With Father’s Day weekend approaching, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has been blooming with anticipation for parents and children to come mark the occasion at its annual garden tour. The 20th annual fundraiser for the orchestra is this Saturday, June 20. Tickets are $15 per adult and children are free. The tour will be held from […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Boy wonder
It’s been less than three months since Jonathon Monken became director of the Illinois State Police, but already he has jolted the agency. Which is sort of what troopers were hoping he would do, because dang, the place needed a good shake-up. In fact, it was the prospect of just such a joggle that persuaded […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mosquito, king of the pests
The other night while dozing I heard the buzzing of a mosquito. After about five minutes the culprit was glued to a flyswatter. Of all the bothersome insect pests, however, mosquitoes are probably the most troublesome. While most mosquitoes are merely a nuisance, some can transmit diseases including West Nile encephalitis. Mosquitoes are best known […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Peace begins on Hazel Lane
I now believe there will be peace in the Middle East. I also believe that the Illinois legislature will someday ratify a budget before the fiscal year ends, and Dick Cheney will appear on Meet the Press to express his admiration for Barack Obama. Heck, I even believe that my two children will stop tattling […]
Posted inArts & Culture
When a media mogul bought a cow pasture that was New Salem
If it had not been for media mogul William Randolph Hearst, New Salem State Historic Site might still be a cow pasture. In 1906 Hearst was a wealthy New York congressman who owned several newspapers and had hopes of becoming president. On August 17, he stopped here while traveling back to New York from his […]
Posted inArts & Culture
High-octane intervention
From the kitchen table where he was eating supper with his family, Jeff Hart saw the clouds change direction. They rolled east, then shifted suddenly west, like they had just decided to make a U-turn. Maybe we should go down to the basement, Jeff thought. While his wife Julie helped their daughter Bella out of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Recycle plastic garden pots
It’s essential for all of us to practive the three R’s of being a good steward of the earth: reduce, reuse and recycle. Last weekend I walked around my small town on community cleanup day looking for hidden treasures in others’ trash. During cleanup day, residents can put out items that are not accepted in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Putting the leader in cheerleader
You’ve seen these guys before. OK, maybe not this specific trifecta of testosterone, but you’ve undoubtedly seen guys just like them, clowning around on the sidelines at the football game, one eye on the game, another on the girls in the matching short skirts. They’re the kind of guys who prance along with the cheerleaders, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
To get fresh teachers, grow your own
A few years ago, someone in the Chicago public school system came up with a brilliant way to help Riley Higgins, who was then about 3 years old and living in Springfield. Why would anyone in the Chicago public school system give a fig about a preschooler in Springfield? The truth is they didn’t. But […]
Posted inArts & Culture
How is Mary like Rod?
Here’s a conversation starter for you: What do Rod Blagojevich and Mary Lincoln have in common? (It’s not good hair.) The two are an incongruous pairing: an impeached former governor known for his wire-tapped expletives and a refined, widowed former first lady of the nation. The answer: narcissism, according to modern experts. People with narcissistic […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mother’s Day is for planting
Ready, set, plant! Mother’s Day weekend is not only a time to recognize Mom for all she does, but it is time to plant warm-season plants. This weekend, why not combine the two and take Mom shopping for her favorite plants? Don’t forget that Mom will probably expect some help planting them. Whether shopping for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
For better perennials, divide and conquer
This is one of my favorite times of the year — crabapples and tulips in bloom, peonies budding and perennial plants popping up all over the garden. It is also the time of year when we realize that our perennial gardens may have an unkempt, overgrown look to them. Plants have multiplied beyond their boundaries […]
