a junior in high school studying WWII, her U.S. History teacher suggested that his students interview their fathers who were war veterans. Fischer knew that her father flew in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, flying Boeing B-17s, a four-engined heavy bomber aircraft. Beyond that, details were scarce. When she asked him to let her interview him, he seemed uneasy.
In 2021, Todd Kane managed to run by every home in Sun City. He started on January 1, 2021, and it took 66 days and 228 miles to run past 5400 homes. He decided to do it again. Kane said, “I completed the final 2½ miles on March 2, 2024. This time, it took 61 days. The coldest run was on January 15, at -6 degrees F. You just dress for it. There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes. The warmest day was January 2 at 54 degrees F.”
In 2021, Todd Kane managed to run by every home in Sun City. He started on January 1, 2021, and it took 66 days and 228 miles to run past 5400 homes. He decided to do it again.
Kane said, “I completed the final 2½ miles on March 2, 2024. This time, it took 61 days. The coldest run was on January 15, at -6 degrees F. You just dress for it. There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes. The warmest day was January 2 at 54 degrees F.”
I’m nestled cozily in my chair, still wearing my pajamas, socks, and slippers. Hat and gloves ward off the damp chill of the early morning. My husband hands me a cup of coffee, and I take it gratefully, watching the steam rise, curl, and dissipate into the morning air.
If history is any measure, I’ll be eating a big bug sometime soon. Maybe several of them. That’s because the long-awaited 17-year cicadas are clearing their throats underground just beneath the trees right now, and soon the branches above will ring with their robust songs. And every other time in my life that they’ve come to visit—four times in total before this time — they somehow found a way into my mouth.
If history is any measure, I’ll be eating a big bug sometime soon. Maybe several of them.
That’s because the long-awaited 17-year cicadas are clearing their throats underground just beneath the trees right now, and soon the branches above will ring with their robust songs. And every other time in my life that they’ve come to visit—four times in total before this time — they somehow found a way into my mouth.
