Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 1144
The clock just clicked over to 7:54 a.m. and I sit alone at the kitchen counter planning my day. It's a pretty average Monday (tennis carpool, grocery store for basics, Costco for bulk items, Kramer's for special stuff, playdate/thunderdome followed by family dinner) but something feels off. It's now 8 a.m.. I kick into a higher gear - answering emails, preparing breakfast and sharing a few memes with my mom bruhs - but the silence is unusual. Deafening, even. I'm sliding scra...
Make no mistake. The Hinsdalean’s Page 3 article (Aug. 8) about criticism of library books is about banning books. Do you want Kristina McCloy and Concerned Parents of Hinsdale deciding what your kids read? As a father of two in D181 with a third joining in a year, I don’t. — Jeff Schieber, Hinsdale...
Every two years I, like so many others across the country and around the world, love watching the Olympics. Two seasons of basketball poms were the extent of my athletic endeavors, so it's not an affinity with the athletes that draws me to the television set each night for 17 days. I do love watching people perform at their absolute best - and hearing so many inspiring stories about the athletes. NBC broadcasters and TV personalities (mainly Jimmy Fallon) seem to agree that...
Late summer, the evening light shifts, almost incandescent. I love that the sun always lets us know where we are, on the planet and in life. I’m sitting in my backyard. String lights illuminate a graying wooden fence and red Adirondack chairs underneath the maple tree. On hot days, a squirrel lounges on the chair arm, flattening himself so completely in a shockingly unsquirrel like way, that if I notice, I’m compelled to check on him, make sure he’s OK. I approach, he scramble...
I miss the days when Ainsley was little and Friday night was pizza and movie night. We’d watch the latest Disney release or sentimental favorites like “Because of Winn-Dixie” or “Fly Away Home.” Every Friday I still suggest a movie night — and we still have pizza. But now that Ainsley is older, it seems she has better things to do, like go out with friends or babysitting. Some nights she even prefers hanging out in her room alone to spending time with me and her dad! Earlier this summer she agreed to a series of throwback m...
August is National Wellness Month, a designation aimed at inspiring self-care, healthy routines and reduced stress for a more fulfilling life. Hinsdale and neighboring communities are rich in business and nonprofit organizations offering a full gamut of wellness activities. Check out this issue’s Out & About listing (starting on Page 16) to get information on the tai chi chuan and chi gung morning class on Aug. 10 & 24 at The Community House, 415 W. Eighth St., to improve balance, develop posture and alignments, improve m...
This column was supposed to be about my epic hot air balloon ride. A beautiful, adventurous ride providing the perfect counter balance to the chaotic ugliness of traditional travel. A majestic, joyful ride helping me shed the bitter aftertaste of travel delays due to unpredictable summer storms, software malfunctions, missed connections and last-minute car rentals with flat tires. The ride got canceled due to an unpredictable summer storm. How does one pivot from a planned hum...
One of my favorite episodes of The X-Files is called "The Field Where I Died." Usually the show is about aliens (which might or might not exist, depending on which season you're watching), but this one is about an investigation of a local cult that supposedly has a cache of weapons and is abusing children. During the investigation, FBI special agent Fox Mulder experiences deja vu, which leads him to find the cult leader and his six wives, hiding under a trap door and...
Did three Hinsdale High School District 86 Board members discuss board business when they met for dinner at Taco Grill in Westmont a few weeks ago? We’ll never know. The three — board President Cat Greenspon and members Peggy James and Jeff Waters — contend that they were not discussing any board business. And we have no proof to counter their claim. But we have attended meetings ourselves, at work or at church or somewhere else. And we’ve talked about them afterward. That seems to be the natural progression — you and other...
The moving truck pulled up earlier than expected. I felt a jolt of adrenaline and dread, knowing it was really happening. This year would be our 21st, and last year, living in Hinsdale. Three big moving guys descended on our home. They were nice but no nonsense as they inventoried our things. They slapped down reams of packing paper and got to work. I cringed as they picked up our special things - crystal from my mother-in-law, Christmas decorations passed down and collected,...
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...
The greatest athletes in the world have assembled in the French capital to compete for gold at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. In anticipation of the pomp and pageantry of the opening ceremony and the emotional roller coaster tracking the exploits of Team USA, we couldn’t help but let our imaginations run wild with the notion of what an Olympics might look like right here in Hinsdale. Granted Salt Creek may be a bit tighter to navigate than the Seine River for water sports events, and the carillon cupola atop the M...
Shortly before daybreak on July 18th, Two sharp, tiny claws bored a hole in the ground. And crawling up from his dark birthplace beneath, A white nymph emerged without making a sound. Then, knowing not why - some deep instinct, I s'pose, He found a tall maple and started to climb. Soon, into bright sunlight young Albert arose, And found himself 30 feet high in no time. The instinct that told him to climb now said, "Stop!" So Albert latched onto the dry, ragged bark. And...
When I heard of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, I mentally ticked off the same list many others did - Lincoln, JFK, RFK Jr., Reagan. Then I heard a news report about an attempt on former President Teddy Roosevelt's life as he sought another term. I was surprised to hear about an assassination attempt that I didn't remember learning about in school. Then I did a little research online and discovered the list of assassination attempts on presidents...
Camps. Lessons. Team practices. Trips to the pool — or maybe summer school. Appointments at the DMV. All of the above can leave us wondering — just where are those lazy days of summer that they sing about? And with the Fourth of July well behind us and the first day at Hinsdale Central less than a month away, summer seems to be quickly slipping from our grasp. But there is plenty of summer left and plenty of activities to enjoy before it’s time to pull out the wool slacks and cashmere sweaters. Residents have six more oppor...
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...
