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For those of you not "in the know" (basically everyone outside my immediate family), today is an auspicious day. My 21st wedding anniversary. My marriage can finally drink legally. What kind of gift is appropriate for that milestone? Traditional gifts for a 21st anniversary, I learned, are brass and nickel, symbols of strength, endurance and longevity. That's sort of sweet, isn't it? Makes it feel like this marriage is a fortress. Which, in a way, I suppose it has been. It...
“Hope you and the family had a terrific holiday weekend,” Susan O’Byrne emailed me Sunday along with her column to run in today’s paper. “We became the new home of three pet rats and a rather large rat cage,” I responded. “Not sure that qualifies as terrific!” Susan was much more enthusiastic about the pet rats than I was, although I have to say they are growing on me. Ainsley brought the rats home July 3 after she and a friend got them for free from a lady outside a pet s...
Feeling the urge to get out and play in the park? Lean into that spirit as July is Park and Recreation Month, a national effort to promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of these cherished public resources. For Hinsdaleans that comes in the form of 122 acres of dedicated parkland at 18 sites and the Hinsdale Community Pool. The Hinsdale Parks & Recreation department is highlighting how parks and recreation programs enhance quality of life, promote healthy lifestyles, and foster community...
When it comes to complaining about getting old, I'd like to think I have a corner on the market. No one bemoans the fact that he's not a teenager more than me. I don't need to say it out loud. I'm reminded of it every morning when it takes me 10 minutes to get out of bed. But I have to tell you, I think I'll take those aches and pains over being a youngster in today's world. I'm not sure I could handle being a kid in 2024. The schedules are packed from morning until night. If...
Neighbors of Southeast Hinsdale — thank you all so much for your kindness and for taking the time to locate and secure our Bernese mountain dog, Zoe, who left our property (with her shock collar on!) last Friday night, June 21. We were attending a local event and were completely unaware that she had left our house and was walking the streets alone. When we finally looked at our phones, we had texts and messages from various friends and neighbors with her photo and description and were able to quickly piece together where s...
Katherine Lee Bates, an English literature professor at Wellesley College, was inspired to write a poem she titled "Pikes Peak" after making a trip to Colorado in 1893. The stanzas describe the stunning landscape she saw both on her train trip west and from the 14,000-foot summit. The poem first appeared in print July 4, 1895, in The Congregationalist, a weekly newspaper. Her work quickly gained in popularity. As was the custom at the time, people sang the words to "almost...
When guests stop by our home these days, they're greeted with a scene straight out of a flea market. We're moving to a smaller home and emptying out cabinets and drawers in order to sort their contents into "Keep" and "Dispose Of" piles. Most of our larger items (mainly furniture) that clearly won't fit in the new house were sorted weeks ago and have already been promised to friends and family. All that's left now are the smaller, sentimental items that are so hard to give...
To the recent opinion submitter from La Grange (June 20) regarding her dramatic opinion on the protesters near the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival, I respectfully submit the following: “... or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” I suspect that the person and her followers may not recognize the origins of this stanza. So I direct them to the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment. — Joe Derezinski, Hinsd...
A lot of Facebook posts will tell you what books you should be reading right now. I tend to look at these posts the same way I used to look at summer reading lists when I was in high school. I wanted to read all of the books so I could be as prepared as possible for the first day of school. But I’m not in school anymore, and so I don’t have to be tortured with the incomprehensible prose of William’s Faulkner’s “Light in August.” Nor do I have to find regionally appropriate...
The milder temperatures this week are welcome relief from the recent stretch of steamy weather. But as veteran Chicago-area denizens know, summer days can become scorchers in a hurry, posing health hazards if not taken seriously, particularly to children, seniors, those with special needs and pets. In addition to discomfort and fatigue, high temperatures can cause heat-related health issues such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. To protect yourself and others, the Illinois Department of Public Health offers...
Pamela Lannom’s article with regard to the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival which took place on June 1 and 2 was engaging and informative, with many good quotes from the artists themselves. Unfortunately, after reading it, one would have no idea that an extremely loud anti-Israeli protest disrupted the normal peace and tranquility of the event for almost two hours of the six that the show was open on Sunday. While Ms. Lannom mentioned the cicadas buzzing and the rain on Saturday, saying neither deterred art show attendees, she l...
We are nearing the one-year anniversary of Sean Richards tragic death. Sean was killed on July 17, 2023, while walking on a Hinsdale sidewalk. I would like to thank the Hinsdale Village Board for improving public safety by proactively installing jersey barriers around Fuller’s Car Wash. As a resident of Hinsdale, however, I am concerned by some comments made by Village President Tom Cauley that were reported in Ken Knutson’s June 13 Hinsdalean article. At the June 11 board meeting, Mr. Cauley inserted himself into the mid...
The cicadapocolypse is in full flight. I had hoped that, by some strange fluke of nature, our town would be spared the entomological onslaught. Sadly, I was wrong. All around us now are hundreds of thousands of these bugs. I have heard and read many people describe this event as “wondrous,” or “fascinating” or even “magical.” Of all the words of which I could think, these three are among the very last. Quite simply, they are revoltingly disgusting. They are big. They have f...
Church has been a part of my life since before I can remember. And since I haven’t had to move from town to town over the years, I’ve been able to attend only four churches since I was a kid. The one I spent the most time at, and the one where I experienced the most spiritual growth, is the First United Methodist Church of Western Springs. I attended my last service there last month. Actually it was the final service for the church at 4300 Howard Ave., which started in 188...
Are you a fan of John Grisham? The late Michael Crichton? Danielle Steel? All three have new books out this summer (Grisham’s “Camino Ghosts” and Crichton’s “Eruption” are available now, with Steel’s “Resurrection” due June 25.) Perhaps you have yet to read Hinsdale author Cristina Henriquez’s latest novel, “The Great Divide.” Or maybe you’re a middle schooler working your way through the “Percy Jackson” series or a preschooler sounding out words in your first “I Can Read!” book. Regardless of your age or preference, readin...
Since our son, Conor, was born in 2002, I have always anticipated Father’s Day with joy and expectation. It was one of my favorite days of the year. A Sunday in June when everyone is kind to you and you get to do whatever you want. You receive gifts, some of them handmade (the best kind). Dinner with the entire family. U.S. Open golf on TV. What is not to love? This year, I am not anticipating Father’s Day with joy and expectation. This Sunday will be my first Father’s Day without my 14-year-old son, Sean, joining me for a ro...
I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore. One of those fancy "W" towns - Winnetka - beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks. What is HomeSnacks, you ask? We're not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists - safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why). And what does...
Unlike the fictional Southern belle Blanche DuBois, I have only rarely relied on the kindness of strangers, especially when it comes to travel plans. For help, I count on guidebooks and online travel sites such as Trip Advisor. Before a recent trip my husband, Joe, and I took to Washington, D.C., I found You Tube videos by Rob Pitingolo, who runs Trip Hacks DC Tours. I eventually adjusted to Pitingolo’s quirky speech pattern, which GOES something like THIS, paired with r...
Hats off! Along the street there comes A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, A flash of color beneath the sky: Hats off! The flag is passing by! — from “The Flag Goes By” by Henry Holcomb Bennett Tomorrow, June 14, is Flag Day. On June 6 our nation marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the members of the Greatest Generation carried the flag into the crucible of the Normandy beaches to turn the tide of World War II. The following year, on Feb. 25, 1945, the iconic photo “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was taken of six U.S....
I graduated high school two weeks ago and have no idea how to feel. I’m a sentimental person, so as the school year wound down, I spent time thinking about my departure from family, friends and my Hinsdale life. I’ve lived here since birth — my first breath taken at Hinsdale Hospital. The thought of moving to Boulder, Colo., and living there for most of the year is, currently, an impossible one. These 18 years passed in a flash, but I feel grateful to have absolutely loved where I’ve grown up, the people I’ve met, the schoo...
I was definitely warned about junior year. I remember being in seventh grade and thinking about high school as this huge, foreboding experience that I would never get through. I would sit in my class, glad to be only in middle school, where the stakes felt low. People talked about high school, and when I got to high school, they still talked about high school. Maybe the fantasies of "High School Musical" rubbed off on everyone? Except for the part where everyone breaks into...
I would like to thank the Hinsdale Village Board and Deputy Chief Tom Lillie for addressing the issue of e-bikes. Parents: you probably think your (mostly male) pre-teens/adolescents are being responsible as they ride around town on their e-bikes, scooters, etc. They are not. I run, walk, bike and drive through Hinsdale several times a day. If you saw your sons cutting across Madison, crossing 55th Street (against the light), heading south toward Ruth Lake in the middle of the street popping “wheelies” with a friend or siblin...
The newspaper business, like many others, is seasonal. Our schedule mirrors the school year in many ways, with our busiest times occurring while classes - and high school sports - are in session. And then summer rolls around, and with it comes a slightly different to-do list. One of my responsibilities each June is to thank a group of contributing columnists who have been writing for us for the past two years and to invite interested writers to apply for one of the openings....
On this day in 1944, the land, air and sea forces of the United States and 11 allies conducted what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. Some 155,000 Allied troops stormed five separate beaches at Normandy on D-Day, with the Americans landing at Utah and Omaha beaches and the British and Canadians at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches. By the end of June, the Allies had sent 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles and 570,000 tons of supplies to the Normandy shores. The success of the invasion created a path...
May brought the Northern Lights and noisy cicadas to remind us of just what a fascinating planet we inhabit. Now on the doorstep of summer with June’s arrival Saturday, let’s remind ourselves of how much fun the community rolls out this season. The 51st annual Fine Arts Festival is in Burlington Park this weekend, featuring works by 85 participating artists (see story on Page 21). Monday, June 3, sees the return of the Farmers Market, another chamber event, at its familiar home on Chicago Avenue along Burlington Park. The...
