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David Dragon was 16 years old when he secretly traversed the sewers of the Warsaw Ghetto, defiantly risking capture by the Nazis, to scavenge scraps of food. He brought back whatever little he could find to feed his parents and siblings. Yet despite his courageous efforts, his mother and father died of starvation. He was 19 when the Nazis captured him and sent him to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Amid the death and human suffering, he toiled laying the bricks that formed...
Ainsley enjoyed a piece of chocolate with her breakfast this morning. Chocolate (unless it's in the Nutella on her waffles) typically isn't on the morning menu at our house, but it will be for the next 24 days as Ainsley opens the numbered squares on her Advent calendar. She'll also take one of the characters from a numbered pocket and Velcro it in the manger scene on a large fabric Advent calendar hanging on the fridge. It was a gift her first Christmas from my friend (and...
Happy December! For many of us, turning the calendar page from November drives home the reality that our Christmas shopping weeks are now fewer than the number of branches on Charlie Brown’s sparse yet plucky tree. We are thankful that there’s nothing sparse about Hinsdale’s business community, with dozens of unique shops selling products that you’d be hard-pressed to find on shelves or racks anywhere else. The village’s economic pulse is strong due in large part to the faithful patronage of residents and out-of-town visitors...
I was scrubbing potatoes one evening when I asked my husband if he thinks dogs can get their feelings hurt. "Are you talking about Sasha?" "No," I reply, "just generally." "Sure, if their owners yell at them or whack them with a newspaper." He thinks he's being funny. He knows how I feel about animals and about violence. "I mean, can dogs hurt other dog's feelings?" I ask. "No, you're being ridiculous." I don't think I am. I was asking because we've got a mean girl in our...
My cell phone rang at 4:50 p.m. Saturday. It was Slonoff. “It’s a little early,” I thought to myself. “But this has gotta be a call about Thanksgiving.” I was right. Jim was searching for frozen cranberry juice cocktail to make his cranberry sauce — which is actually my cranberry sauce — for Thanksgiving dinner. Then on Monday I heard this snippet of conversation: “I make a sauce of brown sugar, vanilla and butter and then I pour that over the sweet potatoes,” Jim...
“Tradition” is a word we find ourselves using a lot during the holiday season. One of our favorite traditions at this time of year is our taking time to reflect on one thing we are thankful for each day of November. Nov. 1 — big, fat turkeys — not the kind you put on the table, but the inflatable birds decorating lawns all over town. There’s even one on North York Road getting ready to dig in to a piece of pumpkin pie. We smile every time we see one. Nov. 2 — the readers and advertisers who continue to support us year in and...
I don't know when it happened, but at some point a veil of unnecessary urgency settled over things. The school drop-off, the grocery store run, paperwork, laundry, meetings, phone calls, emails, texts, volunteering, helping with homework, preparing dinner and a smattering of extracurricular activities for every member of our household. All of these are chosen, worthy pursuits, yet overfilling our days with good things leaves little time to linger and the word "Hurry" on my lip...
The Hinsdale Village Caucus is unfortunately on the verge of disbanding due to lack of participation from the community. Unless new leaders are identified in the next two months, the caucus will be dissolved in January 2023. The caucus is a nonpartisan group of volunteers whose primary role is to identify, recruit and promote qualified candidates for the District 181 School Board, the Hinsdale Public Library Board and the Hinsdale Village Board of Trustees. The Caucus was founded in 1934 and has been a part of the election...
Monday mornings can be tough. This past one, I lost my credit card before I even got in the shower. I had planned to combine my morning walk with a quick errand to pick up some cold medicine for my daughter. So I put my credit card in my pocket with my earbuds and headed out. To get a full 2 miles in, I headed in the opposite direction of the store for the first half of my walk. By the time I had circled back to my house, I decided to give up on the rest of my walk and just dr...
Snow’s arrival this week is making it feel a lot like holiday season around here. Soon loved ones will gather for the cherished traditions that mark this wonderful time of year. We also have the opportunity to make this a more wonderful time for those in need by supporting local agencies on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29. The Community House is asking supporters to “Commit to Community” by making a donation to its annual fund. The dollars enhance the lives of others by providing funds for program equipment, counseling servi...
OK everyone, take a deep breath. The election is finally over. We can now return to normal TV commercials and less-crammed mailboxes, and the internet can go back to inundating us with the old, useless information it did prior to the election. I can't help but laugh at the entire campaign process, though. Not only did I receive countless texts from both sides either pleading their case or slamming the other side's, in several instances I also personally received messages addre...
I never asked my dad, who's been gone 20 years, about the time he spent in the Army in Korea. He served there between 1958 and 1960, a good five years after the war ended. I found a photo album after my mom passed away filled with pictures of his time in the service. I wish I could look at it with him. I didn't want to make that same mistake with my birth father, Bob Short. He has shared some stories about his time in the Marines in Vietnam with me since we first got in...
They served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Their ranks range from private and seaman first class to lieutenant colonel and commander. They fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and served in times of peace. Some are active duty, some are retired. Many are living and many are deceased. They are the 198 veterans profiled in this year’s Veterans Day special section. When we ran our first pages in 2015 honoring these men and women, we had 72 submissions. That n...
Having been raised in DuPage, I know firsthand how this county has always been the exception to the “Illinois rule.” Our leaders prioritize balancing budgets, keeping taxes low, investing in public safety and rooting out corruption. However, DuPage is at a crossroads. Our community can either become more like Chicago and Springfield — or we can continue to be a beacon of good government in a state that desperately needs one. That is why my wife Abby and I are supporting Greg Hart for DuPage County Board chairman. Greg is a de...
Hinsdale Humane Society has sent out an S.O.S (Save our Shelter) to our community. They are in dire need of financial help and are trying to raise money to keep their doors open and their programs running. HHS not only takes in stray animals, medically treats them if needed and gets them ready for adoption, but they also have many excellent outreach programs that help our community. There are programs for veterans, humane education, pet therapy for those in need, low-cost spay and neuter clinics, low-cost pet care clinics...
My youngest son emerged from preschool recently sporting a huge grin. It wasn't an uncommon sight at pickup - he loves his school and is a smiley dude in general - but when he shouted, "MOM! GUESS WHY I HAD THE BEST DAY EVER!" before buckling himself into his carseat, I knew I was in for a treat. I inquired immediately. Did he get to be the line leader or the lunch helper? No. Was he fresh off constructing the largest Magna-Tile tower in the western suburbs? Nope. Could it be...
Most of us know very little about the workings of the DuPage County Board. We may briefly think about it when we examine our tax bills or learn a bit about it as elections approach and candidates vie for board positions. As with any election, well-informed citizens are in the best position to make the best choices. You can learn more at https://www.dupagecounty.gov/. In District 3, we have been extremely fortunate to benefit from the dedication of current DuPage County Board member, Hinsdale resident, Julie Renehan. Under a D...
More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to surpass 14 million by 2060. More than 16 million American caregivers provide over 17 billion hours of unpaid care every year. Those staggering statistics come from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to highlight Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in November. In light of these figures, the foundation urges citizens to be proactive about their brain health and get a memory screening. “The brain is one of the body’s most vita...
I’ve been thinking a lot about the seasons of life. Perhaps it’s the sign of a mid-life crisis (arriving late!) or a symptom of the pandemic’s extended unwind. Maybe it’s my resistance to change, which surfaced early, according to the story my mom used to tell about how I would cry every time she put on sunglasses. On Monday, as I watched our 2-year-old next-door neighbor toddle over and try to decide whether she wanted to say “trick or treat,” I couldn’t help but think of...
The Medicare open enrollment period runs through Dec. 7. Medicare recipients have two choices for covering their medical expenses not paid by Medicare Parts A and B: a “supplemental” plan, also called Medigap, or a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C) You’ve probably seen the commercials for the Medicare Advantage option. Buyers, beware! Medicare Advantage is allowed to advertise without disclosing the downsides compared to the traditional Medicare plus supplemental, including these: • Medicare Advantage is...
I never saw Christina Aguilera's original "Beautiful" video when it came out 20 years ago. I'm not sure I would have appreciated it if I had. But as the mother of a soon-to-be 14-year-old who sees herself as anything but beautiful, I found the remake of the video - released in honor of World Mental Health Day and the 20th anniversary of her album "Stripped" - to be profound. The new video dramatically illustrates the pressures kids are under today, with images from...
Halloween is a time for all things spooky, from haunted yards (see Page 17 for a driving tour) to skeleton charcuterie boards (Eew!) to the scary-bad “Halloween Ends.” The final issue in October also is a time when we like to stretch our imaginations to think of all the things we most fear happening in this charming village. And so, once again, we offer this list of frightening possibilities for our fair hamlet. Beware the sarcasm. • An unsuspecting hostess lights a bewitched candle, and the flying witches, werewolves and s...
First, thank you HCHS community for including my name in conjunction with the PTO Insight Collaboration program. I was touched by being remembered, as its origins were back in 2010. More importantly, I want to thank the PTO and its members who continue to support the significant work our high school social workers do along with the professionals of the Counseling Center at The Community House. You may never know how influential your interventions and support have been over the past 12 years, but rest assured you have changed...
As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. I loved the start of fall, the weather getting cooler and the leaves changing colors, as well as the spookiness of the season. But even more than that, I loved how Halloween made October feel so special. In the midst of a busy reality - with tests, homework and extracurriculars - the world just seemed more like a fantasy whenever the holiday came around. And Hinsdale always did the best job of making Halloween feel special....
The Nov. 8 election is less than three weeks away. Some of you may have already cast ballots through early voting. Well done, and today, as in election years past, we take the opportunity to use this space to encourage the rest of the electorate to exercise their Constitutional right to select their government representatives. We have provided charts outlining the candidates and their positions in races at the county, state and Congressional levels. See Pages 5 and 7 in this issue for the latest installments. All of our...
