Gardening can be a low-cost activity or an expensive hobby. In these difficult economic times gardening is receiving newfound interest. So how can we enjoy gardening without breaking the bank? My mother and grandmother were able to garden on a shoestring while providing an abundance of food. Of course I learned some of these thrifty […]
Community & Lifestyle
Posted inArts & Culture
Some ‘tried and true” blue perennials for your garden
It’s time to begin thinking about adding new plants to our gardens. One of my favorite colors is blue. Unfortunately there are only a handful of blue-flowered perennials. Recently I had the privilege of attending a program given by Richard Hawke, plant evaluation manager at Chicago Botanic Garden. Richard does comparative evaluation of herbaceous perennials […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Illinois women scorned
You’re an Illinois woman in the middle 1800s and you find yourself pregnant after your sweetheart — who promised marriage — left. Your reputation and chance of finding a husband are ruined and you have to depend on your family for support. What to do? Sue the cad’s sorry behind. In those days, dumped pregnant […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Richard Dreyfuss performance highlights history symposium
Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will present a rare performance of Lincoln Seen and Heard, on Friday, March 27, on the campus of Illinois College in Jacksonville. The dramatic reading has been presented in recent months to audiences at the White House, Ford’s Theatre, The Library of Congress and at […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Born leader
Ask Jonathon Monken how he got the job as director of Illinois State Police — at the tender age of 29, with no law enforcement experience — and he’ll start with a story about being introduced to now-Gov. Pat Quinn at an awards ceremony a few years ago. “The first time we met was when […]
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Start a garden with seeds, tools, sun and land
The number of people growing a vegetable garden is on the rise. Some mail order seed companies are reporting a 40 percent increase in sales, while a typical year may see a 15 percent increase in sales. Reasons for this growth spurt include the increase in food prices, food safety issues and concerns for the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Give me Liberty or give me my full refund
Last week, my younger son lost two teeth in the same day. We all know what that means: he was in for windfall from the Tooth Fairy. At a dollar per tooth, he was due two bucks minimum. He was eager to collect the cash, but he knew he had to follow a certain onerous […]
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The marvelous governor’s mansion across the street from the governor’s mansion
One of the grandest homes that Springfield has ever seen is only a memory. Not even a full photograph of it is known to exist. The home was built by Illinois Gov. Joel Matteson in 1856, during his last full year as governor. Matteson was a political opponent of Abraham Lincoln’s and a wealthy man […]
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Gardeners, start your engines. And cool your jets.
As temperatures get warmer most of us are starting to dream of the first juicy ripe tomato or the heavenly fragrance of a garden-fresh rose. While we may be ready to get out and garden, it may be a little too early to plant some vegetables and flowers. Understanding the growing needs of plants, and […]
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Search for Springfield roots
A different kind of Lincoln bicentennial celebration is being held in Springfield, starting March 7. It encourages everyone to search their family roots and see if they reach back to Springfield during Lincoln’s time, or even back to the Lincolns themselves. Rudy Davenport, a member of the Springfield contingent of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, says […]
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Former guv inspires creativi-T
Hooray, it’s T-shirt weather! Oh sure, the thermometer does not entirely agree, but trust me, we’ve never had more reasons to shuck the wooly turtlenecks and show off our tees. See, all the pain and shame our state has suffered with our governor’s arrest, impeachment and subsequent talk-show circuit tour brought the irresistibly eccentric Rod […]
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The Lincolns’ first home in Illinois
When Abraham Lincoln, his father, stepmother, and step-brother first came to Illinois from Indiana, they settled in a log cabin about three miles west of Decatur on the Sangamon River. The history of that long-gone cabin is a tangle of folklore and interesting facts. The city of Decatur, through its Lincoln Heritage Project, commissioned a […]
